Arkansas APEX Accelerator helps businesses tap into federal marketplace
June 7, 2024
By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
- Arkansas APEX Accelerator helps Arkansas businesses secure millions in government contracts
- Trainings offered year-round, online and in-person
- Counselors offer one-on-one assistance
(703 words)
(Newsrooms: with APEX Accelerator logo)
LITTLE ROCK — The U.S. government is the largest customer in the world, buying more than $745 billion in goods and services in the 2023 fiscal year, but navigating the federal government marketplace can be murky. The Arkansas APEX Accelerator offers Arkansas businesses free guidance in securing government contracts through workshops and one-on-one counseling.
“For June, we have quite a bit of introductory training,” she said. “Participants will learn how to sell to the government, how small business certifications may benefit their chances of receiving a government contract, how marketing to the government differs from the private sector, and a few Department of Defense-focused trainings.”
In Arkansas, APEX Accelerator services are delivered through the Cooperative Extension
Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
This Accelerator is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department
of Defense. It has offices at the Cooperative Extension Service state office in Little
Rock, and satellite offices at NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville
and at Arkansas State University’s Delta Center for Economic Development in Jonesboro.
To register for any of the June trainings, visit https://arapex.ecenterdirect.com/events
Virtual trainings
June 11 — Industrial Base and Sustainment Training, 2-3 p.m.
June 12 — Woman-owned Small Business Certification, 10-11 a.m.
June 12 — 8 (a) Business Development Program, 10-11 a.m.
June 26 — Defense Production Act and Title III webinar, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
In-person trainings
Hot Springs
June 12 — Arkansas Small Business Boost: Navigating Success in the South and Delta, 11:30
a.m.-1 p.m., Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce, 659 Ouachita Ave.
Bentonville
June 13 — 8(a) and Small Disadvantaged Business Certifications, 2-4 p.m., NWACC Center for
Health Professions, The Oak Room, 3201 NWACC Blvd.
Russellville
June 19 — Marketing to the Government, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Arkansas Tech University, Rothwell
Hall, Room 308, 106 W. O St.
Newport
June 19 — Introduction to Small Business Certifications, 10-11 a.m., Newport Economic Development
Commission, 201 Hazel St.
Pine Bluff
June 19 — 8(a) and Mentor Protégé Program Overview, 2-3 p.m., The Generator, 35 S. Main St.
Camden
June 25 — Introduction to Government Contracting, 10-11 a.m., Ouachita Partnership for Economic
Development, 570 Ben Lane
Jonesboro
June 27 — Mastering Your Capability Statement, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., Arkansas State University
Delta Center for Economic Development, 319 University Loop
Stuttgart
June 27 — Delta Dreams: Financial Empowerment for East AR Entrepreneurs, 1-4 p.m., PCCUA
Stuttgart Campus, Grand Prairie Center, 2807 US 165
Participants can always reach out to Arkansas APEX Accelerator counselors for additional one on one support after the training, Berman said.
In-person office hours are scheduled throughout June in in Camden, Conway, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Heber Springs, Little Rock, Newport, Pine Bluff, Russellville and Texarkana. To find a training near your, visit http://www.uaex.uada.edu/APEX or email Apex@uada.edu.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension
and Research programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, sex, gender
identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital
or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and
is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal
access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to
participate or need materials in another format, please contact your Arkansas APEX
Accelerator as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media Contact: Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture
501-658-2044