U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Presents VetBiz Award
to Procurement Technical Assistance Center at FAU

Pensacola, FL: Success of Florida Veterans is the focus of new initiatives developed and presented by the statewide centers of the Florida Small Business Development Center Network (FSBDCN). From the Patriot Loan Express program to targeted training and meetings to tailored networking opportunities, Florida’s SBDCs are assisting veteran business owners and veterans entrepreneurs—those who want to start their own business.

Evidence of their skill and diligence, the Florida Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Program of the SBDC at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) was awarded the VETBiz Award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Laura Subel, Florida PTAC Program Manager, accepted the award at the 2008 Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers National Conference held in Lexington, Kentucky. Subel took a moment to thank all of Florida’s Procurement Specialists and said “the FAU PTAC program is a model operation.” She also acknowledged Nancy Young, Regional Director of the SBDC at FAU, for her support.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs presented the award in recognition of the FAU PTAC’s ongoing support of Veteran-owned businesses and for the 2007 Veterans and Small Business Expo hosted by FAU PTAC on April 18, 2007 at the FAU MacArthur campus. PTAC Specialists Carole Hart, Jackie Rule and Mike Bell coordinated the event; Nancy Young and her staff were very helpful in providing registration, set up and take down assistance during the event.  The color guard from the Fort Lauderdale Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 23 opened the Expo. The morning activity featured the following speakers:

• Bruce St. John, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington D.C.
• Patrick Gartland, SBA Department of Advocacy, Atlanta.
• Mark Llano, Source One Distributors, Wellington, FL (a 5 year old $52 M annually Veteran-owned and SBA 8(a) certified small business and Florida PTAC client.
• Robert Pantle, Remington Arms Madison, NC (mentor to Source One Distributors—under the Department of Homeland Security Mentor-Protégé Program)
• Pam Hart, Office of Small Business Assistance, Palm Beach County
• Richard Porter, AIMM, Boca Raton, a Veteran-owned small business and Florida PTAC client.

Following the presentations, a Q&A segment ensued for the benefit of the small business owners attending. The EXPO opened after lunch with 157 attendees visiting 28 representatives from municipal, state and federal agencies. Evaluations submitted at the EXPO were extremely positive and expressed desire for a future event.

The Florida Small Business Development Center Network is a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development organizations dedicated to providing emerging and established business owners with assistance enabling overall growth and increased profitability that contributes to the economic prosperity of the state. For more information about the FSBDCN, call 1.866.737.7232 or visit our website at www.FloridaSBDC.org.

The FSBDCN is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA.