Peach State Federal Credit Union and the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, along with representatives from Fort Gordon, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and NOW Corp, will host a seminar on Thursday, February 11th, entitled“Grow Your Business NOW with Fort Gordon and Other Government Agencies: Tips to Help You Win New and Larger Contracts.”
 
The workshop aims to provide local small businesses with knowledge of how to register to bid on government contracts, effectively position their business to obtain new and larger contracts, and then manage the cash flow challenges of doing business with Fort Gordon and the Federal Government. “Peach State is dedicated to supporting the communities within our footprint. We are pleased to sponsor an event designed to empower small businesses – enabling them to grow, succeed, and create jobs while serving the needs of Fort Gordon,” said Grace Helms, Senior Vice President, Community Relations for Peach State.
 
Fort Gordon awarded over $233 million in contract opportunities in 2015 according to Nelson Keeler, Deputy to the Commanding General. Small businesses play a large role in supporting Fort Gordon. “I’m very pleased to see that greater than 40% of our contracting activities so far have gone to small businesses,” Keeler said. However, only 1.5% of small businesses are even registered to vie for contracts according to the SBA.
 
JoAnn Braxton, Business Opportunity Specialist with the SBA, and Lara Hodgson, President and CEO of NOW Corp, will host the session, with representatives from Fort Gordon and the SBDC on hand to answer questions. “We are looking forward to sharing practical information with the small business community in and around Augusta to help strengthen our community as a whole,” said Eric Frickey, SBDC.
 
Similar events were hosted in Valdosta and Columbus, Georgia in 2015.  “This was one of the best business seminars I have ever attended and was well worth my time,” said Terry Luke, owner of Luke Electrical in Valdosta.
 
“At NOW Corp, we’ve been fortunate to help a wide range of small businesses significantly expand their government and commercial contracts and, as a result, they’ve been able to create more than 1,500 jobs in Georgia over the last couple years,” said Lara Hodgson, President and CEO of NOW Corp. “We recently participated in a similar event with the SBA in Columbus, Georgia and it was amazing to interact with such an incredible group of highly engaged small businesses from so many different industries. We’re looking forward to doing the same in Augusta.”
 
The event is free and open to small business owners and executives, and will be held at The Kroc Center, 1833 Broad Street, Augusta, GA, from 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. To register, visit http://www.eventbrite.com/e/grow-your-business-with-fort-gordon-now-workshop-to-help-you-win-new-and-larger-contracts-tickets-20729189564.