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Envision Prince George's
Engages Residents at Town Meeting
 On March 20, 2010 nearly 1,200 county residents gathered at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex for the Envision Prince George's 21st Century Town Meeting, a landmark countywide public engagement and collaborative effort. The initiative was launched by The Maryland-National Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC), to finalize a vision, and prioritize the top long-term goals the county should pursue.
Attendees at the event represented a wide spectrum of county residents that covered all segments of our population. Samuel J. Parker Jr., MNCPPC Planning Board Chair was excited by the turnout, and felt that it validated his feelings about the direction the county should move toward. "Democracy and engagement of the public is absolutely necessary," said Parker, "People want to be a part of the decision making process, and they want the county to be a regional leader." He hopes that everybody who attended the meeting will become a part of the process to implement the vision they helped to create.
Participants discussed goals in six of the Envision areas: Live, Work, Learn, Enjoy and Sustain. A total of 19 goals were presented for the community to vote on and prioritize. These goals were selected based upon feedback at seven community forums held in the months prior to the Town Meeting. Thirteen of the top ranking goals were selected to develop the initial work of the Community Action Teams, and now your work begins.
To find out more about how you can become involved or to view the Envision Prince George's preliminary report visit www.envisionprincegeorges.org, or call 301-952-3594. To hear the Envision Podcast click here. |
ECONOBLAST LIVE Hits The Airwaves
On April 14, 2010, EDC will launch EconoBlast Live, on WOL 1450AM. EconoBlast Live is your broadcast connection to the Economic Development Corporation, and the programs and services of each of its divisions. This broadcast will give listeners the right combination of economic development, small business initiatives, and career and employment tips. Don't forget to tune in every Wednesday at 10am on WOL 1450AM.
Click here to listen to a promo for the first broadcast |
SBI Vendor Day Brings Procurement Opportunities to Local Business Owners
(L-R LaTasha Lee-Peterkin, Tyrone Hill, Diana Strong, Lloyd Blackwell)
On Wednesday, March 17, the Small Business Initiative (SBI) held its monthly Procurement Day with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Federal Department of Transportation (DOT), and Maryland Department of the Environment (MDOE). The featured presenters provided information on procurement opportunities within their various organizations. Procurement officers also held one-on-one meetings with company representatives immediately following the program, as standard for SBI vendor days.
Diana Strong, Small Business Program Manager with NRC, encouraged business owners to attend their meet-and-greet seminars, which are held on the first Thursday of each quarter, and to visit www.nrc.gov for information regarding doing business with NRC. The website also lists a three-part forecast of opportunities. The forecast includes: new requirements, new tasks, and an active listing of awarded contracts. She also noted that $100,000 - $300,000, of acquisitions are reserved for small businesses.
Small Business Specialist, Lloyd Blackwell, with DOT stated that their department's goal is to have all 37% of all contracts they administer to be awarded to small businesses. Fourteen percent of those contracts would be allocated to small and disadvantaged firms. He also shared the 2010 Procurement Forecast. The forecast provides information on anticipated DOT procurements over the simplified acquisition threshold and can also be found on the DOT website at www.osdbu.dot.gov.
Tyrone Hill and LaTasha Lee-Peterkin, with Maryland Department of Environment (MDE), shared the various sources for procurement opportunities within MDE. Their department's goal is to award 25% of all contracts administered by its procurement department to MBE/DBE's. They are committed to award a minimum of 10% of its total dollar value of goods to small businesses. Ms. Lee-Peterkin encouraged the attendees to be present at the pre-bid conferences, and to market themselves more directly to procurement officers. "If you're hungry, go get the food," she firmly stated. She also directed attendees to visit www.emarylandmarketplace.com to review bid announcements and register for the Small Business Reserve Program.
Their team shared some valuable links for procurement opportunities, which are listed below:
Stimulus projects: www.mde.state.md.us
Industry specific websites:
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Africa Trade Office and IBSAC Host Roundtable
Discussions on Business Opportunities in Africa
His Excellency Daniel Ohene Agyekum
 Neville Matjie, Mxolisi Zwana On Tuesday, March 16, The International Business Strategic Advisory Council (IBSAC) and the Africa Trade Office (ATO) co-sponsored a roundtable discussion focused on business opportunities in Ghana. His Excellency Daniel Ohene Agyekum, Ghana's new Ambassador to the United States of America gave a thorough presentation to identify opportunities that exist in different industry sectors. He was supported by Francis Addo, Minister/Commercial, and Edith Hazel, Deputy Chief of Mission from the Embassy of Ghana.
One-on-one meetings were arranged for companies that expressed an interest in project proposals already underway in Ghana. The Maryland companies that attended represented a range of sectors, including: road and housing construction, education, IT, finance, general export/import, and water management.
Following the presentation from His Excellency Agyekum, the group held a networking lunch, and was joined by an Inbound Trade Mission from South Africa. During the session a series of business-to-business meetings were held. Mr. Gwala, CEO of the Trade & Investment KwaZulu Natal, led the delegation. The team of businessmen came ready to engage U.S. companies, and left an exceptional impression on the companies in attendance. One of the honorable guests included the fourth largest Black-owned development company in South Africa, Crowe Development. Crowe is currently looking for partners in the U.S. for building opportunities.
As a result of the matches that were made with the Ghanaian and South Africa contingents, The Africa Trade Office agreed to facilitate further discussions through video conferencing. The ATO staff will work directly with the Ghanaian Embassy and the KwasZulu, delegation.
For additional information regarding opportunities in Ghana, or to connect with the KwaZulu delegation, please call The Africa Trade Office at 301 583-4650 to set-up an appointment with one of their international business specialists or visit their website at: www.africatradeoffice-usa.com.
The IBSAC meets every 3rd Tuesday from at 1pm at the Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation. Come take advantage of the myriad of companies and resources made available through the County's monthly international business networking. |
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| EDC Podcast:
Envison Prince George's
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EDC Training
& Meetings:
IBSAC-Intl Business
3rd Tuesdays, 1pm
Procurement Day University of Maryland
April 21
9:00am-12:00pm
What Every Business Needs to Know About Keeping Your Corporate House in Order
April 28
9:00am-11:00am
Register here
QUICK LINKS:
Envision Prince George's
WHUR World
Tid-Bit
"Leaders need to be optimists. Their vision is beyond the present"
Rudy Guiliani
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