GRAND OPENING AGAIN!!? 

  Can you believe it? ON FEB 2020 AT 2PM we launched our GCA chapter here in the NW.

It's been 1 year since we opened our doors and started a new chapter of the Government Contractors Association here in the NW.... 

Again I want to thank everyone who attended it was great food from Chef Beverley Ann, the perfect location at the Oasis Center and fun entertainment. I also want to thank the well wishes who were unable to attend...

I hope as you are reading this you are in GOOD Health & Spirits.....   SOOOO, some of the biggest changes, our name is now GovAssociation NW, a new website www.GovAssociationNW.org and a few new products and services. 

Well, unfortunately within weeks of our Grand Opening the dreaded COVID-19 hit and you know the rest of that story, its still not over... 

Anyway, due to the huge economic downturn, we realized trying to grow from scratch in the NW would be a challenge because of the huge unknown surrounding COVID. Well we didn't close shop! We placed our chapter on PAUSE and focused on our current clients as well as the development of other products & services.  

Two huge announcements -

(1) We have our Bid-Match GovGenie.com in Beta

(2) Our Certified Capture Managers Course has been approved and will be offered as a course through Georgia Tech University in the fall of 2021

ALSO

(3) We have updated our GovFast Track Software

(4) Also updated our GovTraining Vault & GovUniversity Video Training 

So this spring and summer 2021 we are motivated to help as many businesses understand the government contracting maze and win more contracts.  SEE YOU SOON.... 

"S.I.M.O.O."

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FREE Giveaway!

IF YOUR READING THIS NOW, WE ARE GIVING AWAY ONE OF OUR QUICKSTART KITS IN AN EMAIL DOWNLOAD.... CONTACT SUPPORT WITH CODE GCA1256 BEFORE 25 FEB 2021

INFO@GOVASSOCIATIONNW.ORG   OR

 GovAssociation NW - Contact

IF YOU MISS THIS SPECIAL OFFER YOU CAN GET OUR CHEAT SHEETS AND QUICKSTART KIT AT A DISCOUNT HERE:  https://govcademy.com/

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Atlanta, GA – (September 14th, 2020) Dr. Man Ki Kim, Professor at KAIST College of Business (www.business.kaist.edu) and Global Public Procurement Management Program, was awarded Government Contractors Association 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award at our Board of Directors Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia.

“It is with great privilege for me to bestow to Dr. Man Ki Kim GCA's LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD and the honorary designation of CERTIFIED CAPTURE MANAGER for his commitment to the small business community and contribution in public procurement service,” said Abraham Xiong, CEO of Government Contractors Association. “GCA extends our gratitude to Dr. Kim for his ongoing work to empower entrepreneurs and corporations around the world, especially the underserved small business community in the USA.”

“I am humbled and honored to be recognized by GCA and its Board of Directors with this Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Dr. Kim. “I’m fortunate to live my life’s mission of serving my community and the international community in fostering business and public procurement opportunities. I am fully committed to develop KAIST’s Global Public Procurement Management Program to support SMBs to enter global procurement market such as US Fed, US, EU and MDBs.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred in recognition of Dr. Kim’s leadership and passion to educate the businesses of South Korea and the USA on international trade and the public procurement market.

Through his role as a Professor with KAIST University and as a Senior Advisor of Global Public Procurement at Yulchon, Dr. Kim is a bridge for international business cooperation through the multiple trade missions with US small companies entering the South Korean market and vice versa.

Prior to moving back to his native country of South Korea, Dr. Kim and his wife started a small business in Reston, Virginia as a federal government contractor. Their success of winning over $35 million in government contracts led to his passion to encourage and educate others about the opportunities in the public procurement marketplace.

“I’m proud to see our small business members work with Dr. Kim as he has helped open many doors for US based companies in finding manufacturers and suppliers in the international market,” stated Richard Brooks, CFO of GCA.

About Government Contractors Association, Inc. (GCA)

GCA is a national trade association with a mission to support the small business community.  We are advocates and agents of change focused on reducing the economic disparities which exist in the government market. Our goal is to educate, facilitate, and advocate on behalf of our members, clients and the small business community.

For more information visit our NW chapter south or Seattle: 

www.GovAssociationNW.org | info@govassociationnw.org | 404-955-8080

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The Government Contractors Association (GCA) is pleased to announce the winners of the Myra Cisse Scholarship.

The scholarship was established to honor one of GCA’s founders who passed this Summer, Myra Cisse Smith.  Myra was an advocate for small and mid-sized businesses having helped to launch several companies on the path to government contracts.  Through Myra’s collective work at GCA, over 10,000 entrepreneurs have been trained and most importantly, businesses have won more than $900 million in government contracts.  She traveled around the globe leading trade mission trips from the US to South Korea. She supported international companies in their expansions. More notably, she was a voice for the small business community and a bridge between government agencies and small businesses.  GCA is committed to continue the work of helping SMBs to thrive in government contracting.  GCA has created an ecosystem where companies may come to find the training, answers, and the resources they need to grow their businesses through government contracting. 

Recipients of the Myra Cisse Scholarship will receive placement in GCA’s Certified Capture Manager Program.  Through the Certified Capture Manager Program, GCA has formalized the training, development and certification of business professionals to provide business development services for government contractors.  The CCM program includes the following:

- GovFastTrack ($1999 value)
- GovLMS ($priceless)
- Capture management software/Dashboard ($999 value)
- 12 weeks of Mastermind lessons (online) ($2000 value)
- GovBootcamp ($999 value)
- Video course ($1997 value)
- Business coach ($2000 value)
- Proposal training ($500 value)
- Testing portal (preparation for exam)
- Exam to become a Certified Capture Manager ($500 value)

- CCM Professional Designation (Priceless)

- Bonus Session: (after your graduate) How to use your CCM Certification
- Plus more (over $10K in value)

GCA members and friends, please help us congratulate the recipients of this year’s Myra Cisse Scholarship:

• Angela Mercer with Sproutagile

And

• Keema Small with Talent Answers

We wish our winners much success.   GCA would also like to thank all who applied for the scholarships. We encourage those who were not selected this time to apply again next year.

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MOBILIZATION FUND

For Government Contractors

Mobilization funding for federal, state, city and local municipality contracts. From $10K up to $2 million.

Learn more from Richard Brooks CFO Government Contractors Association Atlanta, sign up for the Sep Webinar 

Gov Bridge Capital (govassociation.org)

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On behalf of the GCA family, Richard Brooks, Pamela Harris, Kim Yang, Herman Kitt and myself, Abraham Xiong, we are saddened and heartbroken to let you know that Myra Cisse passed after a battle with cancer. Myra was our friend, business partner, and a champion for small businesses.

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR MYRA:

GCA is planning to host an online Memorial Service for friends and the business community to celebrate Myra’s life. It is set for Tuesday August 11th at 5pm to 6:30pm.  If you have a few words to share, let us know so we can consider it.

Here is the link to RVSP: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4248735439771108879

VIDEO MONTAGE TRIBUTE TO MYRA:

We're putting together a tribute video for Myra, so if you have any Myra moments, Myra’isms, funny stories, pictures, songs, or poems. You can also record a short video of you sharing a few words.

- Keep your video short, ideally, 30 seconds

- Send video in MP4 file format to: info@govcontractors.org

- Due Wednesday evening

Myra was a champion for the small business community and for so many of us. Her life and professional career leave a legacy of impact, hope and promises for entrepreneurs throughout the world. She empowered thousands of companies through her passion to support entrepreneurs in their journey of learning about government contracting, certifications for small businesses, and accessing the opportunities with supplier diversity programs.

Myra started her business Certification Consultants, LLC as a way to help small businesses obtain certifications. In 2015, she became partners at Government Contractors Association to further the vision of enabling even more companies to access the billions of dollars of government contracts. Through Myra’s work, many of the companies which she helped to get certified into the 8a Program, WOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone, MBE, WBE, and other certification programs are now thriving and growing businesses. Some of them are winning millions in government contracts.

Through Myra’s collective work at GCA, over 10,000 entrepreneurs have been trained and most importantly, businesses have won more than $900 million in government contracts. She traveled around the globe leading trade mission trips from the US to South Korea. She supported international companies in their expansions. More notably, she was a voice for the small business community and a bridge between government agencies and small businesses.

Myra left us too soon, but she left a legacy of impact. In her final words, she said to tell everyone that "She loves us very much."

GOFUNDME

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up. As you contribute to this GoFundme campaign, it is your way of saying “Thank you” to Myra and how she has touched you. All funds from this GoFundMe will go to support Myra’s daughter, Bianca, settling her estate and medical expenses. Thank you in advance for your donation and support.

https://gf.me/u/yma5t4

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A few weeks ago I began a series addressing each of the 15 Departments of the Federal Executive Branch of the government.  The goal is to give you the information you need to begin identifying departments who may be buying your products and services. 

This department is one we are all familiar with.  The Department of Education is charged with establishing the policies for the nation’s schools and it coordinates most federal education assistance.  There are a dozen key agencies that support the Department of Education; some of which are familiar to us as well.  They include the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Office of Postsecondary Education, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, the Office of Vocational and Adult Education and Federal Student Aid.  

The aforementioned agencies are the ones that we think of when we think of the public school systems.  Curriculum, assistive technology, textbooks, testing, accreditations and more, from Pre-K - Graduate levels, are all handled by these agencies.  If your business supports educating Americans, it’s likely to fall under the Department of Education.  

With the Department of Education - and all of the departments, for that matter - I encourage you to think vertically.  Vertical integration is a big issue in corporate strategy, especially with firms reevaluating what parts of their value chain they want to keep and which parts to outsource.  For example, your company may perform binding services including spiral binding for workbooks.  A textbook publisher may outsource the binding portion of their business because it isn’t cost effective to have the equipment needed when that is such a small part of their overall business.  Your firm could be the partner to whom they outsource.  

Continue thinking “outside the box” and look at grant opportunities for your business. We don’t often think about grants when we think of government contracts but those options are readily available as well.  The Office of Innovation and Improvement, for instance, makes strategic investments in innovative educational programs and they administer more than 25 grant programs, i.e. Charter schools.  In this agency, in particular, and the Department of Education in general, you’ll find a lot of grant opportunities.

The last few agencies that complete the 12 key agencies of the Department of Education are the Office for Civil Rights, the Institute for Education Sciences, the Office of English Language Acquisition, the National Assessment Governing Board and the National Center for Education Statistics.  

The Institute for Education Sciences provides the evidence on which education policies and practices are based via four centers; the evaluation center, research center, statistics center and the special education research center.  If your company conducts research or develops analytical software or manufactures assistive technology for special needs kids, then there may be contracting opportunities in the Institute of Education Sciences for you to consider.

As I mentioned earlier, this series is to move you beyond the obvious needs you may think of when you consider some of these departments and see what actual niches may exist for your business.  The goal is to get you started down the right path so that you can truly see what opportunities await.  

Good Luck.

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