Area Firms Learn to Win Federal Work
The Charleston Gazette, October 13, 2005
By Jennifer Ginsberg
jginsberg@wvgazette.com
It seems that Matthew Lesko — the infomercial TV guy clad in a purple suit with yellow question marks who screeches about free money from the government — just might be on to something.
The U.S. government is the world's largest customer and West Virginia's business can get in on the federal action, Keith Pauley told a group of businesspeople Wednesday morning during a speech about how to do business with the government.
Pauley, president and CEO of MATRIC, the Mid-Atlantic Technology Research Innovation Center in South Charleston, estimated he has procured $600 million in government contracts during his 20-year-career.
His speech was part of the all-day Contract Connections where businesspeople had 15-minute one-on-one sessions to tell state and federal agencies about their companies. The businesses had four hours to meet with representatives from 25 agencies including the NASA Glenn Research Center, West Virginia Purchasing Division and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. and the Charleston Area Alliance set up the all-day event that coincided with the alliance's Cavalcade of Trade, a sales and marketing show held at the Charleston Civic Center. The program was a way to “enhance opportunities for business and trade show participants,” said the alliance's Executive Director Bill Goode.
Capito called the matchmaking “an idea long past due for West Virginia.” If each small business that wanted a federal contract were able to win one, that would mean thousands of jobs for West Virginians, she said.
Pauley's goal was to arm his listeners with enough information to win at least one contract. Companies that want to work with the government need to build solid relationships with the agencies, understand exactly what the agencies need, follow the agency's directions and processes and continue trying if they're rejected, he said.
The government, in turn, will be a good customer because it offers repeat business, is recession-proof and buys all types of goods and services, he said. Many federal contacts also have money set aside for small businesses, businesses in an economically depressed area and businesses owned by women and veterans.
Stephen Haynes and Timothy Taylor came to the event prepared with handouts about their Charleston technology company, TLTEK, to discuss with some of the agency representatives. The 10-employee business doesn't have any government contracts yet, but would like to bring some to West Virginia and create more jobs for local high-technology workers, said Haynes, the company's technology consultant and project manager.
Marc Adams saw the matchmaking event as a way to get out to a wider audience the public service announcements, training and educational videos made by his Dunbar company Digital Vision Works.
“For a company like ours, it would be a way of broadening our horizons and doing work in lots of states,” he said.