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APAC Celebrates National Veterans Small Business Week
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The Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center (APAC) hosted the first annual Arkansas Veteran Business Forum on November 8th as part of the National Veterans Small Business Week. Twenty two veteran small business owners came together to listen to community leaders speak about the resources available for veteran small businesses, all of which are available at no cost to the small business owner. According to the Small Business Administration, nearly one in ten small businesses in the U.S. is owned by a veteran. Together, they employ nearly 5 million American workers and produce more than $1 trillion in sales every year. What resources are available to veteran small business owners?The SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development, along with 22 Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC) nationwide, provide resources specifically designed to help veterans and military spouses start or grow a business. Arkansas’ VBOC is located in Texas but they are available to assist any veteran living in Arkansas, Northern Texas or Oklahoma. Their contact information is below. Veterans Business Outreach Center at University of Texas Arlington College of Business
(link is external)Coverage: Arkansas, Northern Texas, Oklahoma Also available is the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business program for federal contracting. The program certifies qualified companies to compete for contracts to sell their products and services to the federal government. The government has an annual goal that 23% of all federal contract dollars go to small businesses – and 3% of those to small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans. The Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center (APAC) in collaboration with the Small Business Administration hosts quarterly classes for veterans and their spouses through the Boots to Business program. APAC also hosts several classes for business owners throughout the year. All APAC events and trainings can be found on our website. If you are a veteran looking to start a business or need assistance with other ongoing business needs, our resource partners at the Arkansas Small Business Technology Development Center (ASBTDC) may help you. APAC staff are here to assist veteran small business owners with government contracting as well as their application to the Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business program. Feel free to call your APAC Procurement Counselor today for assistance at 501-671-2390 in Little Rock or 501-650-6180 in Bentonville. You may also e-mail us at ptac@uada.edu.
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