Conference Agenda*

Speaker:Kevin Grimes, CEO, CFO Leasing

Description: Budgeting is the most vital financial management tool in a company, yet the formal budgeting process is overlooked by many small businesses. Come learn the formal line item budget method. This session will also explain how budgeting creates the baseline for proposal pricing and establishing indirect rates and forward pricing rates with the Federal government.

Speaker:John Davis, President, SBIR Resource Center

Description: Come to this session and discover how to transform your start up or ongoing firm into a "most preferred" provider via the only legally established pathway to UNLIMITED (no time, dollar, or size limits) bid advantaged, sole-source marketing preferences at all agencies of the Federal Government.

Speakers:Susan King, Electronic Systems (ES) Sector Executive Administrator, Supplier Diversity Programs, BAE Systems, Inc.
Tracy Solomon, President, TEVET LLC

Description: Session will focus on experiences from real Vetrepreneurs in understanding major Prime Contractor needs. Review of a successful, sustainable business model that demonstrates significant growth even in today's challenging DoD budget climate. Participants will learn how adaptation, flexibility, and first rate service not just "products", are critical to success. Learn tips to develop partnering relationships, create customer trust, and understand what Primes look for in small business capabilities. Participants will learn the value of both Prime and industry mentoring opportunities, and critical emphasis by Primes of reliable, trusted, performance by supplier partners. Seminar will be most valuable to serious entrepreneurs, Veteran-owned, and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned companies.

Speaker:Pamela Mazza, Managing Partner, PilieroMazza, PLLC

Description: Staying on the straight and narrow is not always intuitive when dealing with issues like unconditional ownership and control, affiliation and size. Participants will learn what activities are prohibited or restricted, whether they need to adopt a written code of ethics, what to do if they suspect that an employee or subcontractor may have committed an ethical violation, and common sense strategies for establishing a reputation as an honest and ethical contractor. Attendees will leave this session better able to spot and avoid potential pitfalls that could result in lost contracts, lost eligibility to participate in small business programs or even suspension, debarment or prosecution for misrepresenting size or status.

-Thinking Different about Alternative Financing Solutions

Speaker(s): Christopher Mills, Vice President, Business Development, Federal National Commercial Credit

Description: Financing can make or break a small business. The challenges and realities of the current economy make creativity and choices in financing an important part of a small-business growth strategy. This session will discuss the basic criteria for bank financing, current/emerging products available by banks and financial institutions, what the decline notification really means, and what alternative financing options are available for small businesses.

Speaker:Gerald Paulsen, President, Paulsen Productions

Description: Have you thought of how your peers, current clients, potential customers and the competition perceive you? You will be able to identify and assess how you want everyone to perceive you - both internally and externally. Let your own personal style as well as your personality come through every time you communicate with others, regardless of the situation. This is an interactive workshop with opportunity for some to deliver an impromptu introduction in front of the group.

Speakers:Beth Goldstein, President, Marketing Edge Consulting Group
Gloria Larkin, President, TargetGov at Marketing Outsource Associates, Inc.

Description: Need help with critical sales and marketing tactics that capture the attention of government agencies? In this session we'll show you how to create a powerful brand that will open doors to more Federal agencies, the military and prime contractors. We will cover practical steps you can take immediately to strengthen your brand, differentiate your value and communicate effectively with your target markets. Discover how to effectively target government agencies by avoiding the most common mistakes and learn how marketing to government entities differs from private sector companies.

Speaker:Tim Ross, Partner-in-Charge, Northeast Region Tax Services, CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP

Description: Tim Ross of CliftonLarsonAllen will discuss tax considerations and other issues small businesses should consider when contemplating a merger or acquisition. The discussion will focus on tax considerations but will also touch financing, looking for a buyer, negotiating the deal, and expectations in terms of how much your business may be worth.

Speaker: Mark R. "Hawk" Thomas, Esq., Managing Partner, Reid Law PC

Description: Using anecdotal case studies, keen insight, and candid humor, Federal contracts lawyer and retired USAF officer "Hawk" Thomas will address legal issues that demand the attention of small business Federal contractors. Topics include entity ownership and control rules, mentor-protégé agreements, joint ventures, teaming and affiliation, bonding assistance, Federal labor law, limits on subcontracting, cost accounting and audits, ethics compliance, protests and appeals, fraud and false claims, and dispute resolution. This no-nonsense, high-energy short course on doing things right and avoiding self-inflicted wounds will arm attendees with the information they need to recognize legal boundaries and distinguish themselves in the competitive Federal marketplace.

Speaker:Mary Kerner, Lending Administrator, Rural Nevada Development Corporation
David Leonard, Senior Area Manager, U.S. Small Business Administration
Sue Malone, President, Strategies for Small Business; Director of Marketing, Superior Financial Group

Description: Were you recently awarded a new government contract? How are you going to fund it? What are the options in financing in our new economy? Come and listen to a diverse panel of people actually working every day with small businesses in obtaining financing. This session will discuss new and existing programs, angel and venture funding, financing alternatives to use in this economy, and provide practical solutions for the Veteran-owned business. Come prepared with your tough questions for the panelists and receive a straight answer.

Speaker:Joshua Frank, Principal, RSM Federal

Description: This high-energy and thought-provoking session will accelerate your teaming strategies by two to three years while providing techniques to differentiate and build competitive advantage with the companies you want to team with. A Programmatic Teaming Strategy (PTS) differentiates the capabilities of your company and helps you integrate them into two or more of another company's markets or territories. Focusing on techniques proven to strengthen your company's position, we discuss the most common teaming mistakes small businesses make with larger companies; being on a winning team and no work, managing conflict of interest, first versus second-tier subcontracting, and a detailed discussion on the five functional areas larger companies use to evaluate and select small businesses.

Speaker:Gus Grace, Director of Veterans Relations, Export-Import Bank of U.S.

Description: As a global economy has become a reality, there are huge markets outside the United States. Have you considered the potential demand for your product or service overseas? The Export-Import Bank was created to help firms establish and grow in overseas markets. The workshop will focus on potential markets, opportunities, pitfalls and assistance available through the Bank and other agencies. Participants will learn how to obtain working capital to finance their exports. They will also learn how to obtain buyer financing. Veteran owned businesses that want to export should attend.

Speakers:Ted Daywalt, President, VetJobs
Bill Errico, Executive Vice President, Federal Practice, Pearl Interactive Network
Bob Mortenson, Regional Veterans Employment Coordinator (RVEC), Region 2, Veteran Employment Services Office, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Description:Want to hire a Vet and don't know where to start? You need the answer to the basic questions on How, What, and Where. Join Bill Errio, Ted Daywalt, and Bob Mortenson in an interactive discussion on how to find and qualify candidates and how to assimilate Veterans into your organization. Explore what you can hire Vets for, any accommodations an employer may have to address, what benefits an employer can derive, and what regulations may apply.

Speaker:Mark Tagliaferro, Assistant Vice President Commercial Lines, Coffey & Company, Inc.

Description: The session will be an interactive presentation of the most important risk management coverages facing government contract employers. Mr. Tagliaferro will walk the attendees through specific coverage forms, educating them where simple changes to existing policies can be made to enhance coverage, most at no additional cost. He will explain in plain English insurance products that will include General Liability, Employment Practices Liability, Cyber Liability, Worker's Compensation, Professional Liability, Directors & Officers Liability, and disaster planning. Mr. Tagliaferro delivers his presentation in a manner where attendees leave with an understanding of insurance pitfalls and how to properly protect their business.

Speaker: Jeff Denniston, Senior Account Manager of Healthcare solutions,
Harris Corporation
Todd Leap, COO, 7 Delta, Inc.

Description: What are the benefits of a Mentor Protégé relationship? How to pick the right Mentor? What to expect from the relationship? What to do to ensure that the relationship is successful? How can the relationship open doors to pursue new business? How to develop teaming opportunities between the Mentor and Protégé to win new contracts?

Speaker:Cy Alba, Partner, PilieroMazza, PLLC

Description: In this age of increased oversight of Federal small business programs, knowledge of the current rules and regulations, coupled with how courts and the Small Business Administration have interpreted those rules and regulations, can be invaluable to small businesses seeking to work with the Federal government. This session will provide small businesses with the tools necessary to properly form teaming arrangements, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and even mentor/protégé agreements with large and small businesses without falling into the traps of affiliation or other violations of Federal small business rules. These same tools will also show you how to protect yourself and your small business from damaging size protests, suspensions and debarments, audits and investigations, False Claim Act allegations, and even criminal prosecutions related to working in the Federal small business area.

Speakers: Jim Moody, Chief Operating Officer, Veterans Enterprise Technology Solutions, Inc.

Description: This session, led by Jim Moody, will help small businesses to understand the government business environment and how to identify, win and successfully grow new business. Topics will include: business intelligence, opportunity screening, capture management, successful teaming relationships, preparing winning proposals, customer relations.

Speaker: John Keenan, Senior Associate, SEIA, LLC

Description: Government contractors who want to succeed in today's competitive market need to examine areas in which they can gain an advantage. One critical area that is often overlooked are the retirement plan benefits available to key executives. Insufficient retirement savings is a significant issue facing Americans today, with highly compensated executives facing the largest savings shortfall. Properly designed retirement plans, both qualified and non-qualified, can help companies cost-effectively retain and attract quality executives who maximize shareholder value by solving the retirement gap. Join this session to learn how a combination of traditional qualified 401(k) plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans allow owners to maintain equity in their business while providing key executives with a greater probability of achieving their personal retirement goals.

Speaker:Pamela Mazza, Managing Partner, PilieroMazza, PLLC

Description: Just over a year ago we saw the Small Business Jobs Act signed into law and the first major revisions of SBA's regulations in 10 years and technical corrections to those regulations are on the way. Join Pam Mazza for a practical discussion of how the new law and regulations are being implemented and ways in which you can position your business to best utilize the new regulations while playing by the rules. This session will cover: subcontracting with small businesses, misrepresentations for "false" certifications, set-asides for small businesses on MACs and GSA schedules, the Section 8(a) Program, Jjoint Ventures, and mentor-protégé agreements.

Speaker: Glenn Richardson, Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, FedBid

Description: This session will provide useful, actionable information regarding the use of reverse auctions as a strategy to increase efficiencies, create transparent processes, and provide mutually beneficial outcomes to both buyers and sellers from the RA transaction. Examples will be provided, with a focus on seller participation and results, from FedBid, a multi-billion dollar online marketplace that connects government and private sector buyers with a managed network of 40,000+ qualified sellers at the touch of a button. Veterans, particularly those who are entrepreneurs and other business owners, will particularly benefit from this session as they will learn how to optimize on business opportunities while capitalizing on potentially reduced costs of sales and operations resulting from the reverse auction process.