GOVERNMENT CAN BE IMPORTANT CUSTOMER

Business owners from throughout Southeast Missouri have discovered a potential new client: the government.

On Wednesday, at the area's first conference on procuring government contracts, they found out how to entice that client and provide customer satisfaction.

About 160 people attended the one-day conference at Robert A. Dempster Hall on the Southeast Missouri State University campus. It featured speakers who successfully marketed their goods and services to local, state and federal government agencies.

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond, both Republicans, sponsored the conference. The university's Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Small Business Administration, the Missouri Small Business Development Centers and Missouri Procurement Assistance Centers also cooperated on the presentation.

Emerson said the federal government spent more than $216 billion on contracts in 1999. About a quarter of that went to small businesses.

"The crowd here today amazed me," she said. "It's great to see so many people looking for more opportunities."

Special programs

Margie Gaines, who recently started a general contracting business in Grassy, Mo., said she heard of government programs to help women entrepreneurs but wanted to learn more.

"I'm looking for new business, and government contracts could be an answer," she said.

Gaines listened to several speakers, including St. Louis manufacturer Matt Alexander, and talked with exhibitors at the conference, including Julie A. Bond, senior administrator of the Supplier Diversity Program for the Boeing Co. of St. Louis.

Local businesses already are realizing the perks of wooing government contracts. A Sikeston, Mo., printing company has a form-printing contract from the U.S. Government Printing Office at St. Louis. An Eminence, Mo., company is involved in some metal fabricating for Boeing.

The government want list is virtually endless and ranges from aircraft parts to paper clips.

Alexander, a manufacturer from St. Louis and a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, discussed his experience in government contracts.

"We don't depend on the government for all our work," said Alexander, who manufactures walk-in freezers and coolers. "But it can be a good way to grow your business.'"

Alexander's first government contract was a $7.1 million deal spread over five years for various storage cases. His company, Matthews Manufacturing, employs about 18 workers.

Videotaped speech

Bond, who couldn't attend, made a videotaped presentation about the HUBZone program, established by Congress in 1997 to create jobs in urban and rural disadvantaged communities by assisting small businesses to get involved in projects, including government contracting.

There are many federally designated HUBZones in Southeast Missouri, said Bond, who heads the Senate Small Business Committee and was instrumental in establishing the HUBZone program.

In all, 41 HUBZones are established in Missouri, and more areas apply each month. Eligible businesses must employ at least 35 percent of their workers from a HUBZone area.

David Turner of the SBA also discussed the HUBZone program and government contracts. All government contracts over $25,000 must be listed for bids after October. Many of the listings are at www.fedbizopps.gov.

Those interested in acquiring contracts should contact the SBDC for information or check www.sba.gov.