Edwards small business seminar gets big turnout

  • Published
  • By Diane Betzler
  • Staff Writer
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  More than 200 representatives and owners of small businesses learned how to better compete for jobs on base at the Edwards Fourth Annual Small Business Seminar held at Club Muroc April 20.

Billed as "The Path to Desert Opportunities," men and women interested in bringing their business products or services to Edwards had the opportunity to discuss current and future requirements as well as subcontracting opportunities with base officials.

The seminar began with guest speakers from around base followed by face-to-face sessions in the afternoon where business owners and representatives met with base personnel about possible business ventures.

Donna Thomason, Small Business Programs Office director, greeted those attending the event and gave a brief overview of what the seminar has to offer.

"It's all about informing contractors about the base mission so that they can get a better understanding about how their business will fit into what we do here," Ms. Thomason said.

The seminar served two purposes - it let businesses learn about base needs and it let Edwards know what services and products are available.

The morning began with briefings from base leadership, who explained how important local businesses are to the base.

Thomas Berard, Air Force Flight Test Center executive director, briefed attendees about the AFFTC mission, giving people an idea of how their business would fit at Edwards.

Director of Flight Operations for NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, David Wright, gave a mission brief of his organization and introduced several programs NASA is currently working. He also touched on the important contributions NASA is making to battle, and in some cases solve, many of the world's environmental issues.

The mission of the Edwards Small Business Office is to counsel companies interested in doing business with Edwards. The SBO also takes on the responsibility of ensuring that small businesses get a fair share of the contract dollars that come out of Edwards.