Southwestern Oregon Community College’s Small Business Development Center (Southwestern SBDC) is offering an exciting learning opportunity in Brookings October 9th on selling to the government. Federal, state and local government agencies spend millions of dollars every year purchasing goods and services from the private sector. Small business owners often are afraid to tap into this lucrative market because it seems so complex. This workshop will introduce participants to the basic tools to grow their business through selling to the government. Some of the concepts to be covered in this training include assessing potential government markets for your business, finding the right tools and resources to access these markets and learn what certifications and registrations are necessary to sell to the Federal, State, or local governments. The instructor, J. Rick Evans is an excellent speaker and instructor. Mr. Evans is the Executive Director of the Organization for Economic Initiatives, Inc. (OEI) an Oregon private non-profit corporation that administers GCAP and other defense-related grants and contracts. In 1986, Rick was hired as the first Director of Oregon’s Procurement Technical Assistance Program and has helped grow GCAP into a multi-office, statewide program. Rick is a Certified Contracting Assistance Specialist (CCAS), a recipient of the APTAC’s Fellow Award and Member Achievement Award, and a national trainer and speaker on procurement related issues. He has taught courses on RFP analysis and proposal preparation, PTAC development, and marketing to the government. Prior to his experience with GCAP and OEI, Mr. Evans worked for a major aerospace firm in marketing as a proposal development specialist, selling goods and services to both the U.S. and foreign governments. A fee of $20 per person will be charged. Seating is limited, only the first 25 registrations will be accepted. Preregistration at www.BizCenter.org is required to insure seating availability and materials. The workshop will be held in Brookings at the Southwestern Oregon Community College campus from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm on Thursday, October 9, 2014. Contact the Southwestern SBDC at 541-756-6866 or email Mary Loiselle at mloiselle@socc.edu for more information.