Event Has Been Cancel Due to the Economy

Meet with the CEO’s of the MBRT Executive Committee & Board of Directors and provide collaborative support and leadership that build MBRT’s organizational capacity and advance minority businesses economic goals. You are invited to address diversity issues in U.S. business and promote the interests of your company and minority-owned businesses through public policy.

Florida’s MEDWeek 2008 Business Matchmaker Conference and Expo offers corporate and government buyers easy access to the largely untapped market of Asian-Americans; African-Americans; Hispanic-Americans; Native-Americans; Veterans; Women-Owned Businesses, and a burgeoning Caribbean-American market in Florida and the Northeaster U.S.

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• Venture Capital, Mezzanine and Angel Investment Financing Program
• “Going Green” – Contracting Opportunities in the Energy Sector
• Corporate & Government Procurement Opportunities
• Building Strategic Alliances – The New Wave of Global Marketing
• International Breakfast Program – “Trade Agreements and MBE Opportunities”
• Success Strategies & MEDWeek Awards Luncheon
• EXPO featuring – over 150 Corporate, Government and MBE Exhibitors
• One-on-One Matchmaker Sessions
• On-the-spot Contract Opportunities

TOP ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED ________________________________________

1. Reauthorization of Small Businesses Administration (SBA) Legislation –The extensive overhaul of the current shape and form of the SBA to include: a) Modernize the 8a program increasing size standards, net worth criteria, and contract limitations from $3 million to $10 million for services and $5 million to $20 million for manufacturing; b) Provide more assistance and guidance to small businesses, especially in the provision of loans, micro loans and venture capital; c) Enforce and expand federal contracting activities in areas of potential contract abuse: big business passing as small businesses, reform protest burden of proof procedures to require primes to adhere to subcontract plans (count actual dollars received by small and minority businesses rather than amounts awarded).

2. Federal and Private Sector Contracting – A small number of minority firms have benefited from their relationships with the federal government. We need to provide opportunities for more businesses to participate in the federal pipeline. Many aspects of federal procurement policy need to be changed to improve the growth prospects of minority owned small businesses. MBRT supports proposals to increase the percentage of all federal contracts awarded to small and minority owned businesses from 23% to 30%.

3. Controlling the Cost of Health Care – Many minority small business owners list this as a top three concern and a number one cost pressure. The spiraling cost of health care has limited the growth potential of small and minority businesses. Providing tax breaks for small businesses to addresses spiraling health care costs is a top priority.

4. Collecting Better Data on Small and Minority Businesses – MBRT and its members support better data collection efforts on the characteristics of small and minority businesses. Minority owned businesses lag in census bureau tracking and only better and regular data collection efforts can more effective policy be crafted and implemented.

5. Providing Affordable and Reliable Energy – Affordable and reliable supplies of energy are an important concern of minority owned small businesses. This is especially true today as prices of all forms of energy are higher, and rising. Compared to 10 years ago, the instability in energy prices adversely impacts the growth plans of small businesses. Working for an affordable and stable supply of energy is a top concern of many minority owned small businesses.

6. Sustaining World Technological Leadership – Continued support and improvement of the U.S. educational system. In many respects, large numbers of America’s youth are not receiving the educational resources needed to be valuable contributors to the U.S. economy. This negatively impacts small businesses, which do not have the ability to do any off shore outsourcing like larger firms.

7. Other Topics Affecting Small and Minority Business Competition, Growth, and Success

• Revamping the contracting system
• Evaluating SBA's size standards systems
• Need for Federal policy to preclude any award made to a Fortune 1000 firm, its subsidiaries, or any of its divisions from being reported as a small business award
• A company’s small business status should end the day that the firm is acquired by a large business
• The federal market is enormous and small businesses must work together to identify opportunities to participate in this concentrated market
• Create innovative ways for minority and small businesses to compete for larger contracts
• Encourage teaming arrangements among small businesses and by developing incentives for agencies to award contracts small business teams
• Fairness in Set-Aside Procurement Coalition Initiatives
• Enforce penalties against large businesses taking federal contracts from small businesses for misrepresenting themselves as small
• Contract Bundling
• Modernize the SBA 8(a) program
• Reauthorization of SBA Funding for 8(a) program
• Amend the Small Business Act to require annual re-certification