US (TX): Meet the Buyer event to focus on selling to state and local governments

Entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their own business by selling to local, state or federal governmental agencies are invited to a Meet the Buyer event from 9-11 a.m. April 17 at the Rural Technology Training Center in Raymondville, according to Ronnie Zamora, a Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension Program agent in Willacy County.

The Rural Technology Training Center is located at 700 Farm-to-Market Road 3168. “Business people from throughout South Texas are invited to our Meet the Buyer event for introductions to purchasing department personnel of various entities including the Raymondville Independent School District, Corrections Corporations of America, the city of Raymondville, the University of Texas-Pan American and others,” Zamora said.

Those who attend this free event will learn how these purchasing departments buy goods for their agencies, Zamora said.“Those attending will also have the opportunity to sign up for the Minority Business Contracting Certification Academy, also called BID, or Businesses in Development,” he said. “These classes will start the following week on April 22, and meet from 9-11 a.m. each Tuesday and Thursday to receive certified training.”

Upon program completion, participants will be certified by Prairie View A&M University and will be included in an exclusive list of trained Historically Underutilized Businesses that will be shared with a network of state purchasers, Zamora said. They will also receive free business marketing through various multimedia outlets.

“This course will teach participants what Historically Underutilized Businesses are and what they can do,” he said. “They’ll also learn what the BID program and training is designed to do, as well as learn about bookkeeping, filing taxes, financing, reviewing a budget and how to set up a business plan.

“They’ll also learn about marketing, subcontracting through prime vendors, credit reports, insurance types, loan opportunities and writing a business ‘elevator speech.’”

Meet the Buyer will be hosted by UT-Pan American and Prairie View A&M, a part of the Texas A&M University System.

“All of this training is a result of Prairie View A&M’s work with the State Comptroller’s office to develop strategies on how Historically Underutilized Businesses can provide more goods and services to over 200 Texas agencies, universities, school districts and large industries that participate in the statewide bidding process,” Zamora said.

For more information
Texas A&M University
Ronnie Zamora
956-689-2412
r-zamora@tamu.edu

Source: www.today.agrilife.org