Empowering Veteran Entrepreneurs Interested in USAID Small Business Procurement
Empowering local veteran entrepreneurs interested in small business procurement with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was the focus of a presentation ME&A Vice President for Operations Moennes Youannis made as a featured speaker at a Veteran Institute for Procurement (VIP) conference June 20, 2018, at the Bolger Center Hotel and Conference Center in Potomac, Md.
The training session Mr. Youannis led for some 50 military veteran owners of small businesses focused on USAID’s program cycle and procurement opportunities as well as key funding opportunities found within the USAID organization.
The VIP is an educational training program for owners, principals, and C-level executives of veteran-owned businesses that want to enter or expand their business growth into the federal marketplace through best business practices. More than 1,000 veteran-owned businesses have already graduated from the VIP’s three-day comprehensive certification program. The organization and training is funded by the Montgomery County Chamber Community Foundation through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the support of individual sponsors.
ME&A, also a small business, has been successfully working with USAID, the SBA, and other U.S. government agencies for more than 30 years. ME&A President and CEO Thomas England is a U.S. Navy veteran.