Small-business corner: Business community sought for symposium - El Paso Times

Small-business corner: Business community sought for symposium - El Paso Times Mobilee-EditionToday’s Print AdsNewslettersCustomer ServiceSubscribe loadWeatherBoxHorizontal('weather_box_horizontal','79901','www.elpasotimes.com','/weather'); This SiteWeb Search powered by YAHOO! HomeNewsNew & UpdatedWeatherJuarezNation / WorldTrafficLive chatsPoliticsElectionWeird NewsPublic corruptionVideoPhoto galleriesUpload your photosOpinionColumnistsLetters to the editorBlogsNachotoonsSportsUTEP MinersUTEP Video HighlightsHigh schoolsBoxingDallas CowboysSoccerSports ExtraSign-upsHyundai Sun Bowl›› Blog: Knight Court›› Blog: The Mine Shaft›› Blog: Joe On Utepia›› Blog: Meet The PrepsBusinessGas PricesYellowpagesMarketwireBusiness WirePR News WireEntertainmentEntertainment blogEvents calendarComicsPuzzles & gamesHoroscopesTV & moviesTiempoRestaurants & diningMovie trailersCommunitiesTown hallWest side / CentralEast sideNortheastFort Bliss & MilitaryLower valleyTexasEducationNIELivingPetsEveryday athleteCelebrationsTravelHome & gardenHealthOutdoors & youth sportsNew Testament SpanishObitsSearch obitsSubmit obituary adReal EstateFind a homeApartmentsFarms / RanchCars JobsFind a jobPost a jobTools and adviceAdvertisingAdvertise with usToday's print adsClassifiedsCouponsReal Estate PressShoppingLocal Shopping   Home  ›  Business Small-business corner: Business community sought for symposiumBy Joe Conway \ Special to the Timeselpasotimes.comPosted: 04/01/2012 12:00:00 AM MDT

The El Paso Small Business Consortium invites local business people to the 2012 Procurement and Contracting Symposium on April 18.

Hosting the event is the El Paso Community College's Contract Opportunities Center. It is the ninth year that the consortium and the center have combined their resources to bring this event to El Paso.

The objectives of the Procurement and Contracting Symposium are to provide a venue where government and corporate buyers, contractors, suppliers and product providers can come together and begin developing relationships; to provide training opportunities for vendors engaged in government contracting; and to provide information to potential government contractors and the regional business community.

This event has provided opportunities for regional businesses and governmental agencies to find each other.

Government agencies have been eager to extend their outreach activities into West Texas and Southern New Mexico. Regional businesses interested in expanding activities into the government market or wishing to target specific government entities have found the symposium to be an ideal venue.

During the general session those attending will meet "Marketing Lady" Tarsha Polk, a radio personality who provides marketing tips and business advice over the airwaves in Dallas.

Representatives from agencies such as the VA Health Care Service, Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Correctional Systems will be on hand to meet with firms Advertisement interested in taking advantage of existing or future business opportunities.

Representatives of prime contractors to include Turner Construction, Lockheed Martin, Hensel Phelps Construction, C.F. Jordan, Fort Bliss Water Services and others will be on hand to discuss business opportunities that exist with their firms.

Joe Conway is program manager of the Contract Opportunities Center of the El Paso Community College.

If you go
The symposium is at the Wyndham El Paso Airport Hotel, 2027 Airway, from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. April 18.
Attendees, agencies, contractors and vendors must preregister. Register online at elpasococ.org or call 831-7749.
Registration fee is $75. Booth spaces cost $50.
For arrangements for power or Internet access, callg 831-7749.
The deadline for registrations is April 13.



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Small-business corner: Hub offers business lending assistance - El Paso Times

Don't miss this opportunity to hear Sue Malone at The Hub of Human Innovation on April 5.

One of the busiest women in America, Malone is on the road throughout the year working with SBA partners around the nation to reach out to small businesses.

As an inspirational speaker, Malone has been spotlighted in countless speaking engagements, as well as on CNN, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Trick My Truck."

Starting your own business and growing that business can be daunting tasks. Malone of Strategies For Small Business will provide insights and tips on SBA loans as one way to access the funding required to start and grow a business.

Malone's sole mission for the past several years has been to help people obtain access to capital to start or expand their businesses. In doing so, one of her specialties has become small-business start-up loans.

Malone is a small-business advocate for all 50 states and has been so successful that she is the No. 1 SBA lender in loan volume to women in business and the largest SBA lender in the county.

Malone has funded more than 30,000 small-business loans.

Her presentation is sponsored by RampCorp and The Hub of Human Innovation as part of the monthly RBTec series.

RBTec was formed by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.

RBTec meets monthly and provides opportunities for networking with other entrepreneurs. Its purpose is to connect innovative, high-growth companies to know-how, talent, technology and capital.

RampCorp, a

program from Texas State University-San Marcos, works locally with a group of woman entrepreneurs to help them start scalable business that will benefit the El Paso region. It provides training, coaching and mentoring for people who want to be entrepreneurs or who want to scale up an existing business.

The Hub of Human Innovation is El Paso's only technology incubator.

The Hub works with entrepreneurs who have technology-based scalable ideas to grow that idea and bring it to market.

Hub staff, partners and volunteers also work with technology companies seeking a "soft landing" in the El Paso region.

The Hub's goal through this event, and a series of upcoming workshops, is to support entrepreneurs through the provision of critical information and contacts.

The Hub's support for entrepreneurs includes the Clean Energy Partners Program, Manufacturing Program and The Hub Team Mentor Program modeled after the world-class MIT Venture Mentoring Service.

Nancy Lowery is assistant director of The Hub of Human Innovation.

View the original article here

Agreement boosts small-business export opportunities - MySanAntonio

The Export-Import Bank of the United States and the International Trade Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio have signed an agreement that should give small businesses more tools to succeed in the international marketplace.

The agreement makes the trade center the latest city-state partner with the bank. Those partners form a network of nonprofit economic development organizations that help small businesses take advantage of export opportunities.

“We look forward to cultivating our relationship with UTSA's International Trade Center and serving as another resource for Texas small-business exporters,” said Fred Hochberg, the bank's chairman and president.

In fiscal year 2011, the bank authorized more than $4 billion to help more than 200 Texas businesses with export activities. About 12 percent of that total supported small businesses, but the bank has expanded its small-business outreach activities over the last year.

View the original article here

Agreement boosts small-business export opportunities - MySanAntonio

The Export-Import Bank of the United States and the International Trade Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio have signed an agreement that should give small businesses more tools to succeed in the international marketplace.

The agreement makes the trade center the latest city-state partner with the bank. Those partners form a network of nonprofit economic development organizations that help small businesses take advantage of export opportunities.

“We look forward to cultivating our relationship with UTSA's International Trade Center and serving as another resource for Texas small-business exporters,” said Fred Hochberg, the bank's chairman and president.

In fiscal year 2011, the bank authorized more than $4 billion to help more than 200 Texas businesses with export activities. About 12 percent of that total supported small businesses, but the bank has expanded its small-business outreach activities over the last year.

View the original article here

Agreement boosts small-business export opportunities - MySanAntonio

The Export-Import Bank of the United States and the International Trade Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio have signed an agreement that should give small businesses more tools to succeed in the international marketplace.

The agreement makes the trade center the latest city-state partner with the bank. Those partners form a network of nonprofit economic development organizations that help small businesses take advantage of export opportunities.

“We look forward to cultivating our relationship with UTSA's International Trade Center and serving as another resource for Texas small-business exporters,” said Fred Hochberg, the bank's chairman and president.

In fiscal year 2011, the bank authorized more than $4 billion to help more than 200 Texas businesses with export activities. About 12 percent of that total supported small businesses, but the bank has expanded its small-business outreach activities over the last year.

View the original article here

UTSA to expand small-business program to the Caribbean - MySanAntonio

View the original article here

Agreement boosts small-business export opportunities - MySanAntonio

The Export-Import Bank of the United States and the International Trade Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio have signed an agreement that should give small businesses more tools to succeed in the international marketplace.

The agreement makes the trade center the latest city-state partner with the bank. Those partners form a network of nonprofit economic development organizations that help small businesses take advantage of export opportunities.

“We look forward to cultivating our relationship with UTSA's International Trade Center and serving as another resource for Texas small-business exporters,” said Fred Hochberg, the bank's chairman and president.

In fiscal year 2011, the bank authorized more than $4 billion to help more than 200 Texas businesses with export activities. About 12 percent of that total supported small businesses, but the bank has expanded its small-business outreach activities over the last year.

View the original article here

Agreement boosts small-business export opportunities

The Export-Import Bank of the United States and the International Trade Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio have signed an agreement that should give small businesses more tools to succeed in the international marketplace.

The agreement makes the trade center the latest city-state partner with the bank. Those partners form a network of nonprofit economic development organizations that help small businesses take advantage of export opportunities.

“We look forward to cultivating our relationship with UTSA's International Trade Center and serving as another resource for Texas small-business exporters,” said Fred Hochberg, the bank's chairman and president.

In fiscal year 2011, the bank authorized more than $4 billion to help more than 200 Texas businesses with export activities. About 12 percent of that total supported small businesses, but the bank has expanded its small-business outreach activities over the last year.

View the original article here

Citibank Tries a New Approach to Small-Business Lending - New York Times Blogs

How small-business issues are shaping politics and policy.

The big United States banks have come under withering criticism for not lending enough to small businesses, but this week brings word that Citigroup, the parent of Citibank, will participate in a novel program to steer capital to small businesses that have an especially hard time getting it: those located in economically distressed areas. What’s novel about the program is that while Citigroup will provide most of the capital, it will not disburse it. Instead, it will rely on Next Street, a self-described “merchant bank,” to underwrite loans to businesses that Next Street deems capable of rapid growth. If the initiative succeeds, it could serve as a model for similar programs around the country.

Next Street, with offices in Boston and New York, helps arrange financing for small-business clients, often from third-party sources, while at the same time providing the sort of tactical and strategic advice normally beyond the reach of those companies — particularly businesses based in what are politely described in community development circles as low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The newly formed Next Street Opportunity Fund will loan $30 million to established businesses in such communities.

To qualify for a loan, companies will have to have between $3 million and $60 million in annual revenue and a history of at least five or seven years. Individual loans will range from about $1.5 to $2 million and carry terms of five to seven years, at interest rates “comparable to a traditional loan with commensurate risk,” said Tim Ferguson, a Next Street co-founder and partner.

At the same time, borrowers will be expected to retain Next Street as a consultant, if they haven’t already. “Small businesses need access to high-level strategic advice, and we would argue that the strategic advisory piece is as important as the capital,” said Ronald L. Walker, Mr. Ferguson’s partner. “The advice mitigates the risk.” The monthly fee for that advice ranges from $5,000 to $25,000.

That’s one distinction between an Opportunity Fund loan and a conventional loan. Another is the purpose of the financing. Mr. Ferguson said that when banks offer traditional forms of capital, like lines of credit and term loans, it is “based on past performance, not growth. They’re not offered growth capital, from capital markets.” Next Street, by contrast, will pursue ambitious targets for Opportunity Fund borrowers. “We do expect these companies to double in size,” Mr. Walker said. “We’re talking about sustained growth over three to five years. And that’s top-line as well as bottom-line growth.”

Under the terms of the deal, Next Street is essentially borrowing the money for the fund from its investors, led by Citigroup, which is providing $25 million, and will then re-loan the money to its clients. Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit organization that supports affordable housing in 30 cities across the country, will contribute $2.5 million. The remainder will come from wealthy investors.

The Citigroup official overseeing the bank’s investment, Andy Ditton, conceded that the fund’s prospective borrowers were a difficult market for the institution to reach on its own, in part because traditional banking is not conducive for financing strong growth. But more than that, “I don’t think the kind of businesses they’ll be lending to are the kinds of businesses any bank will lend to,” he said. “The businesses they’re lending to are struggling, and they’re struggling because of their business strategy.

“The only way you can grow that business is to do the consulting, working with management for contract expansion and new relationships,” said Mr. Ditton, who helps manage Citigroup’s program for investing in disadvantaged neighborhoods, which is required under the Community Reinvestment Act. “And that’s not the role a traditional banker would play. A bank lends money — it’s not a series of management consultants, let alone Web page designers and that sort of people. It’s better for us to use people who have that expertise already rather than us trying to develop it.”

Half of the businesses working with Next Street are owned by women or minorities — the population that finds it hardest to get any kind of credit at all, said John Taylor, president and chief executive of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, which advocates for banking services in disadvantaged communities.

Mr. Taylor said that the aspect of the collaboration that is most appealing about the Opportunity Fund is that “they’re providing growth capital without taking an equity position. There are VCs out there who’ll give you money, but they’ll take your fist born. You’re giving out the wealth of your business.”

But, Mr. Taylor added, the value of Next Street’s efforts would hinge on whether the fee structure is fair and whether the technical assistance provided is truly useful. “If both of these things are true, it’s wonderful,” he said, “because there is really a dearth of access to small business credit in general, particularly equity-type credit, and particularly for people of color and women.”

Next Street’s founding partners said neither concern was warranted. “Our fees are always commensurate not only with the work that we do, but the opportunity in the business,” said Mr. Ferguson. And notwithstanding the minimum revenue and age requirements for borrowing businesses, in practice, he said, “most will be $10 to $20 million in revenue, will have been in business for 10 to 15 years. And they have the capacity to absorb the fees.”

To questions about the quality of Next Street’s advice, Mr. Ferguson said, “we wouldn’t have worked with over 100 small businesses if we weren’t adding value to these enterprises.”

The Next Street partners, and their backers, described the Opportunity Fund as a pilot project with rapid growth potential of its own. “The perception is that the risk in the inner city markets for these type of small businesses is much greater than in the broader business lending marketplace,” Mr. Ferguson said. “But what we’ve found from the limited amount of data that we can see, and from our own experience, is that the default rate is much lower than for the broader corporate marketplace. This pilot, if successful, will have people recognize that there is an opportunity to lend to these types of businesses, provided they couple it with the sort of advisory services that we’re talking about.”

Mr. Walker added that there are more than 25,000 similarly situated businesses in the country’s largest inner cities that could potentially take advantage of this type of financing. “Next Street’s model has always been that there’s a need for this model nationally,” he said. “This is a national opportunity.”

Citigroup’s Mr. Ditton agreed. And he said that if the project succeeds, other organizations would likely begin pairing strategic consulting with financing, and that the bank would be open to supporting those efforts as well. “Our hope is that this $25 million is going to go out the door very quickly and show that there’s real interest in this, and that the companies they’re targeting will accept the help and the advice that Next Street is providing them and use the capital to grow and expand,” he said. “If that all plays out, we hope to expand this to hundreds of millions of dollars nationally.”

View the original article here

Citibank Tries a New Approach to Small-Business Lending - New York Times Blogs

How small-business issues are shaping politics and policy.

The big United States banks have come under withering criticism for not lending enough to small businesses, but this week brings word that Citigroup, the parent of Citibank, will participate in a novel program to steer capital to small businesses that have an especially hard time getting it: those located in economically distressed areas. What’s novel about the program is that while Citigroup will provide most of the capital, it will not disburse it. Instead, it will rely on Next Street, a self-described “merchant bank,” to underwrite loans to businesses that Next Street deems capable of rapid growth. If the initiative succeeds, it could serve as a model for similar programs around the country.

Next Street, with offices in Boston and New York, helps arrange financing for small-business clients, often from third-party sources, while at the same time providing the sort of tactical and strategic advice normally beyond the reach of those companies — particularly businesses based in what are politely described in community development circles as low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The newly formed Next Street Opportunity Fund will loan $30 million to established businesses in such communities.

To qualify for a loan, companies will have to have between $3 million and $60 million in annual revenue and a history of at least five or seven years. Individual loans will range from about $1.5 to $2 million and carry terms of five to seven years, at interest rates “comparable to a traditional loan with commensurate risk,” said Tim Ferguson, a Next Street co-founder and partner.

At the same time, borrowers will be expected to retain Next Street as a consultant, if they haven’t already. “Small businesses need access to high-level strategic advice, and we would argue that the strategic advisory piece is as important as the capital,” said Ronald L. Walker, Mr. Ferguson’s partner. “The advice mitigates the risk.” The monthly fee for that advice ranges from $5,000 to $25,000.

That’s one distinction between an Opportunity Fund loan and a conventional loan. Another is the purpose of the financing. Mr. Ferguson said that when banks offer traditional forms of capital, like lines of credit and term loans, it is “based on past performance, not growth. They’re not offered growth capital, from capital markets.” Next Street, by contrast, will pursue ambitious targets for Opportunity Fund borrowers. “We do expect these companies to double in size,” Mr. Walker said. “We’re talking about sustained growth over three to five years. And that’s top-line as well as bottom-line growth.”

Under the terms of the deal, Next Street is essentially borrowing the money for the fund from its investors, led by Citigroup, which is providing $25 million, and will then re-loan the money to its clients. Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit organization that supports affordable housing in 30 cities across the country, will contribute $2.5 million. The remainder will come from wealthy investors.

The Citigroup official overseeing the bank’s investment, Andy Ditton, conceded that the fund’s prospective borrowers were a difficult market for the institution to reach on its own, in part because traditional banking is not conducive for financing strong growth. But more than that, “I don’t think the kind of businesses they’ll be lending to are the kinds of businesses any bank will lend to,” he said. “The businesses they’re lending to are struggling, and they’re struggling because of their business strategy.

“The only way you can grow that business is to do the consulting, working with management for contract expansion and new relationships,” said Mr. Ditton, who helps manage Citigroup’s program for investing in disadvantaged neighborhoods, which is required under the Community Reinvestment Act. “And that’s not the role a traditional banker would play. A bank lends money — it’s not a series of management consultants, let alone Web page designers and that sort of people. It’s better for us to use people who have that expertise already rather than us trying to develop it.”

Half of the businesses working with Next Street are owned by women or minorities — the population that finds it hardest to get any kind of credit at all, said John Taylor, president and chief executive of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, which advocates for banking services in disadvantaged communities.

Mr. Taylor said that the aspect of the collaboration that is most appealing about the Opportunity Fund is that “they’re providing growth capital without taking an equity position. There are VCs out there who’ll give you money, but they’ll take your fist born. You’re giving out the wealth of your business.”

But, Mr. Taylor added, the value of Next Street’s efforts would hinge on whether the fee structure is fair and whether the technical assistance provided is truly useful. “If both of these things are true, it’s wonderful,” he said, “because there is really a dearth of access to small business credit in general, particularly equity-type credit, and particularly for people of color and women.”

Next Street’s founding partners said neither concern was warranted. “Our fees are always commensurate not only with the work that we do, but the opportunity in the business,” said Mr. Ferguson. And notwithstanding the minimum revenue and age requirements for borrowing businesses, in practice, he said, “most will be $10 to $20 million in revenue, will have been in business for 10 to 15 years. And they have the capacity to absorb the fees.”

To questions about the quality of Next Street’s advice, Mr. Ferguson said, “we wouldn’t have worked with over 100 small businesses if we weren’t adding value to these enterprises.”

The Next Street partners, and their backers, described the Opportunity Fund as a pilot project with rapid growth potential of its own. “The perception is that the risk in the inner city markets for these type of small businesses is much greater than in the broader business lending marketplace,” Mr. Ferguson said. “But what we’ve found from the limited amount of data that we can see, and from our own experience, is that the default rate is much lower than for the broader corporate marketplace. This pilot, if successful, will have people recognize that there is an opportunity to lend to these types of businesses, provided they couple it with the sort of advisory services that we’re talking about.”

Mr. Walker added that there are more than 25,000 similarly situated businesses in the country’s largest inner cities that could potentially take advantage of this type of financing. “Next Street’s model has always been that there’s a need for this model nationally,” he said. “This is a national opportunity.”

Citigroup’s Mr. Ditton agreed. And he said that if the project succeeds, other organizations would likely begin pairing strategic consulting with financing, and that the bank would be open to supporting those efforts as well. “Our hope is that this $25 million is going to go out the door very quickly and show that there’s real interest in this, and that the companies they’re targeting will accept the help and the advice that Next Street is providing them and use the capital to grow and expand,” he said. “If that all plays out, we hope to expand this to hundreds of millions of dollars nationally.”

View the original article here

Small-business corner: Business Xpress offers opportunities - El Paso Times

By Josef Cantu \ Special to the Times Posted: 01/29/2012 12:00:00 AM MST

The El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is continuously looking for ways to assist the community's small, minority, women- and veteran-owned businesses through diverse programs like Business Xpress.

Business Xpress is a premier program of the Hispanic Chamber, which continues to provide key networking and contracting opportunities to businesses in the region.

This year, the Hispanic Chamber has a partnership with the state comptroller's office and the Texas Department of Transportation to participate in the first annual Business Xpress of 2012.

The Business Xpress program opens doors for many companies to network and build relationships with the purchasers and procurement specialists of government and private industries. In addition, it is a creative market venue for businesses to gain exposure.

Nowhere else can you see so many diverse entrepreneurs in such a short time. The Hispanic Chamber's Business Xpress allows a great way for businesses to connect and create opportunities for expanding their business.

Business Xpress is divided in two segments, one of them the Education Forum. During this segment, the partnering entities explain how to do business with their government department.

Business Xpress professionals will be working with the state comptroller's office. The comptroller is the chief steward of the state's finances, acting as tax collector, chief accountant, chief revenue estimator and chief treasurer.

Also working with Business Xpress

professionals will be the Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT has more than 12,000 employees and is made up of engineers, administrators, designers, architects, sign makers, accountants, purchasers, maintenance, travel counselors and other professions. TxDOT is made up of 21 divisions and six offices.

The second segment is Procurement Networking, which provides attendees a more focused explanation of opportunities for their business with a focus on working with state entities. The Procurement Networking segment will also allow interaction by attendees.

The first annual Business Xpress will be Jan. 31 at ReadyOne Industries, 1414 Ability. Registration will start at 7:30 a.m. Business Xpress also has sponsorship opportunities.

Information, RSVP: Contact Paula Beard of the MBDA Business Center at 351-6232 or by email at Pbeard@elpasoMBDACenter.com.

Josef Cantu is the communications and marketing director of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

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View the original article here

Small-business corner: Business Xpress offers opportunities - El Paso Times

By Josef Cantu \ Special to the Times Posted: 01/29/2012 12:00:00 AM MST

The El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is continuously looking for ways to assist the community's small, minority, women- and veteran-owned businesses through diverse programs like Business Xpress.

Business Xpress is a premier program of the Hispanic Chamber, which continues to provide key networking and contracting opportunities to businesses in the region.

This year, the Hispanic Chamber has a partnership with the state comptroller's office and the Texas Department of Transportation to participate in the first annual Business Xpress of 2012.

The Business Xpress program opens doors for many companies to network and build relationships with the purchasers and procurement specialists of government and private industries. In addition, it is a creative market venue for businesses to gain exposure.

Nowhere else can you see so many diverse entrepreneurs in such a short time. The Hispanic Chamber's Business Xpress allows a great way for businesses to connect and create opportunities for expanding their business.

Business Xpress is divided in two segments, one of them the Education Forum. During this segment, the partnering entities explain how to do business with their government department.

Business Xpress professionals will be working with the state comptroller's office. The comptroller is the chief steward of the state's finances, acting as tax collector, chief accountant, chief revenue estimator and chief treasurer.

Also working with Business Xpress

professionals will be the Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT has more than 12,000 employees and is made up of engineers, administrators, designers, architects, sign makers, accountants, purchasers, maintenance, travel counselors and other professions. TxDOT is made up of 21 divisions and six offices.

The second segment is Procurement Networking, which provides attendees a more focused explanation of opportunities for their business with a focus on working with state entities. The Procurement Networking segment will also allow interaction by attendees.

The first annual Business Xpress will be Jan. 31 at ReadyOne Industries, 1414 Ability. Registration will start at 7:30 a.m. Business Xpress also has sponsorship opportunities.

Information, RSVP: Contact Paula Beard of the MBDA Business Center at 351-6232 or by email at Pbeard@elpasoMBDACenter.com.

Josef Cantu is the communications and marketing director of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Print   Email Font ResizeReturn to Top  

View the original article here

Small-business corner: Business Xpress offers opportunities - El Paso Times

By Josef Cantu \ Special to the Times Posted: 01/29/2012 12:00:00 AM MST

The El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is continuously looking for ways to assist the community's small, minority, women- and veteran-owned businesses through diverse programs like Business Xpress.

Business Xpress is a premier program of the Hispanic Chamber, which continues to provide key networking and contracting opportunities to businesses in the region.

This year, the Hispanic Chamber has a partnership with the state comptroller's office and the Texas Department of Transportation to participate in the first annual Business Xpress of 2012.

The Business Xpress program opens doors for many companies to network and build relationships with the purchasers and procurement specialists of government and private industries. In addition, it is a creative market venue for businesses to gain exposure.

Nowhere else can you see so many diverse entrepreneurs in such a short time. The Hispanic Chamber's Business Xpress allows a great way for businesses to connect and create opportunities for expanding their business.

Business Xpress is divided in two segments, one of them the Education Forum. During this segment, the partnering entities explain how to do business with their government department.

Business Xpress professionals will be working with the state comptroller's office. The comptroller is the chief steward of the state's finances, acting as tax collector, chief accountant, chief revenue estimator and chief treasurer.

Also working with Business Xpress

professionals will be the Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT has more than 12,000 employees and is made up of engineers, administrators, designers, architects, sign makers, accountants, purchasers, maintenance, travel counselors and other professions. TxDOT is made up of 21 divisions and six offices.

The second segment is Procurement Networking, which provides attendees a more focused explanation of opportunities for their business with a focus on working with state entities. The Procurement Networking segment will also allow interaction by attendees.

The first annual Business Xpress will be Jan. 31 at ReadyOne Industries, 1414 Ability. Registration will start at 7:30 a.m. Business Xpress also has sponsorship opportunities.

Information, RSVP: Contact Paula Beard of the MBDA Business Center at 351-6232 or by email at Pbeard@elpasoMBDACenter.com.

Josef Cantu is the communications and marketing director of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Print   Email Font ResizeReturn to Top  

View the original article here