“I was very impressed by the types of companies at this event. We found a couple of companies here for several of our Lockheed Martin sites. We’re going to go back and have further discussion.”
Robyn Snyder, Supplier Diversity Program Manager -
Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors
“I appreciated the one-on-one time with the smaller companies. I really like the roundtable format and that I had the opportunity to exchange information with these smaller companies. I think that Northrop Grumman made significant partnerships here today.”
Ruby Dargan, Small Business Program Manager -
Northrop Grumman Corporation
“I think that the opportunities and doors that opened here today have been astronomical. There’s nothing like building that personal relationship and being able to put a name or an e-mail with a person. This is making business personal and you can’t take that personal opportunity away.”
Sharon Brown, Owner -
Brown Machine Works, Inc.
“This is a great forum for bringing companies together. I never would have gotten to these companies any other way.”
Dave Fitzgerald, President - BAC of Virginia
“I attended the Virginia's Linked Workforce Showcase: Architecture & Engineering, Environmental Services sponsored and hosted by VEB. It was the most professional and productive marketing conference that I have attended in nearly a decade. VEB did an outstanding job of both screening and matching companies to ensure effective use of my time. The speakers were appropriate to the forum and provided the type of information that is essential to the growth of small businesses in Virginia. Kudos to this program and to a great business development forum.”
Dr. Gina Coelho, President - Ecosystem Management & Associates, Inc.
“The format of the showcase really encourages participants to interact -- not just with familiar faces, but with everyone in attendance. I really enjoyed the experience.”
Ms. Candis M. Goffney, Director of Client Relations -
Delon Hampton & Associates, Chartered
“I was impressed with the participating Virginia A/E firms, DoD and State speakers, and the meeting format, all of which led to productive business development discussions on specific A/E contracts and client targets for FY07. I look forward to participating in similar meetings facilitated by your organization.”
Ms. Sarah H. Medearis, Project Manager - Earth Tech, Inc.
Virginia Economic Bridge has provided a much-needed forum for introducing our high-tech Southwest Virginia company to some of the best firms in our nation's capitol. We are delighted that at least one of these introductions has led to a potential partnering opportunity for the custom software development work that we do. It could not have happened without VEB; and Automation Creations, Inc. is confident that these relationships will lead to more business in our own region.
Automation Creations, Inc. - Henry Bass
We attended over a dozen workshops in the last year since we opened our regional office in Richmond, VA to better facilitate client contact in NOVA, and I have to say that of the dozen or so workshops, the VEB event this week was the hands down winner.
VEB selected only the most qualified SWVA companies with an eye towards broad diversity with only modest overlap, so we didn't all feel like we were competing against one another for the attention of the NOVA companies. The VEB team also did an excellent job of contacting NOVA companies that were eager to bring on small business sub-contractors and actively looking for new partners. The NOVA companies also were represented by real decision makers and people who could immediately see the value in what we all have to offer. It was a wonderful experience for me personally and professionally. I have no doubt that if you check back 12-18 months from now that we will have 2-3 contracts worth over $500,000-$1,000,000 that resulted from just the few modest introductions that were made this week. That allows G3 Systems to hire more people, keep more people in SWVA and also grow and prosper as a company.
Thank you Carl for all the hard work and great effort that you and your team put into this event. It was a great match up for us and we would do another event again in a minute. Your program offers real value at a time when value is hard to come by. The other events may have been free, but we have yet to see any efforts come from the other events. I guess it is true that you get what you pay for. It has only been 48 hours and we are already being asked to return to NOVA for additional meetings to start discussions on what effort we work on next with some of our contacts. VEB definitely merits continued support and investment by the State of Virginia since other folks talk about offering real value for small business, but very few actually deliver on that promise... VEB delivers! And for that, I am VERY thankful. Thanks for not letting this opportunity slip by me.
G3 Systems - Gordon Miller
“I look forward to the next opportunity to participate, but I'm leaving with a lot of homework, which is a good thing!” We made excellent contacts that we are looking forward to pursuing
Automation Creations, Inc. - Henry Bass
“Format was excellent for meeting and leaving in a short time. Half day format is enough to stay interested, and thought stretching out event too much. Hand out materials were excellent, also enjoyed talking to companies within our state.”
CALIBRE Systems, Inc. - Mindy Scott
“Excellent Showcase! I thoroughly enjoyed it and strongly believe it will positively affect us. I look to forming valuable relationships from this great introduction.”
Integrated Imaging - John Hawthorne
“This was time well spent! Presentations were good to quite excellent. Very well done. The quality of the event was extremely worthwhile.”
UNISYS - Murray Schooner
“Very effective event!”
Vision Point Systems - Yong Lee
“Really looking forward to following up with Small Businesses on future identified procurement and continuing SRA's involvement with the VEB.”
SRA International, Inc. - Kent Rogers
“Great event! Thanks for providing this opportunity to build strategic alliances with companies in Northern Virginia . The companies provided our SWVA company with valuable insights into the Federal Contract process. We could not be more pleased.”
IDD, Inc. - Chris Shively
