Hafa
Adai!
Welcome to the Town Hall Meeting on Small
Business and Government Contracting. Today's meeting is the first of what will
be an informative series of meetings that I plan to sponsor in the months
ahead. Today's meeting will provide information on the training, the expertise,
the technical assistance, and other resources available on Guam to help your
business succeed in the federal market place.
The planned increase in federal government
investment on Guam is a topic that is on all of our minds. This is the case for
a variety of reasons.
Along with the many opportunities that are
within our reach today, come certain challenges for our community to overcome -
and changes to our island to which we will all have to adjust.
These challenges and these changes are of
concern to some. I understand these concerns. I am committed to ensuring that
these concerns are addressed to the fullest extent possible.
Challenge and change are constants in
life. They are uncomfortable forces because they cause uncertainty.
Uncertainty, of course, can lead to doubt. And so on….
We have all experienced the sense of
hesitation that results from uncertainty and doubt. But, we have also all
experienced how overcoming uncertainty, how succeeding in overcoming a
challenge met head -on, and how adjusting to change can grow and enrich our
lives and businesses.
This is how I view the challenge and
change associated with this exciting period in Guam's history.
I believe that together, working as a
team, we can do this. Together, with good communication and coordination
between all stakeholders, we will do this. And together, as an island, I am
confident that we will do it well.
I see a bright future for Guam. The
increased investment and military presence on our island will contribute to
this bright future. We must keep our minds open to the many, many opportunities
that are within our reach today. This planned investment could result a
reversal of the economic hardship that our island experienced recently.
The planned increase in federal investment
on Guam promises to create more jobs for our island's workforce, raise more tax
revenue for GovGuam, and provide more security for our country and for our
island.
Best of all, this planned increase in
federal investment on Guam will provide more business for Guam's firms! More
business will be good for your bottom line, I am sure.
But while a stronger bottom line is
certainly important, I also want to encourage everyone to think beyond profits.
I encourage you to think in a bigger picture - to think of the role you as
business owners and operators have toward improving Guam and strengthening our
unique community.
Your hard work with executing these
contracts will improve our island's infrastructure. Your work will help improve
our economy. Your work will help improve GovGuam. And, most importantly, your
work will help ensure greater economic opportunity on island for future
generations.
You, as a group, have a vital role in
making this happen. You have a vital role in making Guam a better place to
live, a better place to raise a family, and a better place to work hard and do
good business.
These are weighty responsibilities. But
they are ones that I know you will want to fulfill. And you have my commitment
to support you in every way possible.
These contracts, however, will not just
fall into your laps. There already is a lot of interest from off-island firms
for bidding on this work. There may be opportunities for your business to
partner with off-island firms for certain jobs. I encourage you to keep an open
mind to this, and ready your business for such opportunities. However, I also
encourage you to ready your business for competition against strong and able
firms for this work. You can be assured that the competition will be tough.
This is why you need to begin to prepare
now for success. I want to emphasize that your preparation today will
contribute to your success tomorrow.
An essential part of this preparation will
be learning the basics of how to do business with the federal government. This
is the purpose of this town hall meeting.
Today you will hear from the Guam Chamber
of Commerce. They will describe for you how the Chamber is organized and
working to help you succeed. The Chamber is a strong advocate for small
business. I encourage you all to find out more about how the Chamber can assist
you.
You will also receive a briefing from the
U.S. Small Business Administration - the SBA - on how to apply for
certification as a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) company.
The HUBZone program is a program that allows for some federal contracts to be
awarded on a preferential or 'set-aside' basis to participating firms located
in areas designated as historically underutilized. The SBA will describe in
more detail how this program works and why you should get involved with it.
Your certification as a HUBZone business will be an important tool when
competing for contracts, as all of Guam has been designated a HUBZone.
Furthermore, you will receive a briefing
from the U.S. General Services Administration - the GSA - about the services
offered by its Office of Small Business Utilization and how federal government
purchasing is done. The assistance available through the GSA can help you
become successful in the federal marketplace.
Lastly, you will hear from the Pacific
Islands Small Business Development Center Network - Guam's SBDC. You will learn
of the wide range of technical services, expert counseling, and facilities
available to you through the SBDC. I encourage you and your business to become
a SBDC client.
By coming here today - to learn about the
training, the expertise, the technical assistance, and other resources
available on Guam to help your business succeed in the federal market place -
you have already taken the first step toward making your business better
prepared to compete for contracts to support the planned increased military
presence on Guam.
By coming here today you have also taken
the first steps toward overcoming the challenges and adjusting to the changes
that lie in store for Guam in the years ahead.
Finally, by coming here you have taken the
first steps toward making your business stronger, toward making Guam stronger,
and toward creating a brighter future for Guam and greater economic opportunity
for our children.
This is momentum that you have created,
and momentum that I know you will sustain.
Thank you.
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