Congressman Davis to Push Opportunities for Small Businesses and Local Governments at Annual SeminarJuly 14, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. In a dramatic effort to spur job growth in the district, U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis has unveiled a prominent group of businesses and federal agencies that will make presentations on contracting and grant opportunities during his annual funding seminar August 5-6 at the Manchester-Coffee County Convention Center.

Community leaders, organizations, all businesses, and economic development professionals are welcome to attend this free event.

Prominent businesses holding contracting sessions include: Volkswagen, Boeing, BAE Systems, ATK Launch Systems, Raytheon, and Teledyne Brown Engineering. Additionally, U.S. Army Materiel Command, the Army's acquisition service, will be presenting on doing business with the Department of Defense.

Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) purchasing and Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) contracting will be presenting at the seminar on how local vendors can do business with ATA and the federal government in support of the AEDC mission.

"This is a great opportunity for business owners of all kinds but especially small business owners or those just starting out," said Rep. Davis. "I can't stress enough how important these meetings can be for small business growth. You will be hard pressed to find this many private businesses and federal agencies together in the district at the same time."

The two-day seminar hosted with the University of Tennessee Procurement Technical Assistance Center will have a grant seeking and writing track for local governments.

Presenters include the Appalachian Regional Commission, USDA Rural Development, U.S. Department's of Homeland Security, Energy, Justice, and NASA, to name a few. The Foundation Center will be leading a how-to grant writing session.

Congressmen Bart Gordon, chairman of the House Science Committee, and Parker Griffith, representing northern Alabama, will join Congressman Davis as the featured speakers for the opening dinner on the evening of August 5th. During the dinner they will be holding a panel discussion on the various aspects of federal funding.

During the morning of the second day, Davis will be joined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's regional secretary, the state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Agency, the deputy director of the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, and the deputy director of the Housing Assistance Council for a panel discussion on the state of rural housing and programs available to help local governments and housing businesses.

To register for the free event and see the full agenda, please visit www.house.gov/lincolndavis or call Sammy Lowdermilk with Congressman Davis's office at (931) 473-7251.