MCCC's Infrastructure & Land Use Committee was pleased to host Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Executive Director Chuck Bean and Deputy Executive Director for Metropolitan Planning Kanti Srikanth. These guests speakers led a robust discussion on the future of transportation and housing in our region, including transportation and future initiatives to support our region's growth over the next 25 years.

View this PowerPoint presentation here.

On Thursday, December 12, MCCC’s Small Business Committee – headed by Vice-Chair Erin Allen (CONTEMPORARIES, Inc.) and Co-Chair Kal Attia (CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield) hosted the final Business EXCELerator of the year. The topic was “Meet the Award Winners and Learn From the Best!” and featured the following guest speakers who were recently recognized at MCCC’s 2019 Business Awards Dinner:

• Bruce Lansdowne, President & CEO, Trinity Technology Partners, Inc. and 2019 Business Partner of the Year; and,
• Lou Boland, Executive Vice President, BOLAND, 2019 Corporate Social Responsibility Award Winner.

Bruce Lansdowne inspired business leaders to practice values of kindness, honesty, and humility. The advice from Mr. Lansdowne to attendees was that the integrity of a leader permeates the employees and extends to the customer. With a strong foundation built on values, engaged employees, and best business practices, Mr. Lansdowne believes it is easier for a company to pivot and grow.
 
He also shared that mentorship is an important way to give back, and that he has found fulfillment in mentoring young people in our community.
 
Lou Boland shared that "Courage to Change" is BOLAND's theme for this year, and that all their 2020 goals are aligned with this theme. Additionally, Mr. Boland shared ways in which BOLAND’s commitment to creating “A Culture of Caring” through the BOLAND Cares program demonstrates that giving back to the community helps those in need and inspires employee retention.
 
Another way in which BOLAND maintains such high retention and re-hire rates is through their celebration of employees who excel in their work, which is also one of the reasons BOLAND has been named one of the Best Places to Work for 11 years.
 
While these business leaders represent different business sectors and pathways to success, each shared that employee retention and talent attraction is vital to their success, emphasizing that companies that differentiate themselves in the marketplace with positive values and excellent work helps make this possible. 

View the Presentations:

• Bruce Lansdowne - "Business Success Strategy Tips"
• Lou Boland - "Best Practices Presentation"

Don’t miss the first Business EXCELerator of 2020! Learn more here.

On November 6, MCCC's Infrastructure & Land Use and Economic Development Committees hosted a joint meeting featuring a special presentation by Catherine Buell and Stephen Harrington from the Greater Washington Partnership (GWP). The focus of the presentation was housing in the Washington Metropolitan Region. In September 2019, GWP along with the Urban Institute and JP Morgan Chase, released a research report about the Washington Region facing serious housing challenges that undermine residents well-being.

GWP presented an overview of their study and a discussion and Q&A followed. Interesting insights included the need for housing at all levels, the need for different kinds of housing, and how accessible/affordable housing relates directly to employee attraction/retention. 

View their PowerPoint presentation here.

Our October Business EXCELerator featured Montgomery County Office of Procurement Director Ash Shetty and Division Chief Grace Denno. While Director Shetty and Division Chief Denno provided attendees with information about new and updated processes within Montgomery County Procurement, they dedicated much of the time to fielding questions from attendees.

Some of the key takeaways:

• Director Shetty is focused on streamlining and updating processes and programs to ease the burden for contractors looking to do business with Montgomery County Government.
• The Montgomery County Office of Procurement Monthly Open House – held every 3rd Wednesday from 10-11am – is a great opportunity for business owners to ask very specific questions relating to resources, processes, and specific contracts.
• There are significant challenges with forecasting procurement needs in Montgomery County Government, as there are 34 using departments, and there are often extensions to bids without warning.
  • Procurement staff recommend utilizing the County’s transparent budget tools to search for potential opportunities that have not yet been posted by agencies.
  • DATA Montgomery and the Office of Management and Budget
• Director Shetty is spearheading legislation that would establish the Local Business Preference Program. This legislation would provide additional preference points for Montgomery County business in regard to their bid/proposal evaluation. Director Shetty testified just hours after the Business EXCELerator in support of this important legislation.
• Significant IT contracts are coming up for bid in the next year. Keep your eyes open for these opportunities, and don’t miss your chance to submit your proposal!

The Office of Procurement has made several enhancements to their website. Here are some significant changes that may positively impact your business:

• NEW! Procurement Calendar: This features events hosted by the Montgomery County Office of Procurement, as well as events hosted by partner agencies and organizations. Subscribe to the calendar to ensure you don’t miss important local procurement events!
• NEW! On the Formal Solicitations page on the Procurement website, there is now a column that shows the scope of a solicitation. This was added to save potential vendors from having to download the entire solicitation in order to find this information.
• NEW! Contract Search: You can now search contracts and solicitations by keyword.

Montgomery County Procurement would like your input regarding procurement regulations. Take the survey here.

​Interested in attending a future Business EXCELerator? Check out our events calendar and make sure you’re subscribed to our email newsletter!

The MCCC Business EXCELerator meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2019 focused on "Proposal Writing - Strategies on How to Respond to Opportunities." The presentation was made by Tina Patterson, Principal, Jade Solutions.

Following an introduction by MCCC Small Business Vice-Chair Erin Allen (CONTEMPORARIES, Inc.) and Co-Chair Kal Attia (CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield), Tina shared first-hand experience and highlighted the best practices to win contracts.

Some of the key takeaways from the presentation were:

• Compliance is key; solicitation responses ware subject to disqualification if instructions are not followed.
• Make relationships: get to know the procurement officers, other government contractors and professional service providers to strengthen your network. 
• Follow-up: be persistent and active in staying in front of the customer.
• Manage the process: build the best team and identify milestones and procedures to respond accurately and on-time. Bring value to the table.
• ​​Prepare:  Register your business in the System Award Management (Federal), eMaryland Marketplace Advantage (eMMA), and Central Vendor Registration System (Montgomery County). Update your vendor records, document past performance, update executive summaries, etc. Be aware of Federal Government procurement trends such as Category Management (Best In Class). Get on a GSA schedule. Do market research.
• If your company is not awarded a contract, request a debrief. This will help you prepare for the next opportunity. 

Missed the June Business EXCElerator? Click here to view Tina Patterson's presentation.

The MCCC Business EXCELerator meeting on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 focused on "Conference Preparedness – How to Give it Your Best Shot."  The speaker was Ira Koretsky, CEO, The Chief Storyteller.
 
Following an introduction by MCCC Small Business Vice-Chair Erin Allen, CONTEMPORIES, Inc. Ira orchestrated several one-on-one sessions between participants to sharpen their messaging. The central question to answer is “What Do You Do?” To formulate a reply, devise a Better Tomorrow Message™ that is memorable, impactful, and inspiring.  A “system of credibility” should be present in person and online. Make sure your LinkedIn profile tells your personal and organization brand story with a clear message. Activate the Readability tools in Word to see how you can reduce the complexity of your words. It is very important to sharpen listening skills. Be an active, engaged and interested participant in conversations. 

The topic of the March 22, 2019 MCCC Business EXCELerator was "Business Development Strategies: The Path to The Cash." The meeting was moderated by Erin Allen, President, CONTEMPORARIES, Inc., who is the Vice-Chair of the MCCC Small Business Committee. The presentation was made by Caryn Kopp, Chief Door Opener, Kopp Consulting.

​Ms. Kopp distinguished that the purpose of marketing is to achieve awareness; the purpose of business development is to achieve sales.  To achieve sales, it is recommended to follow this chronology:

1. Identify the right targets. Narrow your search to those for whom you will be an obvious solution, who will also willingly pay and feel urgency around having a meeting and moving forward with next steps.
2. Devise the right sales message. Be specific Try this: Anyone one can___________; But not everyone can __________; For example ___________.
3. Craft the right sales approach. Use the appropriate language and delivery methods to achieve positive outcomes. Avoid long email messages and run-on voice messages.
4. Plan the right answers to prospect objections. Prepare for the "no, thank you" reaction. Be able to pivot using better responses.
5. Select the right colleague(s) to "open the door" and "close the deal." Consider the DNA needed for each of these important roles.
6. Develop the right execution strategy. Appreciate that time is needed for successful business development. There is both non-revenue and revenue generating work in organizations. If you want more revenue, more time needs to be spend on revenue generating activities.
7. Develop the right messages. Think about questions that lead to YES. Avoid questions like, "What keeps you up at night?"  
8. Follow-up. "Nurture-Request-Nurture, repeat" to remain relevant to your prospects and clients. Be respectful of their time. Be persistent with patience without being a pest.

​This step-by-step strategy is proven to create Caryn Kopp’s The Path To The Cash®! 

The topic of the February 6, 2019 MCCC Business EXCELerator was “Follow the Money – Get the Win.” The meeting was moderated by Erin Allen, President, CONTEMPORARIES, Inc. and Vice Chair of the MCCC Small Business Committee.
 
The first presentation was made by Yvette Williams, Business Diversity Coordinator, Office of Procurement & Strategic Sourcing, University of Maryland (UMD) College Park. Ms. Williams encouraged small businesses to participate in UMD procurements and to actively pursue interests.  It is important to register in the e-Maryland marketplace and participate in Maryland’s Small Business Reserve Program. Procurements at College Park provide opportunities in many business sectors, sometimes for multiple campuses. Small businesses are advised to work directly with the program officers or the awarded prime contractors. 
 
The second presentation was made by Dan Snyder, Deputy Director of Government Contracts Research, Bloomberg Government followed by Ann Sullivan, President & Founder and Elizabeth Sullivan, Director of Government Relations, Madison Services Group, Inc.
 
Mr. Snyder presented data and trends of current Federal Government spending. 75% of the government is funded until September 30, 2019. Contractors should be mindful of the funded agencies (e.g. the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs) and pursue those opportunities. He reported that the percentage of awards going to small business is relatively flat at 35% of the total spend.  Simplified acquisition procedures have increased which helps businesses compete more easily on procurements. He presented ten markets to watch and noted that many of those markets may be offered as bundled opportunities. It is imported to understand this data to develop strategic goals.
 
Ann and Elizabeth Sullivan explained the detailed steps needed to follow the budget and, most importantly, appropriations. They offered guidance on how the budget process is supposed to work, how it is working in FY19, components of the budget, and how to find programs in appropriations. Important sites to know are https://appropriations.house.gov/ which tracks the procurement process through the legislation and https://rules.house.gov/ which has great power in deciding appropriations. They identified points of influence throughout the budget process that shape procurements. While all of this information is available to the public, it is a time-consuming and complex process. It is advised to have assistance in following the process.

The topic of the January 9, 2019 MCCC Business EXCELerator was “Marketing Strategies: Leveraging Social Media.” The meeting was moderated by Suzanne Rotbert, Principal, Miles & Stockbridge, P.C. and Vice Chair of the MCCC Small Business Committee. The presentation was made by Nancie McDonnell Ruder, Founding Partner of Noetic Consultants.
 
The presentation focused on the “art and science” of social media marketing. There are two types of social media: organic and paid. Organic does not mean free; there is a cost to create and manage the channels as well as the time associated efforts.
 
For strategic planning, it is recommended to follow these steps:

1. Identify the audience. Create a prototype of the ideal person you want to reach
2. Establish a SMART objective i.e. specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timed
3. Ensure your content meets the CRAVe criteria: consistent, relevant, authentic, valued
4. Determine channels. The 5 leading channels are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the only service exclusively intended for business.
5. Analyze results. Many of the platforms offer this service. Create a dashboard to keep track of results.
6. Listen. Observe what others are doing, where results are achieved to gain insights on how to build success over social media channels.

 
Social media marketing is dynamic medium and the plan you develop should be dynamic as well. Brainstorm ideas and test the market to see what works best.