Two years after connecting with General Dynamics Electric Boat, Samantha Walsh, president and program manager of Accelerated Government Solutions in Hampstead, earned her first order. Six years and several NH Small Business Matchmakers events later, she credits them with helping her gain contracts that now make up 40 percent of the company’s annual revenue.
Accelerated Government Solutions has seen steady growth since its founding in 2009, with annual sales between $1 million and $2 million. “We had just started the business and were looking around for opportunities,” Walsh says. “The Matchmaker was a great way to get exposure. We can call and leave voice mails and emails with prospects, but when you’ve met someone in person, they actually respond when we follow up with them. We’ve now sold General Dynamics various wire products and electronics. It’s a good chunk of our business and we owe that relationship to the Small Business Matchmaker.”
The 2016 NH Small Business Matchmaker event will be help Friday, Dec. 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Manchester Community College. The event will bring about 30 representatives from federal and state agencies and prime contractors together with 225 representatives of small businesses for information sharing and relationship building.
The event offers the chance to meet one-on-one with government and prime contractors (big companies that have large federal contracts and need small businesses to supply parts of those contracts). Registration is required. Preparation workshops and webinars in advance of Dec. 2 are recommended. Throughout the daylong event, participants can attend breakout sessions on such topics as The All Small Mentor Protégé program and meet fellow business owners. Free workshops before and after the Matchmaker help participants prepare for and then follow-up on their Matchmaker contacts.
For more information and to register, visit the NH Small Business Development Center at www.NHSBDC.org .
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