The Alliance North 2001 Conference: Bringing Small Business and Big Government Together.

• Author: SMITH, DAWNELL
• Position: Brief Article

Small business operators will learn valuable tips about making money through government contracts during the Alliance North 2001 Conference and Trade Show May 17 and 18 at the Egan Convention Center.

By attending a bevy of workshops and networking with government buyers and prime contractors, many participants will walk away with lucrative connections and a better sense of how to vie for millions of dollars in government contracts, according to the event's planner, Laura Cunningham.

The two-day conference will promote networking opportunities for small disadvantaged and woman-owned businesses. These participants will meet with representatives from agencies like the U.S. military, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Missile Defense System, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Postal Service, the State of Alaska, the Kenai Peninsula, the City of Fairbanks and many more.

The federal government alone spends more than $200 billion a year on contracts with private-sector businesses, said Cunningham, but getting a piece of that pie takes training, patience and a deft hand at paperwork.

Business owners and agency representatives who know the ins and outs of government contracts will share their knowledge at the conference.

"I wouldn't want to fool people, but I think that it is a realistic source of income once you figure out how to do business with the government," said Eleanor Andrews, president and CEO of the Andrews Group.

Andrews will address the conference participants during a breakfast presentation based on nearly 15 years of experience in providing management consulting, base operating, logistics support and information technology services for the federal government and contractors in Alaska.

She started working with government agencies right after she started her business in 1987. Today, government contract services account for about 90 percent of her company's business.

Some of her current contracts involve providing housing maintenance for the U.S. Army, and doing building maintenance and other services for facilities like the New York detention center for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Though getting a foot in the door takes time and guidance, it pays off in...