Small businesses across West Virginia can learn about contracting opportunities with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps during a free virtual workshop December 8 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. hosted by the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) at Marshall University.The event, featuring presentations by the Department of the Navy Office of Small Business Programs, the Regional Contracting Assistance Center (RCAC) and West Virginia District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is designed to educate small business owners and employees about procedures and guidelines for conducting business with these military branches and explain how to find upcoming contracting opportunities.

In fiscal 2020, U.S. small businesses were awarded more than $135 billion in prime and subcontracts through the Department of Defense.

“Only a small fraction of this $135 billion went to small businesses in West Virginia and the central Appalachian region,” said Derek Scarbro, RCBI deputy director. “We want to change that. This is a great opportunity to learn about available contracting opportunities, how to become a vendor and what resources are available to help navigate the process.”

Register for the December 8 webinar at www.rcbi.org/navydec2021. For more information, contact RCAC’s Sommer Straight at [email protected] or Scarbro at [email protected].

RCBI is presenting Doing Business with the U.S. Navy & Marine Corps as part of the AIM Higher Consortium, a strategic initiative to strengthen the Defense supply chain in West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania. To learn more, visit www.aimhigherconsortium.org.