LARGO, MD —
U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) today sponsored
a Small Business Opportunity Fair for Maryland businesses.
Hundreds of Maryland small business owners attended the Fair, which included workshops on contracting with the federal government, BRAC opportunities, green business opportunities and access to capital.
Senator Cardin is a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee and has made helping small businesses a top priority.
“Maryland small businesses need access to capital and opportunities to contract with the federal government,” said
Senator Cardin. “My goal is to provide information and contacts in one location so that small business owners can learn about job opportunities and also take advantage of our proximity to the federal government for future business opportunities.”
Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, chairman of the Governor’s Subcabinet on BRAC, was the featured speaker for the BRAC Opportunities panel.
“BRAC is here and it is creating new jobs for our neighbors and new opportunities for our small and minority-owned businesses,” said
Lt. Gov. Brown. “
Maryland led the nation in job creation in March and we are well positioned to continue our leadership because of BRAC, because of the Cyber Command coming to Ft. Meade and because we have built the nation’s best educated workforce and have helped develop the strongest community of small and minority-owned businesses in America. Governor O’Malley and I understand that small business is big business in Maryland and that is why we are fully committed to working with our partners in the private sector to expand opportunities for all Marylanders, including opportunities for small business owners to compete for contracts that will put Marylanders to work.”
In January, Senator Cardin introduced
The Boosting Entrepreneurship and New Jobs Act
, S. 2967, to spur job creation and strengthen the economy by providing essential tax credits and loans to small businesses.
A key provision of Senator
Cardin’s bill would allow the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make direct loans to small businesses as a way of increasing the availability to credit during the recession.
