McCaskill Keeps Focus on Small Business Job Growth and Opportunity in Missouri

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today hosted a hands-on workshop aimed at creating Missouri jobs by connecting small businesses with resources about government purchasing practices and doing business with the local, state and federal government.

McCaskill co-hosted the 24^th annual Procurement Conference, aimed at ensuring Missouri’s small business community can compete on a level playing field for government contracting work.

“Missouri’s hard-working and innovative small business owners can compete with anyone for these contracts as long as they have the right information and a level playing field,” McCaskill said. “This conference is about making sure that Missouri small businesses have a fair shot at getting these competitive contracts and the jobs that come with them, and I am so proud to co-host the conference again this year.”

Today’s conference put Missouri small businesses directly in touch with officials from a variety of government agencies including the Department of Defense, the Small Business Administration and the Missouri Department of Transportation. These agencies provided information through a number of interactive sessions, in which participants had the opportunity to talk individually with government officials.  Over 200 government buying offices and 1300 contractors were invited to the conference to present information and resources to Missouri’s small businesses.  

Major General Camille Nichols, who recently took over as the Commanding General of Army Contracting Command, was the keynote speaker at the conference. Rear Admiral Althea Coetzee, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Acquisition and Procurement, was also in attendance.

McCaskill has focused extensively on small business job creation and outreach since joining the Senate, leading the charge in the passage of the Small Business Jobs Act, fighting to ensure that federal rules and regulations did not unfairly apply to small businesses, and supporting measures to increase lending so that small businesses would have the opportunity to form and grow.