Attendees recently gathered at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Site 200 North location for the highly anticipated Women-Owned Small Business Opportunity Day.
With about 40 attendees, this in-person meet-and-greet-style event focused on highlighting resources and support for women-owned small businesses. At the event, attendees were able to meet and talk with LLNL's Small Business Program and contract analysts.
This event was the first in a series of local and national engagements focusing on how to do business with LLNL. At the event, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and get a sense of what it would be like to work with the Lab.
Prior to the in-person event, there was a virtual event with about 350 attendees. At the virtual event, Jon Benjamin, LLNL's Small Business Program manager, served as the master of ceremonies. The event featured remarks by LLNL Associate Director for Business Lisa Belk and a fun video about LLNL that provided a snapshot of the work being performed at LLNL.
The virtual event also included presentations from the Department of Energy's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), the East Bay Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and from the four national laboratories located in the San Francisco Bay Area: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Sandia National Laboratories and LLNL. Each of the participating laboratories shared their goals for small and women-owned businesses, their procurement processes and some of their areas of greatest need.
"Our organizations are proud to partner with small businesses and we are thrilled to focus today on women-owned small businesses," said Belk.
In her role at LLNL, Belk has the unique opportunity to champion small businesses in the Lab's procurements.
"At LLNL, we have increasingly partnered with small businesses and increased our spending by over 20% last fiscal year, bringing our small business total in fiscal year 2023 to over $525 million including about $30 million of that being awarded to women-owned small businesses. I would like to see that number increase, and I'm so glad we can collaborate to help make that happen," said Belk.
Belk also talked about LLNS's mentor-protégé program. The program is designed to develop up-and-coming small businesses and prepare them to compete independently for contracts within the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. "We love seeing our protégé small businesses graduate from our program and go on to secure new opportunities and contracts," said Belk.
The event proceeded with informative presentations by OSDBU, the East Bay SBDC and from SLAC, LBNL, Sandia National Laboratories and LLNL (and about their Small Business Program Office). The presentations covered topics such as: the mission of the organization, the benefits and resources available at these organizations to support small businesses, the successes and future goals of the organizations, how small business can partner with the organizations and many more.
OSDBU's Acting Principal Deputy Director Tamara Miles discussed how the OSDBU maximizes contract opportunities for small businesses by providing useful information to small businesses on how to work with the DOE. She also highlighted how approximately 1 in 4 procurement dollars in DOE goes to small businesses.
"Through the OSDBU's partnership with the national laboratories, including LLNL, DOE is increasing practicable opportunities for small businesses. It was great to be a part of this event to highlight important resources and develop new connections with women-owned small businesses to support DOE's mission," said Miles.
The East Bay SBDC 's Executive Director Nancy Mangold noted some of the free services that their organization provides: one-on-one consulting services, access to capital and funding assistance, and trainings and workshops. Their goal is to help businesses start, grow and thrive.
Key themes throughout the presentations from the four national laboratories were about how this region is a hub for innovation and a place where entrepreneurs can thrive, as well as about how the labs are dedicated to supporting the success of woman-owned businesses.
"This is the second year that the LLNL Small Business Program Office has partnered with the DOE Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization to bring together the four Bay Area DOE laboratories to promote the woman-owned small business community. This event furthers DOE commitment to advancing women in the energy workforce in its national laboratories," stated LLNL Supply Chain Management Department Head Svetlana Lee.
For SLAC, this was also the second year it participated in LLNL's Women-Owned Small Business Opportunity Day.
"Diversity, equity and inclusion are not just buzzwords but essential elements for fostering growth, innovation and sustainability. Recognizing this, SLAC has taken proactive measures to support woman-owned small businesses across various sectors by participating in events such as today's event for the second year in a row," said SLAC's Small Business Program Manager Nicole Colley.
LBNL's Small Business Program Manager, Phillip McCants, provided a micro view of the Berkeley Lab Small Business Program and upcoming opportunities. McCants noted upcoming solicitations, major construction projects and how to become a supplier for the Berkeley Lab.
Leonardo Valencia, supplier diversity advocate at Sandia National Laboratories, pointed out that small businesses are necessary to help diversify the supply chain. Enthusiastic about prioritizing small-business contracting, Valencia noted Sandia spent just over $1 billion on suppliers last fiscal year, including $224 million with woman-owned businesses.
The event concluded with Jordan Clark, business analyst at LLNL's Small Business Program Office, providing a high-level overview about LLNL, tips for working with LLNL and upcoming opportunities. Clark highlighted that the woman-owned small business spend for FY23 was right around $70 million and that they expect the spend to be about the same or higher for FY24.
To learn more, watch the virtual LLNL Women-Owned Small Business Event.
