Press release:
The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) announced that registration is open for two free upcoming training sessions designed to help small business owners identify new opportunities for increasing profitability: “Selling to the Government – The Whole Story,” and “Foreign Trade Zone Basics: What is an FTZ and Does it Make Sense for My Company?”
Selling to the Government – The Whole Story” will offer unique insights and strategies for small business owners to sell their goods and services to the federal government. The seminar, which will be held on Friday, Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at GCEDC’s headquarters (99 MedTech Drive, Batavia), will provide the steps necessary to explore the marketplace and existing opportunities, including:
- What the government looks for in a prospective contractor How to research the market to find opportunities and required registrations;
- How to capitalize on those opportunities to generate results.
Presenters will include Paulette Birch, program director of the Monroe County Finger Lakes Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC); and Jean Kase, a government contracting specialist also with the PTAC.
To learn more and to register for the event, please visit: http://www.monroecountyfingerlakesptac.org/node/89
“The federal government is the largest purchaser in the world, spending nearly $540 billion per year on goods and services,” said Steve Hyde, president and CEO of the GCEDC. “There are tremendous opportunities for large and small businesses to find success in the market selling goods and services to the federal government.”
The second free seminar, “Foreign Trade Zone Basics: What is an FTZ and Does it Make Sense for my Company?”, will provide an detailed introduction to and description of Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs), offering insights into how business owners leverage Genesee County’s FTZ status to receive tax breaks and other benefits such as avoiding customs duties or government excise taxes.
This seminar will be held on Oct. 23 from 9:30-10:30am at Moon Java Café, located at 56 Harvester Ave. in Batavia. To register, contact Chris Suozzi, vice president at the GCEDC, at 585.343.4866 or csuozzi@gcedc.com ; or Julie Pacatte, economic development coordinator at Batavia Development Corporation, at 585.345.6380 or jpacatte@bataviadevelopmentcorp.org
“Understanding what Genesee County’s FTZ status means as far as tax incentives and other benefits is absolutely critical for business owners whose goods are transported to and/or from this area,” Hyde said. “Because an FTZ is considered to be outside the customs territory of the United States, there are huge cost savings that potentially exist for those conducting business in this region, and we want to make sure business owners understand and take advantage of this unique opportunity.”
