PORTSMOUTH – SBA Associate Administrator for the Office of Veterans Business Development, Larry Stubblefield, and New England Regional Administrator, Mike Vlacich, joined the inaugural meeting of the NH Veteran Government Contracting Leadership Circle. This group is led by Rachael Roderick, SBA NH Deputy Director, and includes representatives from federal agencies in the region, seasoned service-disabled and veteran-owned small businesses in NH, and small business resources.

During the Leadership Circle, the SBA, NH Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) and the New England Veteran Business Outreach Center (VBOC) representatives discussed current and pending changes in the market and best practices to optimize opportunities for small veteran owned businesses participating in federal contracting. The representatives, and NH Veteran small business owners discussed ways to expand VOSB certification in NH and increase opportunities for current and future VOSBs in the federal marketplace. This group plans to meet quarterly.

FedPoint hosted the event at their facility in Portsmouth, NH. FedPoint is a federal prime contractor for the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and administers benefits for the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) for federal employees and qualified relatives.

Larry Stubblefield updated the group on the launch of SBA’s new Veteran Small Business Certification Program transferring from the VA Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE). Scheduled to officially begin operations and accept new applications in January 2023, the Veteran Small Business Certification Program will be the Agency’s primary vehicle for handling certification for veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs)–important classifications that enable those businesses to qualify for sole-source and set-aside federal contracting awards.

Recently SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman shared much-anticipated news that she intends to grant a one-time, one-year extension to current veteran-owned small businesses verified by the VA’s Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) as of the transfer date on January 1, 2023.

“The decision to extend the certification will make a real difference for our nation’s veteran business owners as we move forward with transitioning this certification from the Department of Veterans Affairs,” said Larry Stubblefield. “In addition to supporting a smooth transition for currently certified firms, we will be able to focus on certifying new entrants and growing our base of certified firms.”

While at FedPoint, Mike Vlacich hosted the first SBA New England Veteran-Owned Small Business Virtual Roundtable. Larry Stubblefield and Jennie Murphy, Director of the Veterans Small Business Outreach Center of New England had the opportunity to share remarks and interact with veteran small business owners from across New England. Nashua-based AJ Jarnagin, founder of Expansia was a featured panelist at this event. He had the opportunity to share more about his business, how his military background has helped in his small business journey and share advice for other veteran business owners.

“I’m honored to recognize the achievements of the veteran-owned small businesses across New England and to celebrate the strength and resiliency of this community,” said Mike Vlacich. “Our veterans don’t have to enter the mission of entrepreneurship alone; they have served us and now it is our turn to support them. The SBA and VBOC are here to help. Our duty is to ensure these entrepreneurs are empowered and celebrated at every stage of business ownership.”

These events were part of SBA’s celebration of National Veteran’s Small Business Week (NVSBW). During NVSBW SBA celebrates, connects, and empowers service members (including National Guard and Reserve), veterans, and military spouse entrepreneurs and business owners – past, present, and future. Now in its ninth year, NVSBW raises awareness of veteran small business ownership and encourages communities to support their veteran- and military-owned businesses. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov/nvsbw.