PITTSBURGH -- Army Materiel Command's commitment to small business continues, Army Materiel Command's top leader told nearly 4,000 people gathered at the National Veterans Small Business Engagement Nov. 18.
Gen. Dennis L. Via spoke to attendees interested in doing business with Veterans Affairs and other government agencies.
Via was among about 300 government leaders and procurement decision makers at the annual event that aims to help set veteran-owned businesses up for success.
Veterans own nearly one of every 10 small businesses in the United States, Via said, generating more than $1.1 trillion and employing almost six million workers. "That's why I consider small business, especially veteran-owned small business, to be such an important sector and why AMC's engagement with this community is a priority.
Even in this time of fiscal uncertainty, Via stressed that opportunities still exist and that the joint force still has many requirements.
"AMC is open for business," Via said, noting the command has one of the most robust small business programs in the Department of Defense.
Over the past two years, AMC has obligated more than $18 billion in contracts to small businesses, or more than half of the small business dollars spent Army-wide.
The projection for this fiscal year is $8 billion in small business contracts.
Via was among four featured speakers at this year's event, including Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald; Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet; and Horace L. Blackman, vice president of the Health & Life Sciences (H&LS) organization within Lockheed Martin's Information Systems & Global Solutions Civil Business.
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