TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The Air Force Sustainment Center's Small Business Office hosted a technology demonstrations event Aug. 7 aimed at bridging the gap between small businesses and the defense industry and government. The demonstrations, held during the Tinker and The Primes event at the Reed Center in Midwest City, Okla., brought together 10 companies from across the United States to showcase their innovative technological capabilities.
“The goal was to provide technology transition opportunities for these unique and capable small businesses,” said Ronnie Hobbs, director of Small Business for AFSC. “Typically, these businesses must conduct business development outreach one company at a time, and one government organization at a time. This presents a barrier to entry for many that is difficult to overcome.”
The event marked a rare opportunity for these small businesses, granting them access to more than 1,700 prime contractors, government buyers, program offices, and other industry partners. This exposure is often challenging to achieve through traditional business development efforts, which can be time-consuming and fragmented.
“We had multiple industry partners highlight how exciting this was,” said Hobbs. “They wanted to know how they could be a part of it next time. We hope this can become a main attraction during future Tinker and The Primes events to increase engagement with small businesses and provide them opportunities to help showcase their technologies.”
This year's Tinker and The Primes event aligns with the AFSC's ongoing efforts to reduce barriers to entry for small businesses. The release of the first iteration of the customer engagement guide has been a key initiative by the AFSC Small Business Office.
“The guide has been praised by industry as a step in the right direction to simplify doing business with us,” said Hobbs. “Anyone can access it on our AFSC Small Business website, and we encourage industry to provide feedback on how we can provide better customer service to those interested in providing a service.”
“The technology demonstrations underscored AFSC's commitment to fostering innovation and collaboration within the defense industry, offering small businesses a critical platform to present their cutting-edge technologies to a broader audience,” added Hobbs.
Visit <https://www.afsc.af.mil/Units/SBO/> to access the AFSC Customer Engagement Guide and for more information about AFSC’s Small Business Office.