Doing Business With the Government

Join us for a panel style discussion where we ask representatives from different areas to explain what is a government contract, how businesses can apply for those contracts, and why should a small business owner consider doing business with the government.

Jutta Bangs is the East TN counselor with the APEX Accelerator at the University of Tennessee. APEX provides no cost technical assistance (counseling and training) through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense. APEX focuses on providing information about local, state, and federal contracting opportunities.

Karen Binkley is the Small Business Liaison for the University of Tennessee System Office of Procurement Services. She leads the university’s three-pronged supplier diversity program through outreach initiatives for vendors, in-reach efforts with university employees, and lateral reach (partnerships) with agencies throughout the southeast.

Patrick Rodriguez Patrick Rodriguez is the Deputy District Director for the Tennessee District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration. He is a big-picture thinker, super connector, and deep generalist whose career arc bends toward public service. Patrick recently was promoted to the deputy director of the Tennessee SBA office. He assists business owners, lenders and government contractors access SBA programs and services throughout Tennessee’s 95 counties.