Archive for July, 2010

It came as a big surprise when Ron Perry, president of the National 8(a) Association, asked Layli Pietri to attend and be a panel member during the organization’s conference in Anchorage on June 22-23.
Pietri, 36, left Alaska in 1995 with her husband and children in search of a different life. This would mark the first [...]

Federally recognized Indian tribes, Alaska Native corporations (ANCs) formed by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and Native Hawaiian organizations (NHO) are, and have been, eligible for federal contracting preferences under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 8(a) program. These groups are exempt by law from certain caps on SBA 8(a) contracts that apply [...]

Eager to get ahead of the sluggish economy, more Hawaii small businesses are seeking out certifications through programs with the U.S. Small Business Administration that allow them to better compete for lucrative government and military contracts.
The SBA’s 8(a) business-development program, reserved for minority and other disadvantaged small businesses, is generating “high levels of interest” in [...]