UW and Wyoming APEX Accelerator to Host ‘Lunch and Learn’ Workshop Oct. 26

Small-business owners will have an opportunity to learn about procurement opportunities with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Thursday, Oct. 26.

Stacey Francis will discuss the subject during a Wyoming APEX Accelerator “Lunch and Learn” online workshop titled “Doing Business With Idaho National Laboratory” from noon-1 p.m. To register, go here. Registration is free.

Wyoming APEX Accelerator, part of the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network housed at the University of Wyoming, is the state’s expert in government contracting assistance.

INL is one of 17 national laboratories across the U.S. funded by the Department of Energy (DOE). The lab provides national leadership in the areas of nuclear energy, national security and sustainable energy research. INL’s needs are diverse, ranging from consumables to mechanical and electrical services.

In this workshop, Francis will discuss INL’s vision to build a coalition of small businesses in Wyoming to support the lab’s mission and the growing opportunity in the clean energy efforts in the region. Additionally, she will talk about INL’s desire to bolster the supply chain to support such projects; explain what the future may look like; and discuss the steps required to do business with INL.

Francis is INL’s Small Business Program manager and is responsible for targeting, shaping and retaining small businesses in support of the lab’s diverse mission areas. She has nearly 30 years of experience in building relationships with key stakeholders and partners. She leads small-business outreach for the lab and regularly participates in events to promote its mission and share opportunities for small businesses to engage with the lab.

Francis received the DOE Secretarial Award for Facility Management Contractor Small Business Program Manager of the Year for fiscal year 2015.

For more information, call Maureen Johnson, marketing, communication and database manager for the Wyoming SBDC Network, at (307) 343-0925 or email mjohn125@uwyo.edu.

The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.