SEED Symposium Connects Eastern Kentucky Manufacturers

Manufacturers in Eastern Kentucky are securing federal contracts and building connections with major corporations through the Supplier Education & Economic Development (SEED) program. The Eighth Annual SEED Contracting Symposium was held Wednesday, Oct. 21, at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, Kentucky. The event was developed to train, certify and prepare the region’s successful small manufacturers to do business with defense industry representatives. Thirty-three Eastern Kentucky-based businesses participated in this year’s event, exhibiting their products and capabilities to defense contracting companies including The Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman Corporation, GE Aerospace and General Dynamics. The event is a collaborative effort between the office of Fifth District Congressman Hal Rogers and Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation. (SKED). “I was proud to welcome NASA and several other prime federal contractors to southern Kentucky to meet with more than 70 businesses across our region. Various government operations need American-made products, from military gear to NASA’s planned Moon base. Thanks to the SEED Symposium, Eastern Kentucky companies can learn how to compete for those contracts and create more jobs here at home,” said Congressman Hal Rogers, who launched SKED in 1985. Dwight D. Deneal, assistant administrator for NASA's Office of Small Business Programs, delivered the keynote address. Deneal leads agency-wide programs and policies to ensure equal opportunities for small businesses to support NASA’s mission. “From precision machining to advanced manufacturing, Eastern Kentucky businesses belong in the supply chain that will take us to the Moon and beyond,” said Deneal. SKED Executive Director Brett Traver works with the region’s small businesses to present the event. “It’s a pleasure seeing the region’s small business owners making connections with prime contractors and each other at the SEED symposium every year,” said Traver. “We truly appreciate the folks who traveled here and gave a full day’s work for our event. Its benefit will pay off in the contracts made, jobs created, and lives improved here in Southern and Eastern Kentucky.” SKED and its SEED partners, Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership and KY APEX Accelerator, work with these businesses throughout the year to prepare them for the annual contracting symposium. For more information about the Eastern Kentucky SEED Contracting Symposium or SEED, contact Brett Traver, SKED executive director, at 606-677-6102 or brett@skedcorp.com.