Idaho National Laboratory educates Idaho businesses on working with the lab

Today, Idaho National Laboratory http://www.inl.gov will be a primary sponsor for the Idaho Business Opportunity Conference hosted by the Idaho Department of Commerce Procurement Technical Assistance Center in Nampa.

Dana Storms, INL Small Business Program manager, will lead a conference workshop to highlight ways Idaho small businesses can target their best commercial practices to the lab. By providing insight into the laboratory’s vision and programs, this workshop will introduce some key marketing strategies for small businesses. These strategies, some simple and others complex, derive from over 15 years of Storms’ marketing experience, six specific to government prime contracting.

As INL’s Small Business Program manager, Storms developed an approach that strives to educate the small business community about the programs and projects at INL. She contributed to nearly $339 million in total awards and $150 million issued to small businesses this year.

The sponsorship and active participation in the Idaho Business Opportunity Conference is a key component of INL’s small business program outreach initiatives.

"Sharing our knowledge and procurement opportunities with Idaho-based businesses is important to the laboratory," Storms said. "As Idaho’s laboratory, we are constantly targeting Idaho small businesses and shaping their best commercial practices to help us achieve our mission."

Recently, Storms was named the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Small Business Program Manager of the Year for her commitment to partnering small businesses with INL.

Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter mentioned the INL Small Business Program in his Oct. 16 news release entitled "Opinion: Innovation Is Helping Idaho Companies Move Forward." The release stated, "In eastern Idaho, the Idaho National Laboratory received national recognition recently for its work in partnership with small businesses. That kind of public-private partnership is particularly important because most of Idaho’s employers are small. And when they succeed, the benefits ripple out across the entire community."

For more information about the Idaho Business Opportunities Conference, visit http://www.idahoworks.com/PTAC or contact the staff at 208-334-2470.

INL is one of the DOE’s 10 multiprogram national laboratories. The laboratory performs work in each of the strategic goal areas of DOE: energy, national security, science and environment. INL is the nation’s leading center for nuclear energy research and development. Day-to-day management and operation of the laboratory is the responsibility of Battelle Energy Alliance.

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