Guest feature: Alison Tavik is Director of Communications for the Governor's Office of Minority Affairs.Follow GOMAonFacebook andTwitter.

Maryland procurement professionals will be helping small businesses on the Eastern Shore connect to state contracting opportunities during the Ready, Set, GROW! workshop on Thursday, April 7. The Governor's Office of Minority Affairs, in collaboration with the Maryland Small Business Development Center, is conducting the free workshop at Salisbury University from 10 am – noon.

"Public procurement can be tough to navigate," stated Jimmy Rhee, special secretary of the Governor's Office of Minority Affairs. "We want to help small and micro businesses master the skills necessary to compete with confidence as they go after prime and subcontracting opportunities in the public sector."

The two hour workshop features a panel of procurement experts who will share valuable tips for doing business with state agencies and universities on the Eastern Shore as well as local county school systems. The panelists will define what goods and services they buy and provide guests with a list of current and upcoming solicitations. They will also answer questions from the audience then meet with small business owners one-on-one following the group presentations.

In addition to the formal presentation and panel discussion, participants will be able to meet with a host of small business resource partners in areas such as lending programs, contract financing, business skills training and economic development assistance.

To register for the Ready, Set, GROW! workshop on April 7th at the Guerrieri Center on Salisbury University's campus, click here or visit the Office of Minority Affairs' website and follow the Ready, Set, GROW! link on the home page.

For more information, contact the Minority Affairs' Small Business Outreach Manager Eduardo Hayden at 410-767-0910 or eduard.hayden@maryland.gov.