Tampa Engagement Dinner: July 2026

THIS EVENT HAS REACHED ITS SEATING CAPACITY.

NVSBC offers our Engagement Dinner event and keynote speaker for the veteran entrepreneur and federal small business community.  Come join us for the networking, dinner, and guest speaker!  All (NVSBC Members - Non-Members) are welcome to attend if interested in this government contracting focused event. 

The NVSBC thanks our Exhibit Sponsor, Avant-Garde Concepts LLC

• Location: Hotel Haya Ybor City, 1412 E 7th. Ave, Tampa, FL 33605 (New Location)
• Parking: Street/Venue Parking
• Event POC: Engagement Director, [email protected]

Tampa TrainingAcademy:

• 4:00 - 5:00 PM Trainer: Rich Earnest, Managing Partner, Earnest Consulting Group
• Presentation: "Communicating Past Performance"
• At this Training Academy, Rich will present to attendees how to communicate their past performance by:
• Leaning on your value and not your set-aside
• Leveraging your experience as past performance
• Communicating value through metrics.

Tampa Engagement Dinner Agenda: 

• 5:30 – 6:10 PM Registration, Networking
• 6:10 – 6:30 PM Call to Order
• Opening Remarks: Janelle Askew, Engagement Director, NVSBC
• 6:30 – 6:40 PM Spotlight:  Rick Merritt, CSM, U.S. Army (ret.), Senior Advisor & Director, Special Mission Programs, Republic Missions Center, Inc
• 6:40 - 7:05 PM Around the Room Introductions
• 7:05 – 7:30 PM Dinner Served (Plated)
• 7:30 - 7:35 PM Introduction of Speaker: Janelle Askew, NVSBC
• 7:35 – 8:15 PM Speaker Presentation + Q&A
• Speaker(s):  Paul Ward, Deputy Director of OSBP, USSOCOM 
• Topic: "Doing Business with USSOCOM"
  

• He will share essential insights including known requirements for working with USSOCOM, how to navigate entry points into the Command, and upcoming procurement opportunities, including those within DoW. He’ll also provide guidance on defense procurement policies, procedures, and effective strategies for identifying both prime and subcontracting opportunities + MORE!!

• 815 – 830 PM Closing Remarks & Networking