WASHINGTON, D.C. - Nearly 50 small companies traveled to Capitol Hill today to demonstrate to members of Congress the ingenuity of small businesses in the fight against terrorism.
The Small Business Homeland Security Expo 2002, co-sponsored by Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-Mo.) brought together small business from across the nation with products ranging from a lotion that works against Anthrax to an anti-terrorism vehicle with more tricks than a James Bond spy car and included speeches from Senators Kerry and Bond, Gov. Tom Ridge, Director of the Office of Homeland Security, Hector V. Barreto, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, and Michael Wynne, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology.
“Our nation has always been the home to innovative, pioneering entrepreneurs, and I think it's critical that we showcase their homeland-security products and connect them with federal decision-makers who can enlist their efforts in the war against terror,” said Kerry, Chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
The all-day event, which was coordinated by The Public Forum Institute, an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization in Washington, D.C., was intended to educate members of Congress and federal procurement officials to the new and innovative ideas coming from the small-business community in the area of homeland defense.
“Small companies like these can be on the front-lines of our homeland security strategy when it comes to protecting the nation and its citizens,” added Kerry. “I organized this Homeland Security Expo to highlight the ingenuity and resolve that small businesses from across the nation can deliver for homeland security.”
The Small Business Homeland Security Expo 2002, co-sponsored by Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-Mo.) brought together small business from across the nation with products ranging from a lotion that works against Anthrax to an anti-terrorism vehicle with more tricks than a James Bond spy car and included speeches from Senators Kerry and Bond, Gov. Tom Ridge, Director of the Office of Homeland Security, Hector V. Barreto, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, and Michael Wynne, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology.
“Our nation has always been the home to innovative, pioneering entrepreneurs, and I think it's critical that we showcase their homeland-security products and connect them with federal decision-makers who can enlist their efforts in the war against terror,” said Kerry, Chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
The all-day event, which was coordinated by The Public Forum Institute, an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization in Washington, D.C., was intended to educate members of Congress and federal procurement officials to the new and innovative ideas coming from the small-business community in the area of homeland defense.
“Small companies like these can be on the front-lines of our homeland security strategy when it comes to protecting the nation and its citizens,” added Kerry. “I organized this Homeland Security Expo to highlight the ingenuity and resolve that small businesses from across the nation can deliver for homeland security.”
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