GSA's Mary Parks Receives Small Business Leadership Award GSA Team Expands Opportunities for Small and Disadvantaged Businesses

Contact: Diane Merriett, (202) 501-1104 diane.merriett@gsa.gov

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Small Business Administration presented its 2009 Administrator's Leadership Award on Friday to Mary Parks, Acting Associate Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Small Business Utilization.

The award recognizes leaders within government who have demonstrated results in advancing opportunities for small businesses and the small-business community.

"We're very proud of Mary Parks and her team for their hard work and accomplishments," said GSA Acting Administrator Paul Prouty. "Their success is integral to fulfilling our agency's mission and to the national priority of helping small businesses succeed."

Parks added, "This award really recognizes the men and women in GSA regional offices who put in the time and energy to establish relationships with and help small-business owners. It also recognizes the GSA contracting officers who issue contracts to small businesses each and every day."

The award was presented just a week after GSA received the highest-possible rating on the SBA's Small Business Procurement Scorecard for exceeding all of its small business contracting goals.

GSA's Office of Small Business Utilization helps provide small businesses -- including disadvantaged, women-owned, HUBZone, veteran-owned, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses -- the opportunity to participate in the federal procurement process. The office provides many essential resources to help small businesses compete, including monthly webinars around the country on how small businesses can obtain a GSA schedule contract and how to market to the federal government. Small businesses make up 80 percent of GSA multiple award schedule contract holders.

The award was presented during the Annual National Minority Enterprise Development Week Conference, August 26-28, 2009 in Washington.

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* Founded in 1949, GSA manages more than 11 percent of the government's total procurement dollars and $24 billion in federal assets, including 8,600 government-owned or leased buildings and 213,000 vehicles.

* GSA helps preserve our past and define our future, as a steward of more than 480 historic properties, and as manager of USA.gov, the official portal to federal government information and services.

* GSA's mission to provide superior workplaces, expert technology solutions, acquisition services, purchasing and E-Gov travel solutions and management policies, at best value, allows federal agencies to focus on their core missions.

Did you know? GSA provides monthly webinars to minority and small businesses from around the country on obtaining a GSA schedule contract.

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