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Small Business News

Small Business News

News | Nov. 3, 2023

New APEX Accelerator Opens in Dearborn, Mich.

By Suzanne Zurn DoD Office of Small Business Programs

November 3, 2023  –  

The Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) held a soft launch opening event for a new APEX Accelerator location in Dearborn, Mich. on October 26. The focus of the Dearborn location is on expanding small business suppliers to the federal government marketplace and providing opportunities for companies new to government contracting to acquire the skills and know-how to compete for federal contracts. This is the first new APEX Accelerator to open in several years and Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud, business owners, and industry leaders joined OSBP officials Farooq Mitha, Director, OSBP, and Khalil Mack, Director, APEX Accelerators, to celebrate.

“Adding an APEX Accelerator in Dearborn is important because it fills a critical gap in the region by providing entrepreneurs and businesses with the know-how to become capable of participating in federal, state, and local government contracts. Ensuring resilient supply chains and national security requires that we expand the Defense Industrial Base with diverse, agile, and innovative companies,” said Mitha.

For more information about APEX Accelerators, visit apexaccelerators.us. Contact the Dearborn APEX Accelerator at (313) 774-1030 or by email: dearbornapex@moveamerica.org.

DoD Small Business News

OSBP and NIST Partner for Small Businesses

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on small business matters, and  U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program (MEP) signed a memorandum of agreement on May 02, 2021 to collaborate on strengthening the national security of the small business industrial base.

The new partnership links two DOD organizations with a common mission to assist small businesses and  to achieve shared objectives:

  • Provide training and technical support to small-and-medium U.S. manufacturers engaged or planning to engage with the defense sector.
  • Promote and co-sponsor joint training events beneficial to national security, with an emphasis on cybersecurity for defense manufacturing.
  • Establish direct and consistent relationships at multiple organizational levels within both Parties to document and share complementary assistance best practices.  
  • Develop clear objectives, benchmarks and goals to measure success, added value, and synergy of collaborations between NIST MEP and OUSD(A&S) OSBP.

The OSBP and NIST partnership enables more DOD collaboration and support of small and medium manufacturers (SMMs). They will Collaborate to support the ongoing development and security of the Defense and Industrial Base.

This partnership will combine OSBP’s expertise in leveraging small businesses to close capability gaps for our armed forces with the MEP National Network.  The MEP operational base provides an opportunity for OUSD(A&S) OSBP to serve as a resource for the MEP Program of MEP Centers engages defense sector and defense-relevant manufacturing clients to promote and provide technologies, prototypes and products for National Security missions.