PITTSBORO - The CCCC Small Business Centers and North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC) announce the appointment of Denny Lewis as Federal Business Development Specialist for Chatham County and the surrounding region.

"The business development teams are the heart of the NCMBC," said Scott Dorney, NCMBC Executive Director. "Denny's experience in business development and government relations with large prime defense contractors, as well as his extensive military background, will provide invaluable assistance to Chatham and Lee County businesses in winning and successfully executing federal contracts."

As a member of the NCMBC's business development team, Lewis will identify future and current federal prime and subcontracting opportunities, identify and notify companies of those opportunities and provide one-on-one assistance to help companies bid on and win contracts. A point of emphasis will be identifying those businesses that are located in a designated federal HUBZone and assisting them with the registration and bidding process.

"This program will help bring opportunities to our area by assisting local businesses in making bids and winning government contracts through educational and training sessions," said Jon Spoon, SBC Coordinator for Chatham County. "We want to provide businesses with a helping hand to actually win and perform those government contracts."

The Department of Defense is the second largest sector of North Carolina's economy with an annual impact of $48 billion, according to the NCMBC. North Carolina is also home to six major military bases, 116 National Guard and 40 Army Reserve facilities - and has the third highest number of military personnel in the country. With such a large military presence in the state and the proximity to Fort Bragg, Spoon said companies in this area should be able to benefit from federal projects.

The government is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world. Despite the need for a variety of goods and services, Spoon said young businesses would likely find it difficult to secure a government contract on their own. "That's where the Small Business Centers and NCMBC can help," said Spoon. "We can meet with them, help get their business started, and help them grow their business to a point where they are ready and qualified to perform a government contract."

Lewis' office is located on the CCCC Chatham Campus in Pittsboro. For full contact information, visit www.ncmbc.us/contact-us/ or email him at lewisd@ncmbc.us. For information on the services of the Small Business Center, call Jon Spoon at 919-545-8013 or email jspoon@cccc.edu.

For more information on Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu.