Business connections were buzzing at the El Paso Community College (EPCC) Administrative Services Center Auditorium as the 18th Annual Procurement and Contracting Symposium welcomed a diverse gathering of vendors, industry experts, and government representatives. This networking-centric event, hosted yesterday, brought together 191 vendors and featured 53 exhibitor booths from a variety of sectors, as reported by EPCC News. Aimed to foster relationships and provide insights into future contracting ventures, the symposium has cemented itself as a significant nexus for business opportunity in Far West Texas and Southern New Mexico.
Educational sessions were on the menu, designed to swiftly adapt businesses to the changing contracting landscapes of 2025. "It's a place to come and network with all the government entities here," EPCC's Contract Opportunities Center APEX Accelerator Director Pablo Armendariz conveyed, as obtained by EPCC News. The symposium also featured forecasts for forthcoming contracts and a chance for interaction with federal, state, and local government entities.
Speakers, including Greg Oberman, President of Oberman Inc., and Blayne Primozich, EPCC's Associate Vice President of Workforce and Continuing Education, opened the day with welcoming remarks. Primozich, in an interview with EPCC News, emphasized the palpable impact of the event: “We (EPCC) have assisted with 2,618 contracts, $514 million in economic activity for our region, and 10,940 jobs. That is the power of collaboration." Additionally, United States Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, through a video message, touted the symposium as a pivotal bridge bringing together a variety of business entities.
Key sessions included "Government Contracting in 2025: 100 Days of Uncertainty" by Matthew Moriarty, of Schoonover Law Firm, and a cybersecurity primer by Kareem Sykes from Project Spectrum, designed to seamlessly educate attendees on vital information protection practices. Anthony Overbay, Deputy Director of the 49th Contracting Squadron at Holloman AFB, shared updates on small business engagement and contracting opportunities, stemming from a successful fiscal year 2024. These presentations sought to provide essential guidelines and spark initiatives to strengthen business involvement with government projects.
