Posted: May 20, 2011

Grace Bascette said coming to events such as "Give Me 5" has helped her business tap into major resources.

By Danielle Walker

danielle.walker@insidebiz.com

Almost two years ago, Grace Bascetta decided to take matters into her own hands after her husband, Tony, a superintendent for a construction company, lost his job.

A nurse, Bascetta transitioned from part-time to full-time work, while her husband started working as a carpenter, which brought in a third of his previous salary.

"He was getting laid off again, so we decided to start our own business," Bascetta said.

Now, she is the president and CEO of A'more Commercial Enterprises LLC, a commercial construction company in Williamsburg, started in August 2009.

Her husband, Tony, is the construction superintendent and foreman, while Bascetta serves as the office manager and estimator in addition to president and CEO.

Bascetta shared her story, while at the "Give Me 5" program held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hilton Norfolk Airport on Monday, May 16.

The program, created by American Express OPEN and Women Impacting Public Policy, the nation's largest nonpartisan women's business group, educates women business owners on federal procurement opportunities.

Congressman Scott Rigell, R-Virginia Beach, welcomed about 140 attendees at the event.

Bascetta said coming to events such as "Give Me 5" - which refers to the federal government's 5 percent contracting goal for women-owned small businesses - has helped her young business tap into significant resources.

So far, A'more Commercial Entreprises has won nearly $30,000 among three contracts, one of which included the company working on The Tide, Norfolk's light rail. A'more Commercial Enterprises teamed with Curtis Contracting Inc., another woman-owned business based in West Point, which served as the prime contractor for the project.

Its other subcontractor awards involved construction work on Fort Eustis' tactical equipment maintenance facility in Newport News and Fort Pickett's machine gun range in Blackstone.

At the event, a panel discussed teaming opportunities for women-owned small businesses, sharing pitfalls and advice for business owners.

"You have to kiss a lot of frogs to get your prince," said Patti Hamilton, the president and CEO of Hamilton Consulting Solutions Corp. in Chesapeake.

Hamilton shared a story of how a potential team partner company ended up not having solid credentials, which resulted in wasted time and effort on her company's part.

Bradley Reaves, an attorney at Kaufman & Canoles in Norfolk, warned small business owners about the importance of developing a teaming agreement, or a formal written agreement, prior to a contract award.

"A lot of times the lawyers get involved on the back end of teaming agreements that have gone wrong," Reaves said.

"If you have the correct language in your teaming agreement you can really protect yourself," making sure the terms of your partnership with another company are established ahead of time, he said."Anything you don't want to be arguing over, get it [included] in the teaming agreement. It's better to get that done on the front end."

Business owners should never sign anything in a rushed manner, without having a chance to fully look over the terms, or have someone else review it, he said.

Overall, teaming with other small businesses, instead of larger companies, can benefit small businesses and the government - as long as business owners do their homework and create business partnerships that make sense to federal agencies. Denise Rodriquez-Lopez enforced this sentiment at the panel.

"Make sure your team has some logic," said Rodriguez-Lopez, the American Express OPEN adviser on teaming.

Business owners should try to team with companies that meld well, or complement, the services or products they offer. For instance, a design and tech company might be an attractive team to the government for contracts.

Rodriquez-Lopez is the president and CEO of The KMH Co., a Fairfax-based business that provides federal procurement and supplier diversity consulting.

She said that business owners must do their research in order to know potential partners for contracts. Some information to take into consideration includes a company's past work, reputation in the industry and financial status, Rodriguez-Lopez said.

Rodriguez-Lopez emphasized that the biggest pitfall for small business owners was giving up before contracts materialize.

"It can take two or three years for you to actually win a contract," she said. "Every time you don't win it is a learning experience." nib