<p>Marketing to governmental entities is different than selling to the commercial world. </p> <p>An upcoming, no-cost University of Houston-Victoria Small Business Development Center workshop will examine those differences and inform area small business owners about strategies to use when selling goods or services to the federal government. </p> <table class="mugshot" align="left"> <tr> <td> <a href="images/uploads/staff/HumphreysJoe-800H.jpg" target="_blank"> <img src="images/uploads/staff/HumphreysJoe100w.jpg"> </a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Joe Humphreys</td> </tr> </table> <p>Marketing to Government will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the SBDC office, 3402 N. Ben Wilson St. The workshop is free and open to the public. </p> <p>�The federal government is the largest buyer in the world, while local and state governments often make up a large percentage of their respective marketplaces,� UHV SBDC director Joe Humphreys said. �Despite those facts, some business owners overlook governments as consumers. This session will shine the light on marketing opportunities with the federal government, while also delving into tactics that will make a bid or offer stand out.� </p> <p>This presentation is designed to help small business owners and managers create a plan to capture government contracts through target marketing and thinking outside traditional marketing plans. </p> <table class="mugshot" align="right"> <tr> <td> <a href="images/uploads/20150514/Sean-Smith.jpg" target="_blank"> <img src="images/uploads/20150514/Sean-Smith-100W.jpg"> </a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Sean Smith</td> </tr> </table> <p>Sean Smith, a business opportunities specialist in the U.S. Small Business Administration San Antonio District office, will lead the workshop. Smith works with firms participating in SBA 8(a) Business Development, a business assistance program for small, disadvantaged businesses. He previously spent 17 years managing a family-owned small business, and he worked for a decade as a program manager for the Del Mar College Procurement Technical Assistance Center in Corpus Christi. </p> <p>To register for the workshop, contact the UHV SBDC at 361-485-4485, 877-895-7232 or <a href="mailto:sbdc@uhv.edu">sbdc@uhv.edu</a>. </p> <p>The UHV SBDC is part of a nationwide small business assistance program that serves the small business community in partnership with federal, state and local governments. The center offers business advising, training and technical assistance to existing and start-up businesses in an 11-county area. </p>