The American Small Business Coalition and Network Referral Group Form Strategic Alliance

ELLICOT CITY, Md. and COLUMBIA, Md. – Network Referral Group (NRG), one of the largest Mid-Atlantic business networking organizations, and The American Small Business Coalition (ASBC), a membership-based networking and support organization that assists small businesses in creating business relationships in the federal sector, have announced the formation of a strategic alliance.

Together, NRG and The ASBC represent more than 1,300 businesses in 17 states and four countries. NRG will operate under the name NRG Government, which was established for this alliance. Early joint activities will include establishing government meeting groups where members can begin to exchange information specific to federal contracting and developing strategies and teams.

“After sitting down with The ASBC and understanding their business model and philosophy, there was an obvious synergy,” said Michael Weiner, president and founder of Network Referral Group. “As we continued to delve into the needs of our members, it came to our attention that many of our members are involved in federal contracting, and NRG needed to find a solution to help them expand their market share within the government. The relationship with The ASBC will allow our members more access and awareness to Federal business opportunities.”

The ASBC will focus on providing a broad level of understanding about doing business in the federal arena and developing market research. To that end, The ASBC has signed preliminary agreements with a company that provides information services specific to government acquisition programs. This will represent just one example of the many tools used to assist members with their business research and development activities.

“There are many organizations involved in trying to change legislation related to Federal contracting, small businesses and the socio-economic groups recognized by the U.S. Government – that’s not where we saw a need," said Guy Timberlake, CEO and Chief Visionary Officer of The American Small Business Coalition. “We focus on helping small businesses utilize the resources around them to further their ability to capture mindshare and contacts which can lead to qualified business relationships and opportunities.”

NRG, headquartered in Ellicott City, Md., is a networking organization committed to helping companies grow their business by bringing together owners, entrepreneurs and sales professionals to develop business through leveraged referrals. The NRG team functions much like a board of directors working with its members to create a dynamic synergy to help them develop and retain clients. Positioned as a referral group and not a traditional leads exchange program, NRG has approximately 1,000 members throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. For additional information on Network Referral Group, visit their website at: www.networkreferralgroup.com.

The American Small Business Coalition, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland was established as a non-partisan organization focusing its efforts on programs and procurements within the federal government and working within the construct of current U.S. acquisition regulations and small business size standards. The membership consists of small, medium and large companies working in a collaborative environment to foster team-building and the exchange of information related to business opportunities with the United States Government. Members of The ASBC are provided information, education and training by industry professionals and former government employees and executives. To learn more about The ASBC, visit www.theasbc.org.