Michelle L. Cook

On Tuesday, I joined Governor Ned Lamont, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) New England Regional Administrator Mike Vlacich, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Torrington Mayor Elinor Carbone, and other state officials to announce the approval of Connecticut’s newest governor-designated Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone). The SBA has approved Governor Lamont’s petition to add a HUBZone in Torrington, expanding access and eligibility to SBA’s HUBZone program to the small businesses in the covered areas. 

The SBA’s HUBZone program fuels small business growth in historically underutilized business zones with a goal of awarding at least 3% of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies each year. The federal government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses in historically underutilized business zones. It also gives preferential consideration to those businesses in full and open competition. The HUBZone program makes businesses eligible to compete for set-aside contracts and get a 10% price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions.

Throughout March, the SBA’s Connecticut District Office will host two HUBZone business opportunity events, including:

• Wednesday, March 8, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: SBA meet and greet at Torrington Town Hall (140 Main Street, Torrington)
• Tuesday, March 14, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.: Connecticut HUBZone virtual information session (free registration at SBA.GOV/CT)

To qualify for the HUBZone program, businesses must be a small business according to SBA size standards, be at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, a community development corporation, an agricultural cooperative, an Alaska Native corporation, a Native Hawaiian organization, or an Indian tribe, and have its principal office located in a HUBZone with at least 35% of its employees living in a HUBZone. Please click here for more information. 

The Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce will host a job fair on Wednesday, March 22 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm in the Torrington City Hall Auditorium. Please see the flyer for more information.