Vasquez, who runs the National Center’s PTAC in Albuquerque, was honored as a part of New Mexico’s Small Business Week

May 5, 2017

MESA, AZ – Adolfo Vasquez, who leads the National Center for American Indian Enterprise’s (the National Center) Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) in Albuquerque, was honored yesterday as the “Minority Small Business Champion of the Year” in New Mexico by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The awards are a part of National Small Business Week, and the New Mexico honorees were celebrated at the Sandia Golf Club in Albuquerque.

Mr. Vasquez is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Army. The National Center’s PTAC provides professional business consulting services and technical assistance to Native American-owned businesses regarding marketing and selling to Federal, state, local and tribal governments, and large prime contractors.

“This is a tremendous honor for both Adolfo and our excellent Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, particularly the one Albuquerque,” said Chris James, National Center President and CEO. “Adolfo’s dedication to ensuring tribes and tribal members are able to compete and win valuable contracts is unsurpassed. His work is absolutely deserving of recognition, and I applaud the SBA for helping to spread the word about Adolfo and the PTAC.”

The National Center’s PTAC extends assistance to all Native American businesses (American Indian, Alaska Native Corporations, and Native Hawaiians) and includes tribes and individual businesses both on and off reservations. Services are free. PTAC, which also has offices in Arizona, Colorado, and Georgia, serves clients in 23 states located within the Southwest, Navajo, and Eastern BIA Service Areas. The present PTAC office has been open since October of 2000.

Over the past 16 years, the PTAC has assisted with over 4,600 contracts totaling approximately $2.8 billion. These contracts have created over 55,000 jobs (based off $50,000 per job/per year). The PTAC has been rated “Outstanding” by the Defense Contract Management Agency for the past 4 out of 4 years.

“We are incredibly proud of Adolfo for winning this prestigious award from the SBA,” said George Williams, who is the Program Manager for the PTAC. “It’s a testament to the work our entire team does to ensure Indian Country has access to all the tools it needs to be successful in procurement. I look forward to Adolfo’s continued excellent work into the future.”

For more information about the PTAC, please visit: http://ptac.ncaied.org/.

About The National Center: The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. With over 40 years of assisting American Indian Tribes and their enterprises with business and economic development – we have evolved into the largest national Indian specific business organization in the nation. Our motto is: “We Mean Business For Indian Country” as we are actively engaged in helping Tribal Nations and Native business people realize their business goals and are dedicated to putting the whole of Indian Country to work to better the lives of American Indian people- both now… and for generations to come.

CONTACT: Lewis Lowe, 202-333-2234 lewisl@strategies360.com