NASBP bond producer members helped the U.S. Department of Transportation plan a fall 2011 Bonding Education Program (BEP) that will provide bonding knowledge and education to New York Metro area small and minority business owners. NASBP bond producers from the New York Metro area participated in the August 16, DOT Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) stakeholder meeting held to discuss the parameters of a 7-10 week Program for small and minority business owners.

		NASBP Past President William F. Maroney (pictured left) of Wells Fargo Insurance Services of New York, Inc. of New York, NY, described the value of the Program to the audience that consisted of agencies and associations that represent small and minority business owners in the New York Metro area. Maroney, who serves as Chair of the NASBP Small & Emerging Business Committee, explained that small and minority business owners that want to obtain surety credit and become bonded can succeed if they participate in the Program. Maroney said that the Program provides that both bond producers and surety underwriters work with the small business owners. Maroney emphasized that the business owner should plan to commit their time and effort to the process to ensure their success. “I was most appreciative of being made a part of the recent DOT stakeholders presentation at La Guardia College. The surety industry’s dedication and enthusiasm, is resulting in success. We are making a difference, regardless of the naysayers. By reaching out to the small and emerging contractors the future of the surety product is being both promoted and preserved. The results of our outreach programs are making surety available to the contracts that need it the most, the results are stronger and more business savvy professional contractors,” said Maroney.
		In addition, John Filice (pictured left and standing in front of the room), President of the Fleetwood Agency, Inc. of New York, NY, addressed the group by giving examples of his success in assisting small business owners who participated in similar programs like this one. Also in attendance from NASBP were NASBP Bond Producers Vladimir Blaise and Novica Prekpala, both of the Blaise Group NY, LLC in Mt. Vernon, NY and Larry LeClair, Director of Government Relations of NASBP in Washington, DC. Prekpala sees enormous value in educating people about the surety product and process and said, “We as an Association should be involved and offer our professional insight into how and what it takes to get bonds throughout the various regions of the country. Consider the alternative–having various public agencies develop a protocol for underwriting surety bonds. That should scare us all.”The audience included representatives from the Empire State Development Agency, the Jamaica Business Resource Center, the U.S. Small Business Administration NY District Office, the New York DOT, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the NY-Minority Contractor’s Association, as well as representatives from the banking community.
		Edward M. Cafiero, (pictured left standing) Business Enterprise Development Officer of the OSDBU, and Lynn Schubert, (pictured above standing in the front of the room with Filice) President of the Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA), described how the DOT BEP Workshops are scheduled once a week during the 7-10 week Program. They also explained how bond producers and surety underwriters who participate in the Program make the Program a success by assisting these small business owners in assembling documents for bond-readiness assessments and in initiating the steps for prequalification for actual contracting opportunities that require bonding. They also described how the small business owners should plan to meet one-on-one with a surety professional at the beginning of some of the Program’s Workshops. These one-on-one meetings with the surety professional help the business owners assemble the materials necessary for a complete bond application and address any omissions and/or deficiencies that might deter the successful underwriting of a bond.
		The August 16 meeting was held on the campus of the LaGuardia Community College in Long Island, NY. Once DOT sets the dates for the New York BEP Workshop schedule, NASBP will notify NASBP New York members.NASBP is a participatory organization in the DOT BEP effort and is encouraging NASBP Members to become involved in these stakeholder meetings and workshops. Participation in a Program’s stakeholder meeting is not required to participate in the BEP Workshops. Please notify Larry LeClair at lleclair@nasbp.org at NASBP of your intended participation. To learn more about all 11 DOT BEP programs held nationwide, click here.