Michael Karlis
Business owners who graduated from UTSA's new academy learned skills they said are needed to compete with larger companies in procurement.
The program — part of UTSA's Institute of Economic Development's Center for Government Contracting — was created with the help of former mayor Henry Cisneros and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, who helped secure its funding.
"San Antonio is home to thousands of talented, hard-working entrepreneurs who deserve a fair shot at taxpayer-funded contracts," Castro said in a statement.
Among the graduates was Shantana L. Robinson, the founder of San Antonio-based MFDA Creative Group LLC., a consulting firm that specializes in "filling in the gap" with the day-to-day operations of small businesses.
"As soon as I saw the word 'procurement,' we knew that we needed to be involved because that's in our wheelhouse," Robinson told the Current. "We want to continue to scale and build [ourselves] up to be able to get those wonderful government contracts."
Indeed, landing government contracts can be a game changer for small businesses. UTSA's program aims to teach founders how to fill out the demanding paperwork and compete against larger companies for these lucrative pacts.
"I went from knowing nothing about government contracting, and now I know about 75% of it — I'm getting there," said Marilynn Romero, founder of Mynd Fit Mental Health. Her company primarily focuses on helping at-risk youth struggling with mental health issues.
"I now know what all the acronyms and words mean," Romero said. "[The program] was great, and UTSA provided me with an immense amount of knowledge. It was fantastic."
Applications for the next cohort are open now.
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