More Matchmaking Sessions Scheduled Three more business matchmaking events are set in the series sponsored by the Small Business Administration, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Hewlett-Packard Corp. The session are scheduled June 17-18 in Chicago; July 31 in Birmingham, AL, in conjunction with the National Black Chamber of Commerce annual meeting; and in Washington on Sept. 19, during SBA’s National Entrepreneurial Conference and Expo. Events are planned for the west coast and the southwest later in the year. The events match small businesses with federal, state and local government agencies and large corporations for one-on-one meetings. The meetings are scheduled in advance by having small businesses and buyers complete online profiles. Based on the profiles, the best possible matches are created. SBA says the program is expected to provide up to $1 billion in procurement contract opportunities to small businesses during the events being held in 2003. A session in Orlando, FL, in March attracted almost 80 representatives from government agencies and large companies. Representatives of more than 450 small businesses conducted a total of nearly 2,500 interviews, SBA said. “The Business Matchmaking program is the largest national initiative in American small business history to bring small businesses and public and private organizations together at the same table for the specific purpose of awarding procurement contracts,” said SBA Administrator Hector Barreto. For more information and to register, go to www.businessmatchmaking.com.