Atlanta, GA – August 18, 2010 – On August 25 and 26, American Express OPEN, the small business division of American Express, will be holding two free educational sessions in Atlanta, Georgia at the largest woodworking event in the Western Hemisphere: the International Woodworking, Machinery, and Furniture Supply Fair (IWF).

Event attendees will learn how their businesses can benefit and grow from selling to the government from two featured experts:

• Denise Rodriguez Lopez is President and Chief Executive Officer of KMJ Company, which provides consulting services to companies seeking to do business with the Federal Government. She is also the former Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and an advisor to Teaming USA, an initiative that helps business owners join forces to compete for federal contracts.

• Theresa Daytner is Chief Executive Officer of Daytner Construction Group. Today, Daytner Construction is working on its largest federal contract – a two-year, $52 million construction project in D.C. for the General Services Administration. This job has bumped up the company’s percentage of federally contracted work to almost 50 percent, up from just 5 percent in 2008, and is forecast to push the company’s annual revenue into seven figures.

American Express OPEN is sponsoring two sessions that will explore important government contracting strategies:

• Team to Help Win Government Contracts: Best practices in teaming, how to screen potential partners and ways to raise your profile, along with teaming networking do’s and don’ts
o Wednesday, August 25 from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
o Room: B314

• Getting the Most from the General Services Administration Schedule for Government Contracting: Keys to successfully getting on the General Services Administration Schedule to become a pre-qualified government vendor
o Thursday, August 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
o Room: B314

Owned and sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA), the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America (WMMA), and the Woodworking Machinery Industry Association (WMIA), IWF will help cabinetry, architectural and home furnishing professionals find solutions to the problems their businesses are facing in today’s economy through panels, sessions and demonstrations as to what’s new and what’s next for the industry.

American Express OPEN will have a booth at IWF (#4417) where the 18,000+ attendees can learn about products, services, and opportunities that can help their businesses start Booming.

For more information about IWF, visit www.iwfatlanta.com, e-mail [email protected] or call 404.693.8333.

Upcoming tradeshows where OPEN will participate and offer government contracting resources and experts include:

Oracle OpenWorld 2010
http://www.oracle.com/us/openworld/index.html
San Francisco, CA
September 19th-24th

Solar Power International (SPI)
http://www.solarpowerinternational.com/
Los Angeles, CA
October 12-14

Greenbuild
http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/Home.aspx
Chicago, IL
November 17-19

About American Express OPEN
American Express OPEN is the leading payment card issuer for small businesses in the United States and supports business owners with products and services to help them run and grow their businesses. This includes business charge and credit cards that deliver purchasing power, flexibility, rewards, savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners and online tools and services designed to help improve profitability. Learn more at www.OPEN.com