During a celebration of all things naval this week in Wilmington there are opportunities for small businesses to learn about sailing their operations into new waters. It's all thanks to a collaboration between the N.C. Military Business Center and the U.S. Navy.
 
Wilmington Navy Week, one of 15 such events taking place across the country this year, is holding some events at the Wilmington Convention Center, where the N.C. Military Business Center's in full swing with its annual Southeast Regional Federal Construction, Infrastructure & Environment Summit Wednesday and Thursday. The summit brings together more than 800 representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as a host of military offices and agencies and several federal agencies and specialty contractors and designers, according to NCMBC's executive director Scott Dorney.

"We have over 100 government officials from 44 agencies: the military, the VA, the GSA Public Building Service, the Coast Guard, the Department of State, and all the military services. If a business owner wanted to interview these agencies individually, it would take years. Here, they can do it in one day," Dorney said Wednesday.

Agencies represented at the event will talk about what they plan to purchase in the second half of the current federal fiscal year as well as what they're eyeing for the entire FY 24, Dorney added. "The government does about $500 million in military-related construction in North Carolina every year and over $2 billion in our five-state region, from Virginia to Florida."

The NCMBC has hosted the summit in Wilmington every year since 2011, except in 2020 and 2021. Officials hope that the fact that it coincided with Navy Week this year would bring additional business owners to the event.
 
Thursday’s Summit agenda includes a keynote breakfast and luncheon, with breakout groups on a variety of construction-related topics from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. A trade show and networking opportunities continue throughout the day.

The Summit takes place at the Wilmington Convention Center 515 Nutt St. Online registration is closed but walk-ins are welcome.