Fuentek Earns 8(a) Certification from Small Business Administration

"I'm very pleased that SBA accepted our application," said Fuentek president, Laura A. Schoppe, who is a U.S. citizen of Hispanic descent. "As a new business, Fuentek does not enjoy the name recognition of the more established companies. Having 8(a) certification will play a part in gaining the attention of agencies and companies looking for high-quality technology management and commercialization services."

Ms. Schoppe, who launched Fuentek as a business on February 16, 2001, hopes to raise the awareness of commercial, academic, and government organizations that Hispanic women have a vital and valuable role to play in the high-tech market. "Helping successfully transfer technologies between organizations and companies via commercialization provides the opportunity to introduce these organizations and companies to the significant technical and business acumen of Hispanic women," explained Ms. Schoppe.

By continuing to deliver exceptional quality and exceeding client expectations, Ms. Schoppe hopes to remove any biases in race/ethnicity or gender so that organizations will focus only on the competencies of an individual when determining a fair market value for their efforts.

"The goal is for the client to get the best vendor—small business or large," summarized Ms. Schoppe. "The 8(a) program helps ensure that small disadvantaged business get a chance to compete."