Rebuilding IRAQ with Small Business Contracting Whether Prime or Subcontractor, Does It Make For Good Business?

Doing Business in IRAQ with small businesses

Washington DC (PRWEB) October 30, 2004 -- A frank discussion on doing business in IRAQ as a small business was the topic of the Tammy Says... show on Thursday, October 28th. William Tucker, Chairman of Tucker & Associates and Sr. Advisor to the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce & Industry (IACCI) was the subject matter expert. Mr. Tucker states Doing business in IRAQ is much like doing business in the U.S.; you must network, establish relationships as well as a presence where you want to do business and whether through IACCI which operates much like a U.S. Chamber or through a company like Tucker & Associates, there is assistance to those that want to do business with the rebuild efforts. Also adding to the lineup were two businesses currently doing business in IRAQ and one business that would like to do business in IRAQ but so far has been unsuccessful.

These business owners discussed the impact which doing business in IRAQ has done for their business. Saad Hajjar, COO of Advanced Technology Systems says that doing business in IRAQ has been good; we are a prime contractor for providing Broadband Internet services and would welcome joint ventures with large businesses or other small businesses with specific telecommunications expertise." ATSIraq is classified as a small business. Another small business perspective came from the CEO of Home Essentials, the largest furniture leasing company outside the U.S. One year ago this company was classified as a small business but can no longer hold that classification. Business has been good but not just from IRAQ although it has been a major contributor to our top line revenue," says Chris Exeline. Although headquartered in Dallas, this company does work almost exclusively in countries other than the U.S. including Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and of course, Baghdad.

In stark contrast to the companies currently doing business in IRAQ was another company who has been trying to do business in IRAQ but has not won any work yet. Frank Tucker of A&A Building Material Company has been wading through the mire of forms, registrations and business conferences but has yet to obtain any work. Frank says Having a company that is 10 years old and in excellent financial condition apparently isnt enough and while I want to continue to try to get business in IRAQ, as a small business owner I still have to keep my current business in the excellent financial situation we have which means I can only devote so much time to the massive paperwork and relationship building associated with obtaining work over there."

What you see mostly in the Media is that small businesses are struggling in IRAQ. I wanted to get to the heart of the matter by bringing you both sides as well as let those know that there are organizations ready to assist you such as the Iraqi American Chamber of Commerce & Industry (IACCI) and Tucker & Associates," says Tammy, Host of the Tammy Says... show.    The Tammy Says... show is broadcast on SurfNet Media Group, an Internet digital entertainment media and publically traded company.

About Tucker & Associates
Tucker & Associates provides full service international trade and public affairs consulting services to U.S. and foreign clients. The firm assists clients in assessing market opportunities in U.S. and foreign markets, finding joint venture partners and negotiating agreements, coordinating the strategy for U.S. and foreign companies to enter into Asian, Eastern & Central European, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries, establishing productive relationships with key U.S. and foreign decision makers and more. For more information call William Tucker at (703) 525-4445.

About ATSIraq
ATSIraq has become the largest the largest provider of broadband Internet services for businesses and universities in Iraq. The company leases communications satellite rights from Hughes Network Systems to provide high-speed broadband and multimedia applications to nearly three dozen clients throughout Iraqs capital. ATS installs and maintains the service. For more information visit www.atsiraq.com.

About Home Essentials
Home Essentials is the largest furniture leasing company outside the US. A privately held company, it has U.S. headquarters in Dallas, Asian headquarters in Hong Kong and offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Baghdad. For more information visit www.homeessentials.org.

About A&A Building Material Company
A&A Building Material Company supplies building material to builders and contractors in Southern California. A&A provides cement, sand, drywall, lathe and plaster, metal framing, stucco, lumber, tools and accessories of all kinds to area builders as well as state and local government departments. For more information call 714-323-4400 or email frank@taig.biz.

About the Tammy Says... Show
The Tammy Says... show is a free Internet radio medium that produces shows to bring the business subject matter experts up close and personal to the small business community. Rather than put the "spin" on the things that are heard and seen heralded every day in the news media, host Tammy Camper, delivers the facts on subjects that can impact a company's bottom line. The Tammy Says show is owned by entrepreneur Tammy Camper and is a woman-owned, minority-owned company. For more information or to access the show or hear past shows visit www.tammysays.com.

About SurfNet Media Group, Inc.
SurfNet Media Group (http://www.surfnetmedia.com/) is an Internet digital entertainment media company producing and broadcasting live and on-demand talk radio content streamed globally over the Internet 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Founded in 1999, SurfNet produces and broadcasts over 100 programs weekly on its VoiceAmerica (http://www.voiceamerica.com/) and BusinessAmerica (http://www.businessamericaradio.com/) Radio networks.

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