Creative’s President and CEO, M. Charito Kruvant, Co-Authors New Book on Increasing the Competitiveness of Small Businesses

This summer, Mrs. Kruvant along with Dr. Sharon T. Freeman, co-authored “Gems of Wisdom for Increasing the Competitiveness of 8 (a) Business Development Firms.” The book offers insights from those who work with 8 (a) BD contractors and how to do business with the federal government.

It’s a sequel to a book published last year, “Gems of Wisdom for Succeeding in the 8(a) Business Development Program and Beyond,” offering guidance and lessons learned from successful SBA 8(a) entrepreneurs. For copies, click here www.aasbea.com.

“The more the private sector and business got interested in the topic, the more information they needed from the government,” Mrs. Kruvant said. “This sequel takes away the mystery and distills the basic rules of success within a complex process, along with integrity and commitment to our community, real technical expertise, perseverance and patience.”

The “Gems of Wisdom” series is an effort to help “level the playing field” so that small business and government get the benefits of competition, Mrs. Kruvant said. “Everybody wins.”

As a minority woman and a graduate of the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development program, Mrs. Kruvant makes sure her own firm supports small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses.

She has served as Chair of the Small Business Administration Washington Metropolitan District Office (SBA-WMDO) Advisory Council along with Creative’s Director of External Relations, Stephen Horblitt, who has also served as member of the Advisory Council.

Over the course of her more than 31 years in international development, Mrs. Kruvant has been the recipient of numerous awards for her support of small, minority and women-owned business. They include the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Washington Metropolitan Area District Office Director’s Award for 2007, and the Entrepreneurial Visionary Award (2003) from the Women’s Business Center.

Creative’s Procurement and Logistics Unit purchases all office products at less cost from small businesses, including those that are Small Business Administration 8 (a) firms or those owned by Service Disabled Veterans. Creative has also increased the firm’s small business purchasing by requesting quotes from small business for the education and civil society programs Creative implements out of 18 offices worldwide, even when small businesses are not required under the procurement.

Creative has a firm practice of purchasing goods and services from small businesses in Washington, D.C., including International Procurement Services, Comptronics, Inc., IT Total Solutions, and Caddo Office Supplies.