Clearwater, Florida - At Jiffy Reprographics they do all sorts of digital printing, from your basic copies to giant vehicle wraps.
The owners of this Clearwater business are excited about the upcoming Republican National Convention -- not because of the politics, but because of the potential business.
"We would love to be a part of that," says co-owner Mary-Dianne Roperti. "It's an exciting time and we know we can definitely supply some of the needs that they have."
And that's why the printing company sent their General Manager to a meeting in Safety Harbor Thursday. Cory Deermount joined hundreds of other business people hoping to learn how to court convention contracts.
Lori Goldsmith of Tomlin Tested Staffing attended the event. "We're hoping we can make really good connections and help the event be successful, as well as promote our own business," she said.
The 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee sponsored the seminar. Leaders say the convention has a long list of goods and services that local businesses have a chance to supply.
Host Committee President Ken Jones says, "A lot of people look at a convention like this and think there's no way we can get involved-it's just too big and we're too small. We want to dispel that myth."
The Host Committee does not award contracts, but is helping play "match-maker" between convention buyers and suppliers. And there are certain steps businesses have to take to be considered. To learn more click here.
Like many small businesses, Jiffy Reprographics has suffered because of the bad economy, so in coming months one thing they'd really like to see in print is a convention contract.