WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the results of its inaugural 2026 Supplier Matchmaking Expo, a first-of-its-kind event held last week in partnership with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Expo was designed to advance the Made in America agenda by helping large producers connect with small domestic suppliers – enabling companies to build domestic supply chains, create local jobs, and restore American industrial dominance. More than 675 small business suppliers participated, along with 35 large industrial buyers, including companies and agencies such as Boeing, Ford Motor Company, Honeywell International, Inc., Lockheed Martin, NASA, Siemens, Toyota, and the U.S. Department of War.
“Thanks to President Trump’s fair trade and tax cuts agenda, large companies are seeking to reshore their supply chains for the first time in decades, which means more local jobs and more national production capacity,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “Small businesses represent 98% of all U.S. manufacturers – and the SBA will continue to work proactively across the country to ensure they play a leading role in rebuilding American industry, particularly by supporting access to capital, deregulation, and workforce readiness. SBA is grateful to the National Association of Manufacturers, NASA, and the U.S. Department of War for making our inaugural Supplier Matchmaking Expo a tremendous success.”
The Expo took place on March 11, 2026, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina, and provided the opportunity for local suppliers to meet large companies seeking services and products to expand their domestic productive capacity. Participants took part in both the expo floor exhibits and one-on-one matchmaking sessions with prospective buyers, with over 170 small businesses already successfully “matching” with a large company to provide services.
Survey data and feedback from attendees following the event was overwhelmingly positive:
“This event was excellent. My only request is to have more.”
“Overall good job and brought a lot of great vendors in to talk with.”
“I think we should do the event at least once a quarter.”
“Overall, we are grateful for the opportunity to participate and hope to attend future events as well. Thank you again for your efforts to connect small businesses with industry partners.”
“Excellent event bringing together small manufacturers, government agencies, and large industry buyers. The matchmaking structure made it easy to connect with procurement teams and better understand supplier expectations.”
Attendees also indicated that the Expo was effective in facilitating procurement networking, that it expanded their understanding of how to leverage SBA resources, and the vast majority would recommend a future Expo to a colleague.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.