The American Small Business Coalition and the Business Development Institute International Launch Alliance Partnership Columbia, MD Ð January 17, 2007 Ð The American Small Business Coalition (The ASBC) and the Business Development Institute International (BD-Institute) announce an agreement to work as Alliance Partners. This agreement provides members of both organizations with access to information, training, and resources to promote business development excellence in small companies across all industries.

"The relationships and knowledge of business-development best practices that the BD-Institute possesses is a tremendous resource for our Members," commented Guy Timberlake, CEO and Chief Visionary Officer of The ASBC. "WeÕre looking forward to forging a very successful relationship, and we expect that our members will learn and implement business-development best practices that generate significant revenue gains."

"We developed the Capability Maturity Model¨ for Business Development (BD-CMM) as a framework, guide, and path for managing and improving business development results," says Howard Nutt, Executive Director of the BD-Institute. "The small business community represented by The ASBC has been a strategic audience for us, as ability to grow revenue in a predictable, high-ROI way is a critical issue for emerging businesses. The alliance with The ASBC increases our focus on the special needs of this important constituency."

The ASBC will provide Alliance Partner benefits to BD-Institute members, including high-quality networking and business opportunities, a searchable profile on The ASBC Web Portal, and discounts on events hosted by The ASBC and its other partners. Similarly, the BD-Institute will extend discounts to members of The ASBC, give them access to its substantial knowledge base, and collaborate with The ASBC on a business-development community of excellence directly aligned with the needs of this large segment of US and international business.

About The ASBC
The American Small Business Coalition provides our Members with access to information and relationships essential to doing business with the United States Government and Government Prime Contractors. As a private membership organization, our Members benefit from advisory and technical support, matchmaking activities and education targeted to the federal sector. Our value is demonstrated by relevant and qualified collaborations facilitated with Government Officials and Industry Professionals with the intent of enhancing the ability of our Members to capture and exploit business intelligence and key business relationships.
www.theasbc.org

About the Business Development Institute International
The BD-Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting business development excellence through the BD-CMM. The BD-InstituteÕs mission is to promote an innovative community of practice in business development through appraisals and self-assessments, best practices, certifications and benchmarking. The BD-Institute provides a basis for collaboration among diverse communities of practice, and emphasizes business-development transformation and continuous improvement as prerequisites for cutting-edge business results.
www.bd-institute.org