US Federal Contractor Registration (USFCR) President Eric Knellinger presented a seminar on business development in government contracting at Natural Disasters Expo USA in Houston, and Built America Magazine featured an interview with him on pages 40 through 47. Both the seminar and the interview come back to one question. How do small businesses get ready for federal work before a disaster happens, not after?
Here’s what Eric presented, why we were in Houston, what we want small businesses to take from the feature, and where to read it.
Natural Disasters Expo USA, also billed by the organizer as Disasters Expo Texas, is an exhibition and conference focused on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. The event brings several co-located shows under one roof, including Resilient City Expo, which focuses on how construction, infrastructure, and urban planning can withstand disasters and recover afterward. The 2026 edition took place October 14 and 15 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, with keynotes, roundtables, seminars, and an exhibition floor for industry leaders, government agencies, emergency management professionals, and private-sector businesses.
That mix, in a city that has seen more than its share of hurricanes and floods, is why the event made sense for us. After a hurricane, flood, or wildfire, agencies and prime contractors can suddenly need trucking companies, roofers, debris-removal crews, equipment suppliers, and logistics providers. Many of them are local small businesses that have never sold to the government. Events like this put them in the same room with the people planning the response.
Eric presented “Business Development in Government Contracting” in Seminar Theater 3. The session walked attendees through USFCR’s Government Contracting Growth System, built on the idea that federal success comes from a repeatable process, not a single lucky bid.
That process rests on planning, searching, and market intelligence. A business has to stay compliant, build relationships with buyers and partners, research opportunities across multiple channels, and use data to choose which bids to pursue. The aim is to help small businesses move with more speed and focus, and to pursue contracts that match what they can actually deliver.
That last point matters most in disaster work. When a response begins, the businesses that already know their capacity, their partners, and the agencies they serve are in a far better position to act than those starting from scratch.
Eric Knellinger presenting “Business Development in Government Contracting” in Seminar Theater 3 at Natural Disasters Expo USA.
USFCR started because of a registration gap, and disaster response is where that gap matters most.
In 2010, Eric was working with small and mid-sized businesses when a friend, a federal procurement officer at MacDill Air Force Base, described a recurring issue. Capable local small businesses couldn’t sell to the government because they weren’t registered correctly. In one example, a marina down the road had the boat the officer needed, but the business wasn’t set up properly. The boat had to be bought from Louisiana instead, which added roughly $12,000 in cost.
In a disaster, that same gap plays out under far more pressure. Eric put it plainly in his Built America interview. “At the time of a disaster is not the time to get registered. They need things now.”
Eric also sees small businesses as central to recovery, not on the sidelines of it. As he told the magazine, “When the rubber meets the road, and we have a disaster, it’s the backbone of small businesses that carry a community, a state through those disasters.”
We began with three people in what Eric calls “a closet of a room,” and more than 500,000 businesses have come through our doors since then. Showing up at an event like this is part of how we keep that mission going, by meeting contractors before the next emergency, not during it.
The points below come from the Built America interview, and they reflect what we tell any business thinking about disaster-related government work.
Get registered and stay accurate. Under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), a business generally needs an active SAM registration to submit an offer and again to receive an award. An outdated or incomplete registration can stop a business before the work starts, and that can’t be fixed on the day a response begins.
Build the team before you need it. Stephanie Desautels, our Director of Business Development, told the magazine that teaming matters most for small businesses breaking into government contracting. Working as a subcontractor can build past performance and credibility before a business pursues larger prime opportunities. During recovery, established contractors may need extra help with work like trucking, debris removal, roofing, or blue tarping. For a newer business, that subcontract can become its first real doorway into the federal marketplace.
Keep the human touch. Technology can help manage and organize the work, but a procurement professional still wants to see something well thought out, with real experience behind it. As Stephanie put it, “Technology is great, and it can be a great tool, but it can’t be a crutch. You have to have a human touch.”
Plan for the long game. Eric is direct about expectations. “These are three-year events. Anything that anybody says is going to happen overnight is not reality.” That’s why we encourage businesses to prepare early, even when a disaster is nowhere in sight.
Recognize that every business starts somewhere different. A woman-owned contractor may have options a veteran-owned company doesn’t. A startup and an established prime need different strategies. Eric describes the reasons businesses pursue government work as profit, prestige, and protection, and we meet each of them where they are.
Built America Magazine interviewed Eric and Stephanie for its 2026 Disasters & Resilient City Expo Houston Edition, its special issue covering the expo, and the USFCR feature runs on pages 40 through 47. The article tells the story behind the company, from the marina and the boat to how our work has grown beyond registration into market research, certifications, compliance, proposal support, and teaming. It also shares that we’re putting together additional funding to help small businesses cover the costs of getting ready for government work. The program is still being finalized.
Our favorite part of the feature is a story Eric shared about a client’s call. “Mr. Knellinger, you changed my zip code.” The client explained that the work had changed his family’s trajectory. Not every client will pursue a multimillion-dollar contract. Some want to mow a courthouse lawn or mulch an airport. As Stephanie says in the article, “No contract is too small or too big. It’s whatever our clients are capable of.”
You can read the full feature online.
We’re grateful to Built America for the feature, and to the expo organizers and everyone who joined Eric’s session in Seminar Theater 3.
At the end of his seminars, Eric asks attendees one question. “What are you going to do when you leave here?” It’s a good one for any small business thinking about disaster work. Start by checking that your SAM registration is active and accurate, and that your capabilities statement describes what you could deliver on short notice. Then think about which prime contractors or partners you could team with. If you’d like a second set of eyes on any of it, a conversation with a Registration and Contracting Specialist is a good first step. We’ll tell you what we see in your current position and what a realistic path forward looks like.
What did USFCR present at Natural Disasters Expo USA?
Eric Knellinger presented “Business Development in Government Contracting” in Seminar Theater 3. The session covered how a repeatable process of planning, opportunity research, and market intelligence helps businesses choose contracts that fit their capacity.
Where is the USFCR article in Built America Magazine?
It’s on pages 40 through 47 of the 2026 Disasters & Resilient City Expo Houston Edition. The online magazine link above opens at page 40.
What is Natural Disasters Expo USA?
It’s an exhibition and conference in Houston, also billed as Disasters Expo Texas, focused on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, with several co-located shows including Resilient City Expo. It brings together industry leaders, government agencies, and private-sector professionals. The 2026 edition ran October 14 and 15 at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Do I need to be registered in SAM before a disaster to get disaster-related work?
In most cases, yes. Federal buyers generally need a business to hold an active SAM registration before they can award a contract. Subcontracting with a prime contractor already working a recovery effort is another way into the market, though a prime may still ask about your registration and readiness.
Does working with USFCR guarantee a federal contract?
No. No consultant can guarantee an award, a certification approval, or faster processing. We provide accurate registration, realistic positioning, opportunity research, and proposal support so your business competes on the strongest footing it can.