Michigan Print Shop Wins Federal Contract After SBA Expo Encounter
A Detroit matchmaking event connected RJ's Printing of Kalamazoo with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, resulting in a signage and display contract.
A family-owned print shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan, landed a federal procurement contract with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission after a chance meeting at a Small Business Administration supplier event in Detroit — an outcome neither party anticipated walking in.
RJ's Printing, a father-and-son business, will supply the NRC with event signage, visual displays, table throws, table runners, QR-coded sticker materials, and design services to support the agency's external engagement work. The contract was triggered in part by the NRC's need to update its materials following a rebranding effort tied to a new agency logo, and by growing demand for duplicate materials to cover simultaneous events at different locations.
Read more Merit Financial Acquires $1.1B Moldenhauer in Western New York →
The connection formed when the two owners approached the NRC's exhibit booth at SBA's Supplier Matchmaking Expo in Detroit. Anthony Briggs, the NRC's Chief Sourcing Officer for Small Business and Supply Chain Optimization, said the pair explained that the father had once worked for the company as an employee before purchasing it outright — a detail Briggs described as emblematic of American entrepreneurship. Their printed samples, competitive pricing, and fast turnaround made a strong case. What struck Briggs most, however, was the owners' admission that they had never considered the NRC a potential customer because they did not know the agency existed.
SBA held four Supplier Matchmaking Expos in 2026 — in Charlotte, Detroit, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. — drawing more than 2,600 attendees and generating over 1,400 individual matchmaking meetings. The NRC participated as a buyer at three of those locations. Briggs said the Detroit event compressed what would normally be days of vendor research into a few focused hours, accelerating a rebranding effort that might otherwise have stalled. The agency said the expos have also expanded its supplier reach well beyond the Washington, D.C., region. The award carries the potential for follow-on orders as new NRC initiatives develop.
Continue reading at Small Business Administration.
