Federal & State Small Business Certifications
This session on Federal & State Small Business Certifications will provide you with an in-depth discussion of the specific eligibility criteria required to qualify for small business certifications as well as the registration process for the following:
- Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) – Federal
- Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) – Federal
- Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) – State of California
- Woman Owned and Economically Disadvantaged Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) (EDWOSB) – Federal
- 8(a) Small Business – Federal
- HUBZone small business – Federal
- Small Business (SB) – State of California
Paul Tavernia,
Procurement Specialist

Paul Tavernia recently started with the Norcal APEX Accelerator (formerly Norcal PTAC) team as a business counselor and trainer. Prior to joining the APEX Accelerator team, Mr. Tavernia spent over 16 years working for the U.S. Small Business Administration. His initial position at the SBA was as a loan specialist in the SBA Sacramento loan processing center, however, most of his tenure at the SBA was in the Sacramento District Office as the team leader of business opportunity specialists focused on supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs primarily in the federal contracting arena. In addition to ensuring regulatory compliance, he and his team provided significant business development support through assistance with certifications, one on one counseling, as well as marketing and outreach events and education.
Before his federal service, Mr. Tavernia spent over 20 years in the private sector in a variety of sales and marketing positions, mostly in the information technology industry. Mr. Tavernia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nevada.
Location: Virtual
(707) 267-7561
info@norcalvboc.org
Who We Are:

Norcal PTAC
Northern California Procurement Technical Assistance Center (Norcal PTAC) is a government-funded nonprofit formed to help small businesses find, bid on, and win contracts with federal, state, local, and tribal agencies.
This No-Cost Training Event is
Hosted by

NorCal VBOC’s mission is to support veterans, transitioning service members – and their spouses with end-to-end support for long-term success. With the help of partners like the U.S. Small Business Administration, they’re achieving their mission by engaging veteran entrepreneurs and providing mentorship, business training, and strategic resources to bolster growth and successfully navigate the winding road of entrepreneurship. The NorCal VBOC coordinates and facilitates the Boots to Business program held at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Naval Support Activity Monterey, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Travis Air Force Base. These programs are taught by staff members of the NorCal VBOC and the SBA District Offices along with Staff from SBA Resource Partners (SDBC, SCORE, WBC).
If you have more questions, please contact us at info@norcalptac.org or (707) 267 – 7561