“Congressman Norm Dicks presented the first SBA HUBZone contract award certificate for the Puget Sound area to a Tacoma business last week.UltraPoly Corporation was the recipient of the U.S. Small Business Administration HUBZone program contract award.HUBZone stands for historically underutilized business zone. The program is designed to provide contracting opportunities to small businesses located in these areas.The program’s goal is to help create jobs and business opportunities in areas with either low income of high unemployment. To qualify for the HUBZone program, a firm must be located in a HUBZone and 35 percent of its employees must live in a HUBZone.The contract awarded to UltraPoly is from the U.S. Navy for ship batter boards and is valued at $288,000. This contract may be followed by further HUBZone contract opportunities, according to an SBA spokesperson.UltraPoly employs 50 people, 35 percent of which live in a HUBZone. The company is located on South Steele Street.For information on contracting opportunities through SBA initiatives, including the HUBZone program, contact Sharon Barber of the SBA at the Tacoma Business Assistance Center and One Stop Capital Shop at 253-274-1288, or visit www.sba.gov for general SBA program information.”