CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- “I get my fulfillment with helping people. I fight for the underdog.”
Dakeyah McFarlin is a small business advocate for the western region of Marine Corps installations. She came to Camp Pendleton and established a new program in 2008. On January 11, 2018 Brig. Gen. Kevin Killea awarded her with a letter of appreciation for her support to Marine Corps Installations West. She is a Law school graduate who previously worked for the naval yard in Washington D.C as a contract specialist.
Her job is to advocate for small businesses so they can receive maximum practical opportunities to compete in all federal government contracts.
“They threw me in the deep end of the pool and said swim,” said McFarlin.
She has grown her department immensely in the past ten years. Her supervisor explained to her that she has excelled and exceeded their expectations.
Being a small business advocate enables her to have a connection with the community. There are more opportunities for small businesses out there besides local and state, such as federal; it is her job to help these small companies make that happen. McFarlin has assisted several small businesses to obtain a federal contract. Whether its musical instruments, cable, or tactical gear, small businesses help to offer anything that Marines may need.
“It opens my eyes, there is a bigger picture here. In the end you are just wanting to help one another and see how we can make the world a better place,” states the small business advocate.
McFarlin is happy that on a day-to-day basis she is able to help the community and small businesses compete with the larger businesses. She fights for the “underdog” because she believes small businesses deserve a fair chance in competing with much larger businesses especially on military installations. Her goals for the upcoming years are to help increase industrial strength in the historically underutilized business zones.