The National Park Service pulled out the rug from under the display in the dining room of the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial late last year and replaced it with one replicated by a New Hampshire rug company.

The Country Braid House in Tilton has been in business for close to half a century creating custom braided rugs found all over the country and featured in magazines, from Architectural Digest to Country Living and the New York Times magazine.

There have been a variety of customers over the years, said Jan Jurta, but never the federal government.

“I never in my wildest dreams imagined they would contract for a braided rug,” she said.

When the National Park Service decided to replace the 21.5-foot braided rug that had been in the Nancy Hanks Memorial Hall in Lincoln City, Indiana since 1943, Jurta knew this was a project for the Country Braid House.

She also knew she was going to need some help in preparing the detailed bid, so she connected with the New Hampshire Government Contracting Assistance Center.

“The U.S. government is one of the largest buyers of goods and services in the world,” said Jane Brezosky, who worked with Jurta on the successful bid. “It’s easy to think of it as only needing items related to defense, electronics and medical supplies, but federal and state governments have the same needs as any customer.”

While the contract for the braided rug was very specialized, Country Braid House’s experience illustrates the kind of opportunities there are in government contracting for New Hampshire businesses, from firewood for campgrounds and road repairs in the White Mountain National Forest to flooring and furniture for military bases and government agencies.

NH GovCon’s services are offered to New Hampshire businesses at no cost. Once you sign up as a client, you will receive notifications of bid opportunities and our staff will work with you to guide you through the process. In addition to this specialized assistance, we offer training seminars throughout the state.

Government contracting is a $2.5 billion business in New Hampshire. If you think your business doesn’t have a product the government needs, you probably do.

Just ask the Country Braid House.