Small businesses are always looking for an edge to get ahead—and perhaps none more so than those in financially suffering neighborhoods, which can be assisted by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zone program.

With that goal in mind, the SBA will present the final chapter of its two-part webinar series, “How Small Businesses Can Gain Competitive Advantage through HUB Zone Certification,” at 1 p.m. CST on Dec. 17.

Registration is free, but mandatory, at this website.

The 45-minute webinar will teach HUBZone-allied small business owners:

• How to form joint ventures

• How to survive HUBZone status protests to contracts

• How to compete for HUBZone contracts

• How affiliated businesses are evaluated

• How to obtain HUBZone contracting requirements

Following the presentation, webinar watchers can participate in a Q&A with speaker Mariana Pardo, director of the HUBZone program.

The SBA’s HUBZone program supports job growth, capital investment and economic development by providing contracting opportunities to small businesses in economically distressed communities. In fiscal year 2012, HUBZone companies received $8.1 billion in federal contracts.