WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration announced two women-owned firms to receive awards honoring their work in federal contracting. MedVed Global, Inc., an 8(a)-certified construction company, from Dolores, Colorado has been named the National Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year; and Admiral Engineering & Manufacturing Company, Inc., a high-quality precision manufacturing firm for the aerospace, defense, space medical and technology industries, from Phoenix, Arizona has been named the National Subcontractor of the Year.
The two small businesses were selected from among a strong field of candidates submitted by SBA’s ten regional offices. The awards honor small businesses that provide outstanding goods or services to the federal government as prime contractors or subcontractors.
The awards are a part of the SBA’s National Small Business Week celebrations and will be presented on Monday, May 6 during a luncheon held at the U.S. Institute of Peace, in Washington, D.C. Additional honors will be awarded to industry leaders, including the Dwight D. Eisenhower Awards, the 8(a) Graduate Firm of the Year, as well as the finalists for the National Small Business Person of the Year.
The federal government awarded over $105.7 billion of all federal contracts to small businesses in FY17, the highest the federal government has ever awarded to small businesses, which translates to more than 584K jobs. This represents an incredible impact to the American economy that supports job creation innovation, and growth.
This year’s National Small Business Week Award Winners Include:
Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year:
MedVed Global, Inc., of Dolores, Colorado
Michelle Hicks, President of MedVed, a woman-owned and 8(a)-certified construction firm, has a lifetime of construction experience and a 17-year record of success overseeing all phases of construction, infrastructure and environmental operations for government and private sector clients. Founded in 2010, MedVed contracts civil/heavy construction projects in the Western U.S. Some of MedVed’s clients include: USDA Forest Service, National Parks and Recreation, Department of Transportation, Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation. Medved performed work in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Texas and Oklahoma.
Small Business Subcontractor of the Year:
Admiral Engineering & Manufacturing Company, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona
Admiral Engineering is a woman-owned high-quality precision manufacturing firm with more than 51 years in the machining industry. Its specialty is numerically controlled milling, tooling, prototype and developmental machining for the aerospace, defense, space medical and technology industries. Admiral Engineering has 25 employees and averages $3 million in revenues annually. The company manufactured the Deployable Surface Asset (DSA) Program and the DSA antenna manufacturing antenna that is still used today.
8(a) Graduate Firm of the Year:
Stacey Smith, Prairie Quest Consulting, Fort Wayne, Indiana
After a 25-year project management career working with NASA and later in commercial banking, Stacey Smith started her own firm Prairie Quest Consulting (PQC) in 2004. The professional services company provides program management, training and IT management support to local and federal government, and commercial customers. PQC has grown from a small startup to a firm with sales of more than $11 million and a staff of 154 working in 16 states. Their customers include the U.S. Army, the Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In addition to participating in the 8(a) program, PQC has worked with the Small Business Development Center, and received an SBA Express Loan in 2005.
SBA’s 8(a) Business Development program is a nine-year program which provides socially and economically disadvantaged firms access to government contracting opportunities and specialized business training and counseling to help them become viable competitors in the federal marketplace.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence, recognizing large prime contractors that have excelled in utilization of small businesses as suppliers and subcontractors within the construction, research and development, services and manufacturing industries.
The winners for each Eisenhower Award category are:
Construction:
Ann E. Massey, CEO, Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions, Inc., Alpharetta, GA
Wood Group purchased Amec Foster Wheeler in 2017 and changed its name to Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions, Inc. in 2018. The company provides cradle to the grave services including public infrastructure, geotechnical and materials and facilities and operations. It has a diverse network of 3,600 professionals in 90 offices across the U.S. consisting of engineers, scientists, technicians, inspectors and project managers. Its client base includes the federal government, industrial, manufacturing, mining, power, infrastructure, oil and gas industries. In FY 2018, Wood Environment awarded 77.8 percent of federal subcontracts totaling $19.9 million in subcontracting dollars to small businesses.
Bridgette Lorrigan-Schuh, SB Liaison Manager
Alyssa Hopfensperger, SB Liaison Associate
Travis Schmuhl, VP Global Procurement & Supply Chain
Oshkosh Defense, LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
While the groundbreaking four-wheel drive designs were initially used as a foundation for the Wisconsin Duplex Auto Company in 1917, by 1920, the successful four-wheel drive truck prototype propelled Oshkosh’s early growth. Since the 1950’s, Oshkosh received hundreds of Department of Defense contracts and it has produced over 150,000 military vehicles. Today, Oshkosh Defense focuses on delivering leading-edge tactical wheeled vehicles and life cycle sustainment services with a robust portfolio of heavy, medium, light and highly protected military vehicles and technologies to support the U.S. Armed Forces and its allies. In FY18, Oshkosh subcontracted over $457 million to small businesses.
Felicia Aileen Bell, Manager, Small Business Programs Office, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, CA
Felicia Aileen Bell is the manager that oversees Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) Small Business Programs Office. JPL is a unique national research facility and federally funded research and development center that carries out robotic space and earth science missions. JPL developed America’s first earth-orbiting science satellite, creating the first successful interplanetary spacecraft and sending robotic missions to study all planets, asteroids, comets and the moon. The company also developed and manages NASA’s Deep Space Network, a worldwide system of antennas that communicates with interplanetary spacecraft. In FY 2018, Jet Propulsion awarded 26.25 percent in subcontracts to small businesses totaling $399 million.
Services:
Linda Asher, Vice President, Financial Services
Lynn Livengood, Manager, Small Business Office
Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Va
Booz Allen Hamilton is a Fortune 500 company that has been in business since 1914. Today, it is a global firm of more than 24,000 people that brings bold thinking to consulting, analytics, digital solutions, engineering and cyber in industries ranging from defense, health, energy and international development. It participates in business trade fairs and conferences to identify potential small businesses. Booz Allen developed an SBIR engagement strategy to see if there were any opportunities for synergy. In FY 2018, Booz Allen awarded 67.2 percent in subcontracts to small businesses totaling $915.6 million in contract dollars
National Small Business Week is the SBA’s annual celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation. This year, National Small Business Week will be recognized May 5-11, with events planned in Washington, D.C. and around the country.
This year’s award ceremonies will be livestreamed on the SBA’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/sbagov at 12:30 p.m. (EDT). For more information on the national events, visit www.sba.gov/nsbw.