Women-Owned New Mexico and Tennessee Firms Win Top Honors For Excellence in Small Business Contracting

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two women-owned small business contractors, one a general construction firm from New Mexico and the other a project management services company from Tennessee, have been named the National Prime Contractor of the Year and National Subcontractor of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.  The awards were announced at a breakfast event sponsored by Sage as part of the SBA's National Small Business Week celebration.

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The two small businesses were selected from among nine regional prime contractors and 10 regional subcontractors of the year.  The awards honor small businesses that provide outstanding goods and services to the federal government as prime contractors or as subcontractors. 

"When federal contracts get into the hands of small businesses, it is a win-win for the federal government, small businesses, the economy and the job market," said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills.  "Last year, the federal government awarded nearly $100 billion in federal contracts to small businesses like the ones being honored today.  These businesses help boost the nation's economy and they are outstanding examples of how to successfully navigate the federal contracting arena."

This year's winners are:

• Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year:  Founded in 1997, Denco, Inc. began as a two-person, home-based welding company that has since grown to become a general construction firm, woman-owned, small disadvantaged facility management and specialty construction company with 71 employees and more than $22 million in revenues.  Denco will graduate from the 8(a) program in June.  The company services federal, state and city clients throughout southern New Mexico.  Its clients include the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, NASA, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Northrop Grumman, Toltest, Inc., New Mexico State University, MIT's Lincoln Laboratory and Enterprise Advisory Services, Inc. 
• Small Business Subcontractor of the Year:  Management Solutions LLC is a woman-owned project management services company specializing in project management/control services, project management training, construction management, information systems application/integration, process improvement, and cost estimating services.  Since 2002, it has provided project management support to the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory for scientific, national security and infrastructure projects.  Management Solutions supports 17 divisions of the laboratory.  The company developed Oak Ridge's project management system, its procedures, software solutions and trained Oak Ridge's lab personnel.  It has grown from three employees to 40 and from a contract valued at $8,000 to more than $18 million.  It also holds subcontracts from the Department of Defense and various commercial firms. 

The awards were presented at a breakfast ceremony sponsored by Sage.  Other procurement awards announced today include:

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence, recognizing large prime contractors that have excelled in utilization of small businesses as suppliers and subcontractors.  The recipients are:

• Centennial Contractors Enterprises, Inc., of Reston, Va.; Mark Bailey, president & CEO, (Construction Category).
• ITT Information Systems of Herndon, Va.; Mike Wilson, CEO,  (Research and Development Category).
• Environmental Chemical Corporation of Burlingame, Calif.; Glenn Sweatt, general counsel, (Services Category).

The Frances Perkins Vanguard Award, honoring government and industry for excellence in the use of women-owned small businesses as prime contractors and subcontractors.  The recipient is:

• John Woolery, president and general manager, of Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Pantex, LLC, of Amarillo, Texas.

Surety Bond Award, honoring a participating surety company or bond producer for excellence in supporting small businesses that need help securing bid, payment and performance bonds.  This year's recipient is: 

• Michael D. Williams, president and CEO, CCI Surety, Inc., Golden Valley, Minnesota.

Today's Small Business Week events are built around Procurement Day, including two Business Matchmaking sessions giving participants 15-minute face-to-face meetings with more than 20 prime contractors and federal agencies to learn about specific contracting and subcontracting opportunities.  The schedule also features federal contracting panels on gaining access to federal prime contracting and subcontracting opportunities, and marketing to the federal government.

For more information about today's award winners and other national Small Business Week events – including a free webcast – visit www.NationalSmallBusinessWeek.com. For more information about the Matchmaking event, visit: https://nsbw.mybusinessmatches.com.

Small Business Week 2012 sponsors and cosponsors include: AARP, Association of Small Business Development Companies, AT&T, Dun & Bradstreet, InterContinental Hotels Group, International Franchise Association, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, National Association of Development Companies, National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders,  National Association for the Self-Employed, National Small Business Association, Neustar, Northrop Grumman, Office Depot, Paychex, Inc., Prudential, Raytheon, Sage North America, Salesgenie, SCORE, Small Business Investor Alliance,T- Mobile, VISA, Wall Street Journal and Women Impacting Public Policy.

The U.S. Small Business Administration's participation in this cosponsored activity does not constitute an express or implied endorsement of any cosponsor's, donor's, grantee's, contractor's or participant's opinions, products, or services. All SBA programs and cosponsored programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least 2 weeks in advance, by contacting [email protected]. Cosponsorship Authorization #SBW2012.

Contact: Tiffani Clements (202) 401-0035
At Event press Room (202) 787-6916
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news
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SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration