March 2013

Geocent Wins Contract to Provide Navy Weather Data on a Geospatial Map
New Orleans City Business.com

Geocent has been awarded a contract with the Naval Oceonographic Office worth more than $770,000. Engineers at Geocent's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi will be working with the office to help display its forecasted ocean weather data on a 3-D geospatial map… Read more, neworleanscitybusiness.com

The U.S. Navy Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awarded NVision Solutions Inc. a $35 million IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity) contract to design, build, test, and manufacture… Read more, sunherald.com

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a team, including NVision Solutions Inc., a contract to provide technical support services for the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC)… Read more, msbusiness.com

Washington Perspective

Stuck in Gear

Washington remains, not surprisingly, stuck in gear. When a NASA's Administrator's less than meaningful statement that we should just "pray" that something doesn't strike us from the heavens makes headline news– it's a pretty good indicator of how little is really going on in the halls of the Capitol building. Dueling budgets that both sides know won't pass; confusing legislative tactics that results in a gun control bill passing out of committee in the Senate, only to be gutted by the majority leader to the chagrin of the left (who is generally on the side of the Senate majority); a president with approval ratings now under 50%; and high profile Republicans dueling among themselves on immigration reform (more on this later)…the sense of being adrift rivals the journey of literary and motion picture character Pi, minus any kind of redeeming allegoric feature. Washington is out of touch.

This struck me hard during a hearing this past week in the Senate on the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Despite the fact that the Administration has not submitted a reform plan in 4 years with no evidence that one is forthcoming this year; given that the real estate market is "coming back" and Fannie and Freddie are now making money and paying the U.S. Treasury back; and given that the House leadership has taken a strong policy position of keeping the federal government out of the mortgage finance market– especially with the possible need for a bailout of the government run and backed Federal Housing Administration– a number of Senators still had the audacity to say that this was the "perfect" time and year for a bi-partisan solution to be passed that would include some level of government "backstop." Not in your dreams.

Immigration

The only 'big' bi-partisan reform may come in immigration with Republicans trying to be on the right side of history. But what Republicans need to understand is that support for some kind of legislation that provides for legal status and a possible road to citizenship will not, in and of itself make Republicans competitive again among Hispanics or Asians. Support for an immigration reform bill merely gives Republicans a chance to get into the arena. Once in the arena, the GOP will still have to have to compete against Democrats and provide Hispanics/Latinos with reasons to vote for Republicans, but here again, there is no clear agenda on this phase of the pitch. It is clear however, that "insurgents" and "establishment" within the Republican Party are willing to throw grenades at each other to gain the upper hand in trying to frame the message for 2014 and 2016.

Prediction: No Grand Bargain on Budget/Debt with Foreign Affairs Distractions

As the debt ceiling issue comes to a head again this summer, perhaps in July, pressure to meld this into a "grand bargain" on the budget will mount, but in the end, there will be no "grand bargain." The philosophical divide is wide, and "sincere." Add to that a political calculus that lets members of the House conclude that , at least in their home districts and political party base, there is no value in agreeing to major items on the other party's budget or tax reform agenda. Result: no deal.

Furthermore, there are ominous clouds on the foreign affairs front that will drain much needed attention from domestic fiscal challenges. As referenced in last month's commentary, especially with the White House, but at some point also involving Congress, a lot of time will have to be spent in dealing with the rupturing of the Syrian civil war; continued delay on the part of Iran in agreeing to an abatement of its nuclear program; conflict on the Korean Peninsula; and the ever roiling of markets due to Eurozone uncertainty and associated civil and political unrest. (Note: I do not mention the possibility of a pandemic caused by drug resistant strains of TB or influenza…) It is unfortunate that there is not more calm in the world, since to forge a "grand bargain" on the budget and debt will take all the political and intellectual bandwidth space available to Congress and White House.

Have a great Spring and enjoy seeing the TV shots of the Tidal Basin Cherry Blossoms.

Michael Liu is Senior Vice President of Dutko Grayling, a Washington, DC based government affairs and marketing management firm with offices in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Boston, Tallahassee, Chicago, Denver and Biloxi.

Business Tip of the Month

CONTENT MARKETING

Today's best marketing trick: Content Marketing. So, just what is it? It is a way of developing and disseminating valuable information to catch the eye of your target market through information or entertainment. The end goal in mind is the "soft sale." Content Marketing allows you to 'sale' without 'selling.' It is more about the continuous flow of information that allows your customers to become better informed and educated, allowing them to become a more intelligent buyer. Many different industry giants are utilizing content marketing, from John Deere to Microsoft. The traditional style of marketing is becoming more and more extinct. Some different examples of content marketing are spontaneous or humorous videos, articles, blog posts, infographics, youtube channels, developing online communities, contests, webinars, etc. People have grown stale and bored with all the usual marketing tactics. One specific example is the consumers high usage of DVRs to watch television with no commercial interruption. That has led us to the phenomena of Content Marketing. Give it a try and see what it can do for your business. You may be surprised.

EIGS Welcomes New Members:

Upcoming Events:

Items of Interest

The National Small Business Association (NSBA) recently selected local business woman, Socorro Harvey, President of NVision Solutions, Inc. as a top five finalist for the 2013 Lew Shattuck Advocate of the Year Award. Harvey was honored in a ceremony at the White House by the NSBA and President Barack Obama in recognition of her dedication to the development, growth and mentoring of small and medium business in the region.

Harvey is a determined advocate for entrepreneurship and is well known throughout the Gulf Coast for her small business initiatives. In 2010, she sponsored the development of the Magnolia Business Alliance (MBA), a not-for-profit corporation, consisting of business leaders dedicated to the development of small to medium business through training, mentorship and other support; a better business environment and fostering community and national awareness of policies affecting small and medium businesses. Through her efforts, the Small Business Administration awarded MBA one of ten Regional Innovation Cluster contracts providing continuity to the program and the ability to expand and replicate it. Working with the Mississippi Development Authority, Harvey initiated and administers the Minority Enterprise Program, to identify, develop and nurture minority and woman-owned businesses in South Mississippi.

Harvey and NVision, have been recognized at the local, state and national level for continuing support of small business initiatives. Acknowledgments include: 2011 Minority Global Technology Firm of the Year for the Southeast Region, 2010 Hancock County Chamber Champion, 2009 Mississippi Company to Watch, 2006 Tibbetts Award, and the 2005 Mississippi Small Business of the Year. In addition, Craig Harvey, COO, Executive VP of NVision Solutions, was named 2006 Small Business Person of the Year by the US Small Business Administration.

"The responsibility of economic recovery lies not in Washington D.C. It lies in the commitment of every small business person in the region and the country, "said Harvey. "I feel obligated to do my part, and I ask my staff to do the same. A healthy small business environment is good for business, mine included."

The criteria used in determining award finalists is a commitment to small town business advocacy above and beyond policies that specifically impact their own business or industry; a proven history of volunteer efforts to advance and improve the overall small business community, success in advocating for pro-small business policies and success and growth as a small business owner.

"In the face of all the economic uncertainty facing small businesses today, these five finalists have gone far above and beyond in advocating for policies and programs that help not just their small business, but small businesses across the country," stated NSBA President Todd McCracken. "I am honored to recognize such a distinguished pool of business owners."

Did You Know?

Did you know the U.S. geospatial industry generated approximately $73B in revenues in 2011 and comprises at least 500,000 high-wage jobs? By employees, this is roughly equivalent to the airline industry; by revenues it is approximately $10B more than the U.S. paper industry. Read more, magnolia-ba.biz

Did you know the National Research Council recently released a report titled, Future U.S. Workforce for Geospatial Intelligence? The document examines how well the U.S. is stocked with needed geospatial professionals today and what the need will be in the future. What does the report conclude? Perhaps not what you'd expect. Click here for a free PDF download of the report.

Did you know that 95% of the world's consumers live OUTSIDE the United States? Did you know that in 2010, Mississippi exports totaled $8.267 billion? Commodities included in that figure were Mineral Oil/Fuel; Electrical Machinery; Tanning/Dye/Paint/Putty; Cotton + Yarn/Fabric; Woodpulp; Paper/Paperboard; Meat; Plastic. Did you know that the four largest exporting markets for Mississippi are Asia, Canada, Europe and Central America?

IN THIS ISSUE

Company Spotlight