EIGS recently visited with Joaneane A. Smith, President and CEO of Global Commerce and Services, LLC to learn more about the company, their customer base, and the future direction of the company. Global Commerce and Services, LLC is one of the newest members of the EIGS geospatial technology cluster of the Magnolia Business Alliance (MBA).
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EIGS IN THE NEWS
Aerotec Awarded US Patent for Top-Gun Veg-Tool
GISuser.com
Aerotec, a leader in topographic maps and models, was recently awarded U.S. Patent 8374431 for its Top-Gun Veg-tool. The technology is used by utility foresters to identify, locate, analyze, and report vegetation clearance violations on electric power transmission rights-of-way. This is beneficial because without the technology, utility foresters tend to err on the side of conservatism and cut too many trees… Read more,
gisuser.com
Harvey Named Finalist
Mississippi Business Journal
The National Small Business Association 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… Read more, msbusiness.com
Stuck in Gear
Commentary From: Michael Liu, Dutko Grayling
For the past two years there has been little disagreement that our country's financial health tied to fiscal and budgetary issues are paramount both current and future generations. The disagreement as we all know has been in the strong disagreements between the two Parties on how to the solve them.
It is also a maxim in Washington for the past 6 years that you should only count on two major initiatives in gaining some traction in any given year given the overall attention deficit disorder that afflicts members of Congress and the White House. So of course, instead of money issues, gun control was first up for the 113th Congress. Granted the tragedies involving guns over the past three years have sparked heated and at times well postulated debate on the myriad of issues surrounding guns in the United States. But given the lack of political skills displayed by both Parties and Administration over the past several years that have given rise to gridlock in DC, can we be surprised that the President gave his speech calling Senators who voted against change as being "shameful" after his defeat, rather than behind closed doors to members of his own Party who were leaning against any reform before the votes were taken? Or that it was Harry Reid who initially pulled the rug from under Diane Feinstein providing a bell weather moment for the issue, that the media generally ignored?
And so of course the next issue up is not the fiscal health of our country, but immigration reform. Which regardless of how legitimately important it is, means that by Washington standards, a major deal on the budget to seriously affect the spending trajectory for this country will not happen until after the 2014 election, if at all. (What deal may be transacted will be "small" and once again for another year, "kick the can down the road.")
While I was optimistic last month about immigration reform passing, I am a bit less so now, with clear indications that the Republican members of the "Gang of 8" did not have an effective strategy to mollify concerns by Senators Cruz and Paul and a number of others like Jeff Sessions. If nothing else, criticisms from these GOP members indicate a bruising battle that win or lose will the leave the Senate exhausted on the heels of the fight over new gun controls. And even if the will to fight might exist, like a boxer that has gone two full bouts with savage power punches to the body and head, it is a pipe dream to think that any one will be able to muster the ability to even show up for the biggest fight of them all before the year is out.
Furthermore, by the time the immigration contest is over in the summer or early fall, members of the House and Senate (and the White House) will have to concentrate on raising money for re-election and try to keep the lid on hot spots such as Korea, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Central and Western Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan. And of course, the 2016 race for the White House will have begun in greater earnest.
In an environment where the federal government sways in limbo, can state and local jurisdictions in the U.S. make program and policy decisions that make a difference nationally? More on that next month.
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.
New to 8(a) …. Now What?
By: Craig Harvey
COO, Executive VP, NVision Solutions, Inc.
President, Magnolia Business Alliance
You spent countless hours preparing the documentation for your 8(a) application; you work hard managing your own company and now you have certification in hand. Did you expect a check to come with it? Or people to call you up with a contract in hand? It doesn't work that way. In fact, getting the certification may have been the easiest step. So, what do you do next?
Getting ready to work
The first step is making sure your accounting practices and system are ready for federal government audit. You need to know how to compute a federally acceptable overhead, G&A, and defensible fee structure before you actually win a contract. Otherwise, you risk underbidding and putting your company in financial jeopardy. Once you win an 8(a) contract, Uncle Sam will look deeply into how your run your business. Be ready. Much to everyone's surprise, you cannot "WRITE OFF" many normal costs, in fact there are numerous expenses you may incur that the government will not pay for through overhead: golf, alcohol, advertising, etc.
Effective marketing
Why haven't the contract offers started rolling in? Because you have more work to do. Your second step is to craft a company story or vision that makes you desirable to a federal contracting officer. You tell your story by investing in your brand, taking every opportunity to get your name out where it will be seen and heard by government employees, program managers, prime contractor program managers, and most importantly contracting officers. Hosting a hole at a golf tournament doesn't really get the job done. TV spots or newspaper ads don't get it done either nor advertising in magazines. While it is great to see your name in print and your family will be impressed, these strategies really don't lead to 8(a) contracts.
Your best mileage will come from making appointments with the small business liaison for every federal and state agency in your vicinity and personally presenting a corporate brief. Don't "drop it off" with small business advocates. Make a power point presentation with handouts and present the business case which demonstrates why they can't live without your expertise and why your pricing, professionalism, and dedication are better than everyone else's, And "oh by the way" you have this 8(a) certification they can use. Do not lead with, "I'm 8(a) and you have to give me work." Set yourself apart, use professional business cards, and leave a professional corporate brochure or tri-fold.
Displaying booths at tradeshows is typically cost prohibitive, but sometimes necessary to show that you are a "real" company. Once you commit to appearing at a particular tradeshow, do it every year. Continuity is king!
Get the word out
Tout your successes using press releases. Let the local paper, news channel, or business association know of your success. Many times these groups look for "feel good" stories for the press. This coverage is basically free advertising. Make friends with other successful business owners. Solicit advice, partnerships, and opportunities together.
You MUST have a professional and current web site, and professional email address. It is very important to own your own domain (www.yourname.com), and email address associated with that name (ylastname@yourname.com). Your professional appearance starts on the Web. Don't spam people with unwanted ads, you'll just get blocked. If you do a quick google search for your name or your business and nothing positive comes up, that is bad news. On the web, press releases take on a life of their own and insure that your success stories stand the test of time.
Success
Your 8(a) success first depends on your ability to become known in the contracting world as well as to the SBA 8(a) program office in your state followed by ability to make contacts at the project or program manager level within the government programs.
Make no mistake, 8(a) is every bit as competitive as open competition but you are competing with companies and people who have gone the extra mile to get certified. Competition doesn't get any easier; it's just with fewer companies. Don't waste any time. Start the marketing on day one and develop your marketing skills as you go. Resist the urge to go hire a lobbyist right away, though they have value, it will be a tough sell unless you are already a mature company becoming 8(a) certified. The same thing is true with a business development person. It takes a lot of contracts with a healthy fee to support fulltime overhead positions.
Nobody is going to send you a check. Your line to a government program manager is: "OK, if you want to use my company for this, I can make it easy, and your contracting officer will love you for it. I am an 8(a) certified company, this will be easy". And that is the truth!
For more help, contact MBA
Office: 228-295-7117
Fax: 228-295-7119 Lori Moran
lmoran@magnolia-ba.biz
Elizabeth Kilpatrick
ekilpatrick@magnolia-ba.biz
EIGS Welcomes New Member:
We are pleased to announce the following new member to the EIGS geospatial technology cluster of the Magnolia Business Alliance (MBA).
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Proteus Technologies, LLC was established for the purpose of designing and developing leading edge sensors and instrumentation, particularly in the oceanographic environment. Sean Griffin, PTL's founder, has been successfully engaged in the field for over 20 years and has a broad spectrum of knowledge in developing and fielding such systems. Mr. Griffin has particular experience in the development of geo-technical, geo-acoustic and acoustic sensors and systems such as penetrometers, shear and p-wave sources and receivers, sub-bottom profilers, in-situ conductivity sensors, pencil beam and sector scan sonars, piezometers, gamma ray densitometers and more. To learn more, visit www.proteustechnology.com |
Upcoming Events:
Model Contractor Development After-Care Program
May 2, 2013
Hattiesburg, MS
Government Procurement Opportunities Conference
May 8, 2013
Vicksburg, MS
Proposal Writing for Federal Contracting Webinar
1:00-2:00pm
May 9, 2013
Spring National SBIR Conference
May 13-16, 2013
Washington, DC
Networking Social
June 17, 2013
Kiln, MS (Lazy Magnolia Brewery)
ESRI International User Conference 2013
July 8-12, 2013
San Diego, CA
Items of Interest
NASA Flies Dragon Eye Unmanned Aircraft Into Volcanic Plume
NASA Earth science researchers last month traveled to Turrialba Volcano, near San Jose, Costa Rica, to fly a Dragon Eye unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) -- a small electric aircraft equipped with cameras and sensors -- into the volcano's sulfur dioxide plume and over its summit crater, to study Turrialba's chemical environment. The project is designed to improve the remote-sensing capability of satellites and computer models of volcanic activity… Read more,
utilityproducts.com
ASPRS Awards Senator Jack Reed with George E. Brown, Jr. Congressional…
The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) awarded Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the prestigious George E. Brown, Jr. Congressional Honor Award in March. James R. Plasker, PE,… Read more,
amerisurv.com
Ripe Issues for Geospatial Technology
Some predictions can be useful. Predictions of geospatial technology trends have been the topic of recent discussions by the OGC Board of Directors and the OGC Planning Committee. Here is what they have concluded the ripe issues are:
- The Power of Location
- Internet of Things
- Mobile Development
- Indoor Frontier
- Geographers of the future
- Geospatial Processing
- Smart Cities
- Policy implementation
These issues were developed by reviewing over 200 recent articles from information technology journals from IEEE, ACM, etc. as well as from geospatial industry magazines and other publications. Read more,
opengeospatial.org
Did you know Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado, 5th District), has introduced H.R. 1604 to establish the National Geospatial Technology Administration within the United States Geological Survey? The purpose is to enhance the use of geospatial data, products, technology, and services, to increase the economy and efficiency of Federal geospatial activities, and for other purposes. Read more, www.govtrack.us
MBA NEWS
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?
Is exporting a good strategy for your company?
Here are 5 steps to get started in determining if exporting is for you:
- Assess the export potential of your firm—industry trends, the domestic position of your firm; effect on present operations, resources, export potential
- Obtain expert counseling— RESEARCH! talk to local, state and federal agencies (chambers of commerce, trade counselors, MDA, US Export Assistance Center, MS World Trade Center, SBA,etc)
- Select/Identify international markets— MORE RESEARCH! Asia, Canada, Central/South America, Caribbean, Europe. This will be based on the type of product or service, current competition and export objectives
- Formulate an export strategy—Short and long term objectives, tactics, allocation of resources
- Select a selling technique—How will you reach your customers? E-commerce, distributor, agent, joint venture, etc
Are you ready to take the first step?
If so, then look at your product and service lines, and call one of the trade counselors at MDA, the USEAC, or the DEC to discuss whether exporting would be a good strategy for your company and how to get started. There are several upcoming trade missions that all have incentive programs to help defer costs of travel, meetings, etc. If you were EVER thinking about it, these incentives reduce your cost to explore these new markets.
Scheduled Trade Missions with Incentive Programs include:
ASIA BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TRADE MISSION
CENTRAL EUROPEAN MULTI SECTOR MISSION TRIP
SCANDINAVIAN MULTI SECTOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MISSION
CENTRAL AMERICA MULTI SECTOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MISSION
For further information on upcoming trade missions, or to contact a trade counselor to help you get started, contact Lori Moran, or visit
www.magnolia-ba.biz
Geospatial Image of the Month
Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion
(Credit: Google Earth/Digital Globe)
Effects of the explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. plant in West, Texas, which left at least 14 dead and 160 injured, are shown in this before-and-after satellite image.
Read more: latimes.com
Seen & Heard
With the unmanned aerial vehicle industry expected to balloon to $100 billion dollars over the next 10 to 15 years, federal lawmakers have increasingly taken interest in the increased use of drones on US soil. Congress held a Senate hearing on the domestic use of drones last month and here's an excerpt from that:
"I am convinced that the domestic use of drones to conduct surveillance and collect other information will have a broad and significant impact on the everyday lives of millions of Americans going forward."
Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Read more, rt.com
Global Perspectives
Kazakhstan: Launch of Remote Sensing Satellite End of 2013
UN-SPIDER
Kazakhstan National Space Agency has announced the launch of its first domestic Earth observation satellite for the fourth quarter of 2013 from the Yasni launch site in Russian Federation… Read more,
un-spider.org
Ghana's agriculture gets boost as new online platform launches
The Africa Report
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Ghana's Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERSGIS) at the University of Ghana in Accra jointly developed the platform. The use of Geographical… Read more,
theafricareport.com
Thai-Chinese MOU for Space Technology
Pattaya People
…signing of the Memorandum Of Understanding on Space Techonlogy between GISTDA and their Chinese counterparts: the state key remote sensing (LIESMARS) and Wuhan Information Technology Outstanding Service and Research Center (WITOSRC)… Read more,
pattayapeople.com
Company Spotlight (Full text)
EIGS recently visited with Joaneane A. Smith, President and CEO of Global Commerce and Services, LLC to learn more about the company, their customer base, and the future direction of the company. Global Commerce and Services, LLC is one of the newest members of the EIGS geospatial technology cluster of the Magnolia Business Alliance (MBA).
The Sensor: Can you tell our readers about Global Commerce and Services, including its history and your role with the company?
Smith: Global Commerce and Services, LLC (GCS) began in 2000 and is headquartered in Avondale, Louisiana. We bring proven past performance and provide IT Solutions and Systems Engineering, Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, and Program/Project Management. Our clients include U.S.D.A., Department of Navy, Department of Army, Defense Information Systems Agency, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana. We are a PROVEN and experienced Hubzone, SDB and Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned company. We are also an 8(a) Stars II contract holder and USDA BPA.
I am the president and CEO of GCS. My previous experience includes close to a decade of ERP Software Development. I have assisted some of the country's largest corporations and government agencies, including the Department of Navy, Department of Army, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Smurfit-Stone Container, and University of Rochester to integrate technology solutions and services. At the same time, I have completed successful IT engagements for small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the country.
What differentiates GCS is not our designations, but our accomplishments, awards, capabilities and commitment to meeting and exceeding the expectations on every Information technology project.
The Sensor: In order to give our readers a better idea about your company, tell us about some of your customers and the projects you have completed for them.
Smith: To name a few, our customers and contracts include two prime contracts at DISA (Ft. Meade and Tinker AFB) where we've provided the following:
Enterprise Network Mapping and Leak Detection Solution (ENMLDS) Baseline/Implementation Support
- Identifying network topology awareness capability gaps within the DoD.
- Providing administrators and security personnel with the capability to identify and graphically represent the components that exist on a network. The capability will assist DoD organizations in discovery of unauthorized entry or exit points in their network.
- Providing technical and programmatic support to assist with all aspects of planning, engineering, fielding and operating the ENMLDS.
- Providing contract management to perform status reporting, quality assurance monitoring, configuration management, risk management and security management.
- Identifying the integration requirements for the target network infrastructure of the proposed ENMLDS.
- Analyzing current support requirements and capabilities in relation to existing functions, operations, and technology and technical trends.
- Developing strategies for the migration of support from its current base to an integrated functional and technical structure that meets the DoD's guidelines.
- Providing integration strategies that consider all integration management components in order to recommend a standard/common/migration system, providing cost and economic analyses supporting the migration strategy, identifying and evaluate risks inherent with the proposed strategy and providing a tentative implementation plan.
- Will also provide certification and accreditation support, as well as application installation/implementation and training/help desk support.
Network Level 1 Communication Operations and Security Access Control Support
- GCS monitors multiple networks concurrently, troubleshoots and resolves problems promptly, either personally or by notifying the appropriate on-call technical specialist and perform application support.
- Make initial diagnosis of user access problems within this environment and determine root cause in order to determine which on-call technical support group personnel to notify.
- Utilize the Remedy Corporation's Action Request System to open, document, update, and close trouble tickets.
- Monitor the system; manipulate files using required operating system commands.
- Interact with other team members across different shifts and with other technicians in other organizations at DISA OKC.
- Process new releases and troubleshoot problems encountered in loading releases; analyze existing and new operational processes and procedures to enhance and optimize customer support (analysis will include daily application systems scheduling, monitoring, distributed print, information transfer, and daily processing) and reset passwords for all systems supported by DISA OKC.
- Provide Facility Security and Entry Control support for the DECC-OKC.
GCS has also had several contracts at USDA, Army Corp of Engineering, and Dept. of Navy. We've provided Network Administration at Army Corp of Engineers, Software Implementation at the Navy, and several I.T. contracts at U.S.D.A.
We have provided implementation and design for a fully integrated military personnel and pay system for the entire DOD including Air Force, Army, and Navy as well as provided assistance in requirements gathering for conversion of Air Force, Army, and Navy current systems to Peoplesoft. We are also providing network installation and maintenance to the Army Corp. of Engineers. At U.S. Department of Agriculture, we provided a Data Dictionary/Error Code Document, Server-Based Assessment, SAP Support Services, Tivoli Storage Management, Network Assessment, and Risk Mitigation, and I.T. and Admin Support.
The Sensor: Global Commerce and Services has quite a few notable certifications and awards. Can you share those with us?
Smith: GCS received the award for the 2010 and 2011 USDA Office of Procurement and Property Management Hubzone Contractor of the Year, as well as 2011 SBA District Minority Small Business Person of the Year- Louisiana District, MED Week. We were recently featured on "Inside Business", a live broadcast that features emerging small business concerns. We are also featured in Blue Cross Blue Shield of LA marketing publications and a 2013 graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program.
The Sensor: As a small business, you are used to facing challenges every day, but tell us about the challenges the company has faced over the last several years in this volatile economy.
Smith: The number one challenge today for most small business owners is dealing with uncertainty about government regulations and cancellation of federal government contracts due to the economy. Even though small businesses are the backbone of our economy, small business owners still don't know what will happen with elements of the economy, such as spending cuts. We develop relationships and focus on continued research at agencies to get additional information on their forecasts and budgets.
Another challenge we've faced for few years is wearing too many hats rather than focusing on taking the business where we want it to go. Business owners should be able to have the time to concentrate on strategy for growth in order to increase revenue. We've hired a few resources to do the day-to-day duties which will free up a lot time.
Lastly, cash management is also challenging. Through the years, it was definitely difficult to cover the bill, but it is also a must. I initially worked my contracts to prevent this problem. Many small businesses start out with the founders working a job and building a business simultaneously. Even though it's difficult to concentrate on the growth of the business, it would be worse to run out of cash.
The Sensor: What benefits and value do you think organizations such as EIGS and MBA can provide to a company like Global Commerce?
Smith: I believe such organizations can provide assistance in facilitating relationships in this industry. Through membership, connecting with other members and networking, we can build partnerships for teaming.
The Sensor: What do you see on the horizon for the company?
Smith: We see GCS becoming a dominant player in the I.T. field as well as a world leader in I.T. and cyber security. We look to have the top I.T. internship program for travel in the U.S. and abroad. Additionally, GCS will continue to operate and make decisions based on six core values:
- Integrity without compromise
- Provide quality service
- Proactively solve problems
- Take care of our employees
- Innovate and improve by having an environment that constantly learn from mistakes
- We work to live, not live to work
Global Commerce & Services, LLC was founded in 2000 by Joaneane Smith, who wanted to leverage the experience and knowledge she gained managing large IT projects for PeopleSoft to provide a wide array of enterprise solutions. Since its inception, the company has worked as both a prime and sub-contractor on a variety of IT projects, including systems engineering and integration, cyber security, enterprise technology and project management. Clients have included the U.S.D.A., Department of Army, Department of Navy. For more information, visit www.globalcommserv.com.
