Meet Mary Ahern-Snyder, the President and Co-founder of Immersion Consulting, a leading provider of management and technology consulting services. Ahern-Snyder has a strong knowledge of the how the government operates; she attributes this knowledge to her upbringing:
“Growing up just beyond the Washington DC Beltway gave me the opportunity to learn about the government”
Ahern-Snyder plays a pivotal role in managing Immersion’s business, which mostly serves the government with some commercial business. Immersion has continued to grow and now serves as a prime contractor to the Navy, as well as a partner to large systems integrators.
Ahern-Snyder recently spoke to WashingtonExec about her career and personal life.
WashingtonExec: Please tell us a little bit about your background.
Mary Ahern-Snyder: I am originally from Crofton, Maryland, as my parents relocated from Brooklyn, New York when they were first married. Growing up just beyond the Washington DC Beltway gave me the opportunity to learn about the government, including the unique role played by federal contractors. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in economics, I began my career in business development working for my father’s medical supply company.
It was during the dotcom era that I began my career in IT sales for government agencies, eventually co-founding Immersion. What my business partner and I strived to create is a company that is uniquely integrated within the agencies it supports. Immersion is not your average contractor – we truly “immerse” ourselves within an organization.
Our largest customer is the Navy and many of our consultants are either former Naval officers or federal employees who worked on Navy contracts. Each has highly specialized and specific experience. We are not generalists; our customers come to Immersion for deep expertise in highly targeted areas. We strive to create innovative ideas to provide solutions for our customers.
WashingtonExec: What made you want to start your own business?
Mary Ahern-Snyder: As a successful business founder and owner, my father is one of my biggest inspirations. He instilled in me a desire to shape my own destiny through establishing my own company and fully capitalizing on opportunities.
While working for my father I not only realized my own entrepreneurial spirit, but also my willingness to take risks. Successful business owners must be willing to push the envelope and make strides that set them apart from competitors; however, in the world of government contracting many firms are fairly conservative in their business plans and missions. Immersion strives to move away from the status quo of consulting, through proven results that highlight our expertise and thought leadership.
WashingtonExec: Where do you see the role of small business in the government contracting community?
Mary Ahern-Snyder: Small businesses play a unique role in today’s government contracting climate. As the government continues to insource and dramatically cut their budgets, there is less opportunity for small businesses. Smaller companies must tighten up their business strategies and focus on becoming the best niche player in their respective areas of expertise. Larger companies are finding it harder to quickly adapt to rapid changes, while small companies are flexible, but cannot afford to cut their contracting costs too drastically.
At Immersion, we’ve built our success by carving out our niche. In fact, we are being asked more and more to sub to large companies looking for our distinctive skills. They recognize that the current atmosphere in the federal government will look increasingly to low-cost and efficient solutions. Ultimately, the contract winners of 2012 will be decided upon whether or not small companies successfully prove their niche role, and how larger companies make the most of small businesses’ targeted skills.
WashingtonExec: What have you found is the best method for balancing home-life with your career?
Mary Ahern-Snyder: I’m a working mom of three children, so work-life balance has always been a challenge. No matter what you have going on in your personal or professional life, try to stay focused on where you are at the present moment: if I am at work, I try to keep my mind at work. The same applies when I am with my kids at home. Murphy’s law does happen, and I will tell you I have gotten a call from the school nurse that my 6-year-old is sick and I need to pick her up, while I am in the middle of an important meeting, but things happen. If I remain focused on my actions and those around me, than neither my family nor my colleagues feel they are a second priority. If I am able to continue that behavior and feel less guilt, I will be successful in each situation. (Caveat on the guilt: I am Irish Catholic so that is part of my DNA)
WashingtonExec: You were an undergraduate at the University of Maryland and Immersion Consulting is headquartered in Annapolis, what is your favorite spot in Maryland?
Mary Ahern-Snyder: Born and raised around the beautiful Annapolis area, my favorite spot is being out on the water with my family, preferably a friend’s boat (my husband refers to it as OPB or other people’s boats). We often sail to Kentmorr, located across the Bay Bridge on Kent Island, to eat crabs. I have to admit living in Annapolis in the summer is like living in a vacation spot.