WashingtonExec Series: Want To Be GovCon Executive Of The Year?
The finalists for this year’s Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards were announced last month, and as promised, WashingtonExec is bringing you its annual series with GovCon Awards all this month before the winners are unveiled November 1.
The winners will be announced at the annual gala at Marriott Wardman Park hotel in Washington, D.C., and the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, Professional Services Council (PSC) and Washington Technology magazine will present the awards. With over 1,300 business and public sector leaders attending the event, our series will keep you up to date with all the finalists for this year–who they are, what they do, and why they are worthy of winning.
Today’s series presents Fulcrum IT Services, LLC, nominated for “Contractor of the Year” in the $25 million to $75 million division, and our chat with its CEO, Jeff Handy.
WashingtonExec: How do you differentiate your company from its competitors? What is unique about your approach?
Jeff Handy: While our specific solutions are differentiators for clients, our success starts with employees and how we differentiate ourselves with them. Our Training/Professional Development Program has been very successful and enables us to remain competitive as well as motivate our employees.
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As Fulcrum continues to expand, we want our team members to continue learning, enabling us to maintain the knowledge and skills necessary to produce creative solutions as well as responding to the needs of our clients in a pro-active manner.
Our “Everybody Wins!” dedication to professional development is consistently demonstrated by our on-going commitment which ensures that “every eligible training request receives approval”.
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WashingtonExec: How have you grown the company as the government asks the private sector to “do more with less?”
Jeff Handy: To combat budget pressures and meet new guidance standards, we had to become more efficient and offer incentives to re-enforce goals. We have adopted more of a collaborative work approach; invested in more senior personnel that can multi-task and cover multiple functions; and we have increased our investment in enabling technologies which in turn has reduced our resource requirements.
WashingtonExec: What is the fastest growing component of your business?
Jeff Handy: Our fastest growing component is our Cyber Security practice. We have invested more in this area and it has grown exponentially in order to address the growing requirement in the Federal space.
Obtaining top talent in government contracting is fierce -how is your company able to not only recruit top talent, but also retain it?
Should vacancies requiring the hiring and training of new personnel exist, through either new business or expansion of current programs Fulcrum is prepared. We utilize many different avenues to attain top talent through internal vacancy announcements, referral bonuses (employee & non-employee), networking, Veteran Affairs employment agencies, regional job fairs and special events, as well as special diversity sourcing.
Fulcrum recognizes the importance of retaining our top talent who are competitive, innovative, and professionals in their fields. We provide incentives and rewards for excellent performance, communicate internal advancement opportunities and offer unlimited professional development dollars.
WashingtonExec: What is your corporate culture? How do you maintain satisfied employees?
Jeff Handy: Fulcrum IT fosters a “Worries Free”, enjoyable, meaningful work environment, and provides a small company environment with large company benefits. Consistent with our corporate culture and our focus on employee care, Fulcrum utilizes several different methods to encourage satisfaction and recognize employees such as quarterly all hands meetings, the annual leadership summit, monthly New Hire Orientations, newsletters, holiday events, birthday cards and personal welcome letters from the CEO.
WashingtonExec: How has the government contracting industry changed since you entered the sector?
Jeff Handy: Currently, the emphasis is on the lowest price minimizing many of the normal differentiators companies offer. We are also seeing greater competition as the market is retracting. In addition, customers are demanding more service for a lower cost; this reduces margins and creates higher risk.
WashingtonExec: Does your company have a Bring Your Own Device Policy (BYOD)? What has been your largest challenge with this policy? How is the “mobile workforce” changing the way you conduct business within your company and with the federal government?
Jeff Handy: Currently, we do not have a “Bring Your Own Device” policy but our entire infrastructure and employee support services have been available online or mobile for some time.
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While there are many advantages to conducting business from a mobile perspective however it does create a need to ensure interpersonal aspects of our employees are achieved in other ways.
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WashingtonExec: How is your company involved in the community?
Jeff Handy: Fulcrum IT and our employees have embraced our corporate culture and are actively “giving back” to the community. Beyond simply participating in civic associations and non-profit organizations, Fulcrum IT employees have taken on leadership roles and are making a difference in their communities. We are committed to ensuring that our “Lend a Hand” program makes a difference; whether it concerns education, our military, or volunteering for local organizations.
