Sustainable growth in government contracting does not happen by accident. It requires systems, people, and a willingness to compete even when easier paths are available. Margarita Howard, the sole owner and CEO/president of HX5, has pursued exactly that approach for more than twenty years, building a firm that now employs over 1,000 people across 34 states and 90 government locations.
HX5 is headquartered in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and provides professional mission support services to the Department of Defense and NASA. Margarita Howard founded the company in 2004 after a career that included significant work on the Tricare program, the Department of Defense’s managed health care initiative. She advanced through that organization to become a regional director overseeing seven southeastern states, experience she has described as foundational to her later work as a contractor.
The 8 Program as a Starting Point, Not a Destination
Howard has been candid about how HX5 used the federal 8(a) business development program. The company joined the program, was awarded four contracts in a single year, and used that momentum to build the internal capacity needed for competitive bidding on larger solicitations. Margarita Howard drew a clear distinction between that approach and what she observed from other small businesses that became dependent on the program. “Once the program was over after nine years, they were done,” she has said. “They had never competed. They had never really done it on their own.”
That competitive orientation has paid off. Larger contractors and government agencies have noted HX5‘s operational readiness. Howard has noted that agencies look for small firms that understand the industry and can operate without extensive hand-holding.
Margarita Howard also puts weight on the human side of the business. “At the end of the day, it’s our team of great employees and management that makes us successful,” she has said. Many of her senior managers have stayed with HX5 for roughly a decade, providing continuity that Howard considers central to the company’s identity. Refer to this article to learn more.
More about Margarita Howard on https://www.f6s.com/member/margarita-howard