Month: June 2023

175: Country Girl Turned CEO Technology Entrepreneur – Linda Rawson (Repost)

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Linda Rawson is a technology entrepreneur, author, inventor, and C-level executive.  Since 2006, she has owned and operated DynaGrace Enterprises, a Women-Owned Small Business in rural Morgan, Utah.  She started as a software engineer in the eighties when it was not typical for a woman in Utah.

She has received several awards for Davis/Morgan business of the year and wrote a very vulnerable book about grief.  Her background as a software engineer, combined with her corporate executive experience, merges the technical with the business world.   She has exceeded expectations and never let various challenges and obstacles associated with being a woman impede upon her path to success

In this episode we discuss her adventure navigating the 8a program. How she experienced success after finding a mentor/partner who showed her the ropes. Life after 8a and her latest invention; a weather station called the WeatherEgg.  She educates children about weather science through her coloring book and finds balance in life by traveling and participating in outdoor activities. She is pivoting her company into air quality.

If you want to connect with Linda, you can click these links:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindarawson/

Company Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynagrace-enterprises/

Website: https://dynagrace.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DynagraceE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dynagracee/

Contact: https://dynagrace.com/contact-us/

Book: The Minority and Women-Owned Small Business Guide to Government Contracts

174: Transforming Federal Contracting: Innovating the Customer Experience with MYSBCX with Wayne Berry

Posted on by Eric Coffie

In today’s episode, we have Mr. Wayne Berry who has over 20 years of Federal service in Contracting across the departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Health and Human Services (HHS). He is an expert in data analytics for Federal contracting and creating exceptional customer experiences.

Mr. Berry holds a FAC-C Level III certification in Contracting and a FAC-C Level II certification in Project Management, showcasing his extensive expertise in these domains. He has played a crucial role as a technical advisor in the development of the HHS OSDBU system known as MYSBCX. This web-based program has revolutionized the way OSDBU efficiently and securely routes HHS program and Contracting staff requests, including small business program and subcontracting reviews, along with all the necessary supporting documents.

A Small Business Specialist serves Contracting and agency program officials as the subject matter expert for the Federal small business program. These duties include monitoring contracts awarded to small businesses and maximizing contracting opportunities for small businesses. For those of you who do not know, HHS has 12 operating divisions, including nine agencies in the U.S. Public Health Service and three human services agencies.

Mr. Berry currently serves at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA). Let’s welcome our next giant, Mr. Wayne Berry.

If you want to connect with Mr. Berry, you can click these links:

Website: https://osdbu.hhs.gov/ 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-berry-3a042b1/ 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-department-of-health-and-human-services/ 

HHS Website: https://www.hhs.gov/ 

The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization: https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/asfr/ogapa/osdbu/index.html

173: Decoding Government Contracts: Insights on SBA Compliance, Affiliation, and Size Standards with Adam Lasky

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Today’s guest is Adam Lasky, a partner at Seyfarth Shaw, where he focuses his legal practice on helping clients win and navigate government contracts. While Adam represents contractors on a wide variety of government contracting issues, his primary focus areas are bid protests, SBA regulatory compliance issues, joint venture and teaming agreement transactions, and claims/disputes.

In this episode we discuss what makes SBA regulations so complicated, calculate small business standard size and what is affiliation. As a small business you are constantly attesting to your size – so if you are mis-certifying your size and someone finds out, there are large penalties. What happens when two companies have to bring their size together? Different size standards for loans versus contracts? And yes it matters for loans also.

Over the past decade, Adam has successfully represented government contractors in bid protests before the Government Accountability Office (GAO), U.S. Court of Federal Claims, FAA Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition, administrative agencies, and state courts. During that time, he has protested and defended well over a billion dollars in procurements and contract awards across a wide variety of industries, and has achieved amongst the highest GAO bid protest sustain rates in the nation.

Adam is also the author of several articles and books chapters on bid protests, including “A Practitioner’s Road Map to GAO Bid Protests” and “Roadmap to Bid Protests at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims” (ABA 2010 & 2018), and the bid protests chapter of “Federal Government Construction Contracts” (ABA 2d and 3rd eds.).

This is an episode for companies that are in growth mode or they see that in their future. Growing by teaming or taking on mentors, Joint Ventures are all common strategies. But given the uncertainty between rules, regulations and policies, who to turn to, what is applicable and why it all matters is a crucial part of the equation to remain compliant while growing.

Let’s welcome our next giant, Adam Lasky.

If you want to connect with Adam, you can click these links:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-lasky/ 

Company Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seyfarth-shaw/ 

Website: https://www.seyfarth.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/official.seyfarthshaw/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seyfarthshawllp/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvTfPxLa7dwMXCNTKgdRvuw 

Articles: Roadmap to Bid Protests at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims

A Practitioner’s Road Map to GAO Bid Protests

172: Making a Distinctive Footprint: Architecture and Government Contracts with Daphne Gurri and Jose Matute

Posted on by Eric Coffie

In today’s episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with two remarkable professionals who have left an indelible mark on the architecture and design world. Joining us are Daphne Gurri, the Founding Principal and Owner of Gurrimatute, and Jose Matute, Co-Owner and Vice President of Gurrimatute.

Daphne Gurri, a passionate overachiever and the Founding Principal and Owner of Gurrimatute, has been dedicated to architecture and design for over 33 years. Her woman-owned certified business entity, Gurrimatute, is based in Miami, Florida, with offices in Miami and Deerfield Beach. On the other hand, Jose Matute, the Co-Owner and Vice President of Gurrimatute, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the firm’s projects. With 38 years of experience as a Registered Architect, Interior Designer, Certified General Contractor, and LEED Accredited Professional, Mr. Matute is involved in every aspect of building construction and design.

Gurrimatute is an award-winning architectural firm headquartered in South Florida and has been in operation for over 27 years. Led by both Daphne and Jose, Gurrimatute is a small business certified firm specializing in market sectors that positively impact the community, including Transportation (Aviation and Seaports), Civic/Federal, Education, and Healthcare. The firm’s dedication to public outreach and community-centric projects exemplifies their commitment to improving local society.

The firm specializes in Transportation, Civic/Federal, Educational, and Healthcare projects, seeking to influence the built world through innovative design. Ms. Gurri’s fearless ambition sets her apart as she rises above the competition, leading her firm to success. By valuing balance, design, perseverance, and integrity, Gurrimatute aims to leave a distinctive footprint on the A/E/C industry and the broader community.

Join us in this inspiring episode as we delve into their remarkable stories exploring their fearless ambition, innovative designs, and unwavering commitment to making a distinctive footprint in the architecture and design industry. Let’s welcome our next giants, Daphne Gurri and Jose Matute.

If you want to connect with Daphne and Jose, you can click these links:

Website: https://gurrimatute.com/about 

Daphne’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daphne-gurri-matute-189a143/ 

Jose’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-g-matute-89249327/ 

Company Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gurrimatute/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gurrimatute/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GurriMatute/ 

Email: info@gurrimatute.com 

Phone: 305 661 0069