Tag: Govcon Giants podcast

183: From Military Service to Business Triumph: Unveiling the Journey of Raymond Jardine Jr., Chairman and Founder of Kina’ole Foundation

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Today’s show is an absolute powerhouse of insights and inspiration as we sit down with the remarkable Raymond Jardine Jr., an incredible entrepreneur, leader, and military veteran. Raymond Jardine Jr., a true titan in the business world, sharing his extraordinary journey from a distinguished 33-year career in the Army to becoming the Chairman and CEO at Kina’ole Foundation. Notably, he recently earned the prestigious distinction of being named Second Runner-up for the US Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Person of the Year Award.

During his military tenure, Raymond showcased his unwavering dedication and commitment by serving in various capacities, from an enlisted soldier to retiring as a Colonel. His multifaceted experience equipped him with a wealth of leadership skills that he seamlessly transitioned into the world of entrepreneurship.

Raymond’s involvement extends beyond the boardroom. His outstanding business acumen is evident through a string of accolades including the Asian Enterprise Entrepreneur of the Year, Pacific Edge Business Executive of the Year, SBA Small Business Person of the Year, SBA Veterans Small Business of the Year, SBA 8(a) Graduate Business of the Year, and SBA Veterans Business Champion, to name just a few.

His dedication to community service is truly commendable, having received the Senator Daniel K. Inouye Leadership and Community Service Award, the Gordon H. Mansfield National Veterans Advocated award, and the FBI Director’s Community Leadership award. Raymond’s influence reaches far beyond the business realm, as he has served as an appointee to Presidents Bush and Obama, Secretary Shinseki of the VA, and Governors Abercrombie and Ige.

Education is another corner of his impressive repertoire, with Raymond holding multiple degrees including a BA, MA, MSS, MBA, and Ph.D. These academic achievements mirror his continuous pursuit of excellence in all facets of his life.

In this episode, we dive deep into Raymond’s journey, his strategies for success in both business and life, and the invaluable insights he’s gained from his incredible experiences. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a business leader, or someone who simply appreciates stories of triumph, Raymond Jardine Jr.’s interview is one you won’t want to miss. So, join us as we unravel the layers of wisdom and inspiration this remarkable guest brings to the table. Let’s welcome our next giant, Raymond Jardine Jr.

165: Empowering Small Businesses: Insights and Strategies for Federal Contracting with Lori Smith

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Today’s guest is Lori Smith, founder of Acu-Elligent LLC, a consulting agency specialized in helping small businesses successfully obtain government contracts. With 40+ years of experience as a Procurement decision maker & Contracting Officer, Lori provides insider perspective and guidance to navigate the government marketplace. In this episode, Lori shares her insights and tips on how to successfully win federal, state & local contracts for your business.

Lori is committed to helping black women-owned and other small businesses obtain lucrative contracts and simplify the federal contracting process. She also shares her journey from federal service to founding Acu-Elligent LLC, highlighting the difficulties small businesses often face when trying to secure government contracts. She explains how her team of seasoned business strategists collaborates to develop cost-effective solutions that help companies achieve their contracting goals.

Navigating the government marketplace can be a challenging and complex process, but with Lori’s insights and guidance, small businesses can successfully win government contracts. So let’s welcome our next Giant, Lori Smith.

If you want to connect with Lori, you can go through these links:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-smith-17985a18/ 

Corporate Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acuelligent/about/ 

Email: acuelligent@gmail.com 

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

161: How My Dad Got Started In Trucking with Eric Coffie

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Today’s guest is my Father. My parents have been married 60+ years and for most of that time (40+ years) he was a truck driver.

He shares his experiences growing up during those times and fun times on the road driving trucks.

We do not always get to capture the story of our parents and I thought it worth sharing this month with the world. Hope you enjoy.

155: Which Certifications Matter the Most in 2023 and Why?

Posted on by Eric Coffie

In today’s podcast episode, we replay a recent Youtube Live interview that I did on the topic of minority certifications. In this interview we featured two guests, Kevin Williams of TekConnX and Heather Cox of CertifyMyCompany.

Throughout the interview we discuss the Big 5 certifications that the Fortune 1000 recognize.

Now, a little bit more about the guests, Kevin Williams of TekConnX, CEO and Strategic Advisor to emerging and innovative minority owned businesses. He’s also the Treasurer for the National Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee which is a critical part of the leadership of the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council.

Heather Cox, President of CertifyMyCompany is a Diversity Certification Expert who aids eligible diverse suppliers in the process of becoming Diversity Certified and maximize the benefits of their certification.

Without further ado, let’s help kick off the great start to 2023 with this conversation on Certifications.

Links from the episode:

Registration Open – VA Direct Access Program – Uprite Construction Virtual Business Opportunity Session: https://www.vetbiz.va.gov/events/event-detail/?id=4c0eaa60-1177-ed11-81aa-001dd807078a 

The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC): https://www.wbenc.org/certification/ 

National Minority Supplier Development Council: https://nmsdc.org/ 

National Veteran Business Development Council: https://nvbdc.org/ 

Disability:IN https://disabilityin.org/

The DBE Certification Program: https://www.fdot.gov/equalopportunity/dbecertification.shtm 

SBA Contracting assistance programs: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs 

ServiceNow: https://www.servicenow.com/ 

U.S. AbilityOne Commission: https://www.abilityone.gov/ 

Free Government Contracting Course – https://www.freegovconcourse.com 

Kevin Williams Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinwilliams16/ 

Heather Cox Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/certifymycompany/ 

154 – Veteran certified businesses are booming find out how to start for FREE in 2023 – Renona Brown and Raffa Gibbard

Posted on by Eric Coffie

In this episode, Renona Brown and Raffa Gibbard discussed how veterans can get money for starting a business. That’s why I wanted to revisit this episode for those of you who missed out on this because there are a lot of veterans out here, but they specifically were in certain tracks that the government has that allows veterans to start their business and so we’re going to talk about that in this episode.

Renona Riddle Brown is the CEO and Founder of HuRMAR Solutions, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Woman-Owned Small Business. HuRMAR is a Human Resources, Administrative, and Business Consulting company delivering mission-focused and solutions-oriented services to the federal, state, and private industries. After retiring from the military, Renona continued her service for the federal government sector. She knew she had so much to offer to the world, and so it was fate that she discovered the self-employment track.

Raffa Gibbard is the CEO of Brave One Contract Agency. In the Army, She was a Project Manager on several multimillion dollar projects (roads, entry control points, barracks , airfield runways and ranges in Kuwait. With Brave One Contract Agency her crews are vetted with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Interior, and the Department of Transportation. All employees have OSHA 10 certifications and supervisors have OSHA 30.

Stay tuned for this episode and let’s welcome our Govcon Giants, Renona Brown and Raffa Gibbard.

Links from the episode:

Raffa Gibbard Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffa-gibbard-846371102/  

Corporate Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brave-one-contract-agency/ 

Website: https://www.braveone.net/ 

Email Address: info@braveone.net 

Telephone number: 828-406-7498

 

Renona Riddle Brown: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reownyourlife/ 

Website: https://www.hurmarsolutions.com/ 

Email: renonarb@hurmarsolutions.com   

Telephone: 410-961-8594

Fax: 443 283 4212

153: Woman becomes 8a certified at 6o years old – Contract Solutions Inc President – Corliss Udoema

Posted on by Eric Coffie

The reason why I think this is a fascinating story for some of those persons who have not listened to her story is that she received her 8a Certification at the age of 60.

Corliss “Mama U” Udoema served for over 20 years in the US Marine Corps, as an Assistant Officer in Charge for the Facility Supports Contracts, and as a Supervisory Procurement Analyst in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, respectively.

Then, in 2006, she founded Contract Solutions, Inc. (CSI), a professional staffing and management support services company providing acquisition support, training solutions, human resources, and technology solutions.

She is also the President and founder of Agape Love in Action, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to helping people in need.

With all of these, her motto in delivering excellence is a reflection on why she is an acclaimed businesswoman and CSI is part of the Inc. 5000 list for the last consecutive 3 years, and the 2019 USDA Small Business Contractor of the Year, among others.

More importantly, Mama U wants to be known for her work in philanthropy, recently she’s been ranked in the top 5 companies by the Washington Business Journal in terms of their philanthropy. Mama U has a different perspective on how she looks at government contracts, so I want you to have the same perspective as well moving forward with your government contracting journey.

Let’s welcome our Govcon Giant, Corliss “Mama U” Udoema.

Links from the episode:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corliss-udoema-4b972910/

Corporate Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/contract-solutions-inc–csi-/ 

Website: https://contractsolutions-inc.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ContractSol_inc 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/contractcsi/?fref=ts 

Amazon Book: https://www.amazon.com/Words-Wisdom-Mama-Speaks-Business/dp/1948149206

152: Contracting Officer gives away Billions to small business – Donnie Harris

Posted on by Eric Coffie

Today’s guest is Mr. Donnie Harris, is a former guest of ours on the show. However, given the fact that there’s so much money put into the infrastructure plan, I thought it would behoove me to bring him back on to let all the listeners out there to listen to the episode once again.

Donnie Harris is a former senior contracting officer with an unlimited warrant, meaning he could sign off at any size contract. Over the course of his 20 years in government he managed complex and high-profile procurements totaling over $3 billion, that’s billion with a B, from the acquisition phase to the pre-award for three DC agencies.

His government customers where Mr. Harris provided procurement support included the Internal Revenue Service, Federal Aviation Administration, the Veterans Administration, Food and Drug Administration, Commerce, SBA, Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, DOE, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Labor.

What I like the most about this interview with Mr. Harris was that he shared some truths about how the government works from the inside. These are things that are rarely heard outside of the government workplace.

He shared his insights, tools, the things that he’s learned, suggestions for small businesses on how to grow, all of that in this episode.

Listen to this episode with our Govcon giant, Mr. Donnie Harris.

Links from the episode:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnie-harris-ba26a68a/