by jabinsley | Aug 23, 2021 | Government Contracting Blog
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by jabinsley | Aug 23, 2021 | Resource
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Arcu dui vivamus arcu felis bibendum. In eu mi bibendum neque egestas congue quisque egestas. Facilisis leo vel fringilla est ullamcorper eget nulla facilisi etiam. Ut placerat orci nulla pellentesque dignissim enim sit amet. Sit amet venenatis urna cursus eget nunc. A cras semper auctor neque vitae tempus quam pellentesque nec. Leo vel orci porta non pulvinar neque. Nisl nunc mi ipsum faucibus vitae aliquet nec ullamcorper. Netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Risus pretium quam vulputate dignissim suspendisse in est ante in. Mauris pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus. Gravida rutrum quisque non tellus orci ac. Magna sit amet purus gravida quis. Lectus urna duis convallis convallis. Enim blandit volutpat maecenas volutpat blandit aliquam etiam erat velit.
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by jabinsley | Aug 23, 2021 | Certifications, Resource
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Neque laoreet suspendisse interdum consectetur libero. Ac orci phasellus egestas tellus rutrum. Quam id leo in vitae turpis massa sed elementum. Nullam vehicula ipsum a arcu cursus vitae congue. Ullamcorper sit amet risus nullam. Et netus et malesuada fames. Tincidunt eget nullam non nisi est sit amet. Aliquam nulla facilisi cras fermentum odio eu feugiat pretium nibh. Risus viverra adipiscing at in tellus integer. Elit ut aliquam purus sit amet luctus venenatis. Vulputate mi sit amet mauris commodo quis. Neque vitae tempus quam pellentesque nec. Sed felis eget velit aliquet sagittis. Elementum eu facilisis sed odio. Ac orci phasellus egestas tellus rutrum tellus pellentesque eu tincidunt. Morbi non arcu risus quis varius quam. Neque vitae tempus quam pellentesque.
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Arcu dui vivamus arcu felis bibendum. In eu mi bibendum neque egestas congue quisque egestas. Facilisis leo vel fringilla est ullamcorper eget nulla facilisi etiam. Ut placerat orci nulla pellentesque dignissim enim sit amet. Sit amet venenatis urna cursus eget nunc. A cras semper auctor neque vitae tempus quam pellentesque nec. Leo vel orci porta non pulvinar neque. Nisl nunc mi ipsum faucibus vitae aliquet nec ullamcorper. Netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Risus pretium quam vulputate dignissim suspendisse in est ante in. Mauris pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus. Gravida rutrum quisque non tellus orci ac. Magna sit amet purus gravida quis. Lectus urna duis convallis convallis. Enim blandit volutpat maecenas volutpat blandit aliquam etiam erat velit.
Orci ac auctor augue mauris augue neque. Cras tincidunt lobortis feugiat vivamus at. In tellus integer feugiat scelerisque varius morbi enim nunc faucibus. Magna etiam tempor orci eu lobortis elementum nibh tellus molestie. Nibh nisl condimentum id venenatis a. Consectetur libero id faucibus nisl. Vestibulum rhoncus est pellentesque elit ullamcorper. Felis eget velit aliquet sagittis id consectetur purus ut faucibus. Est sit amet facilisis magna etiam. Pharetra et ultrices neque ornare aenean euismod. Mi ipsum faucibus vitae aliquet. Egestas congue quisque egestas diam in arcu cursus euismod. Ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing.
by jabinsley | Aug 16, 2021 | Personal Protected, Success Story
Personal Protected, LLC was born from Hitch-Hiker Manufacturing and the COVID-19 crisis. Both companies are owned and operated by Jeff and Holly Swartz. Over the past 52 years, Hitch-Hiker Manufacturing has become the premier concession trailer manufacturer for the Food and Amusement industry. In Spring 2020, they saw the abrupt end to new orders and all in progress orders were postponed as COVID-19 restrictions caused fairs, festivals, and gatherings across the country to be canceled. Jeff and Holly began to strategize different ways to pivot and adapt their business to meet the new needs of their clients and the community. It was during one of the Ohio Governor’s COVID-19 daily updates that Jeff used his 35 years of knowledge to develop the idea of creating a touchless, high-volume hand washing station that allows four users to safely wash their hands at once while remaining socially distanced. Initially, the Quad-Sink was constructed to provide safe conditions for the outdoor amusement industry and to help get it back on track, but the device turned into something more when Jeff and Holly began seeing a demand for the product in universities, schools, and other industries. Jeff and Holly took a leap of faith and established Personal Protected, LLC, transitioning their entire business model of manufacturing mobile concession trailers to manufacturing portable high-volume hand washing stations.
Personal Protected, LLC was able to transition all 20 of their employees so they did not lose their jobs. They had quickly found success with Youngstown State University and wanted to expand to other state universities and school districts. Having been in the private sector their entire career, Jeff and Holly wanted to make sure they entered the government marketplace the right way. After finalizing their first sales through Youngstown State University, Jim Tressel, President of YSU, introduced Jeff and Holly to the services of the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU that is part of YSU’s Williamson College of Business Administration. Jeff and Holly met with the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU who helped them create a strategy to market themselves in the government sector while connecting them with opportunities with local agencies in Ohio.
The Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU guided them through the SAM registration process and helped them craft their capability statement. The organization’s continued assistance enabled Personal Protected, LLC to successfully navigate the procurement process and enter a new market. The resources and connections provided by the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU enabled Personal Protected, LLC to find promising contract opportunities with government entities not only in Ohio, but throughout the country. The Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU equipped Jeff and Holly for their first Ohio Matchmaker and Tri-State Matchmaker events, which proved to be successful networking opportunities for their company. Since working with the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU, Personal Protected, LLC has experienced new opportunities being an integral single-source supplier for universities and K-12 school districts through the state of Ohio. With the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU’s assistance, the company has been able to secure nearly one million dollars in contracts within the past year from Youngstown State University, Bowling Green State University, Mahoning County Commissioners Office, City of Youngstown, OH, and other organizations.
“Personal Protected, LLC has just scratched the surface of the opportunities in the government marketplace. Working with the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU has been a great thing! I have had guidance from them to register on the SAM.gov site and also create my company’s capability statement,” says Holly Swartz, Vice President of Personal Protected, LLC. “My involvement with the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU has given me the opportunity to participate in the recent online Ohio Matchmaker and Tri-State Matchmaker events with great networking success! I believe that the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU have been such a highly valuable resource for my company at such a critical time of need.”
It is because of Personal Protected, LLC’s persistence, entrepreneurial mindset, and guidance from the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU that they are winning new contracts and opportunities. “Personal Protected is a wonderful example of innovation at its finest,” says the Director of Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU. “Ever since our first meeting, I could tell the compassion and drive Jeff and Holly have permeates everything they do. They managed to not only protect their workers but also to create something that will help people long after this pandemic.”
by jabinsley | Aug 16, 2021 | Hovis Construction, Success Story
In 2019, Hovis Construction, LLC was founded in Cortland, OH by owners Michael Hovis and David Grayson. The company’s focus? Construction and demolition, including site clearing and preparation, excavating, laying foundation, and paving.
Later that same year, Hovis Construction, LLC was awarded a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set-aside contract by the Ohio National Guard for demolition at Camp Garfield in Ravenna, Ohio. This was the first government contract Hovis Construction, LLC was awarded since it was founded. This was also the first time the client had to use Wide Area Workflow (WAWF), the Department of Defense’s electronic invoicing system. Struggling to navigate the WAWF system, Michael contacted the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU seeking personalized assistance.
The Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU, met with Michael to coach him through using WAWF and to discuss other requirements of the nearly $1.7 million contract. Following that initial session, they assisted Michael with developing a capability statement and discussed strategy for leveraging that first contract to win future contracts. “Michael is a wonderful client to work with, He’s committed to the excellence of his company and takes pride in all aspects of his work. That dedication is evident every time we meet,” said the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU Director.
The Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU continued to meet with Michael throughout the performance of the contract to answer any lingering questions about WAWF. “The Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU has assisted us with billing in WAWF. This has allowed us to take an 18-month contract and allowed us to perform the contract in five (5) months,” says Michael Hovis, co-founder of Hovis Construction, LLC. “The expertise that has been provided to us has given me the ability to look for future projects to bid on and streamlined that searching process. As a new startup business, the Ohio APEX Accelerator at YSU’s guidance and mentorship has played a huge part of the early success that we are seeing as a new business. It has given us the ability to increase profitability the very first day of our relationship. This is a story that should be used to make new startup companies aware of this great tool.”
It was because of the successful execution and high-quality work performance that Hovis Construction, LLC won an additional $700,000 contract with the agency. These two contracts have employed over fifteen workers on the job site and an additional fifteen workers for supplies, trucking, and other related jobs. This momentum will help them to secure further federal contracts in 2021 as they have enhanced and validated their past performance as a company.
