Cultivating The Leader Within - Minority Enterprise Executive Council

Moving Your Business to the Next Level 

MEA 

March 

Minority Enterprise Advocate 

- April 2012 

USA $5.95 CAN $7.25 

Do You Have 

Enough to 

Retire 

Cultivating The Leader Within 

- Tomi Bannister, President & CEO, ARMA, Inc.

AutomAted ResouRce mAnAgement AssociAtes, inc. 

Woman-Owned Small Business 

Professional Services and Dedicated Support 

for Mission Critical Infrastructure Operations 

ARMA is an experienced provider of contract services. Whether your 

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Affordable Reliability 

Strong Performance 

ExpErTiSE 

Admin, Mgmt, 

IT & Engineering 

SUCCESS 

Over 20 Years Experience 

Government Contracting 

D-U-N-S ® #: 625104419 · CAGE Code: oulp6 

8401 Colesville Rd, Ste 110 

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910-3389 

Tomi Bannister, president & CEo 

(301) 587-7077 

www.armainc.com

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT 

As an award-winning provider of public and private sector personnel solutions since 

1990, ARMA is uniquely qualified to support government agencies with dependable 

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We assemble and deliver the high-caliber talent you need to maximize productivity 

and ensure that your next federal initiative defies your usual project expectations. 

THE VALUE OF 

ARMA is distinguished by a verifiable history of • Minority/Woman-Owned 

proven high performance and reliable BUILDING 

response to Proudly & passionately managed 

critical, high profile projects that require zero disruption 

to facility operations. Our reputation for Cultivated for long-term success 

• Strategic Partnerships 

STRONGER 

excellence reflects and refers us. PARTNERSHIPS • Affordable Expertise 

Competitive pricing and quality talent 

TO MEET THE 

• Relevant Certification 

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• Seamless Integration 

TECHNOLOGICAL Our project personnel transition transparently 

NEEDS OF THE 

• Continuity of Service 

Stellar support before and after contract expiration 

WAR FIGHTER. • Ethical Commitment 

Loyalty, fairness, trust, respect and reliability 

A key component to Northrop Grumman’s 

EXPERTISE success is its diverse supply base. 

Our mission is to provide A diverse an unsurpassed supply base level creates of service. an Our knowledge, background and years of experience 

are discriminators that set us apart from other small businesses. Partner with us to develop smart strategies and 

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it reflects and strengthens the 

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makes the world a safer place. 

We believe that if we take care of our team, they’ll take care of yours. Our clients agree: 

• IRS & FHA 

• U.S. Dept.’s of State, Commerce & 

• Verizon 

THE 

Federal, 

VALUE 

Inc. 

OF PERFORMANCE. 

Transportation 

• Defense Logistics Agency 

• U.S. Air Force & Coast Guard 

• The Under Secretary of Defense 

• GSA Schedule 70 Holder 

www.northropgrumman.com 

www.armainc.com

NaFCA 

National Federal Contractors Association 

NaFCA Promotes, Protects and Expands 

Your Market Share. 

Visit www.nafcausa.com 

National Trade Association for Small Businesses 

Protect Your Business Interests… Join NaFCA 

Accomplishments By A Successful NaFCA 

Advocacy Team 

• In 2011 led in the development of nine solution options for size 

standard reform 

• Lead advocacy effort for the inclusion of liquidated damages in 

subcontracting legislation 

• Guided the development of the HUBZone program 

• Guided the Small Business Administration (SBA) in withdrawing the 

proposed size standard rules of July 2004 that universally set small 

business ceilings at 150 employees 

• Assisted in the establishment of a federal database to identify small 

and minority businesses throughout the United States 

• Contributed to the establishment of the U.S. Department of 

Transportation’s women-owned business programs 

• Assisted in the inception of the Minority Business 

Development Agency (MBDA) 

• Promoted creation and expansion of the 8(a) 

program, protecting the program against 

challenges 

• Proven Successful 

• Involvement 

• Protecting Your 

Existence 

• Advocacy Focusing on 

Urgency 

NaFCA 

For more information please contact: 

Fernando V. Galaviz, NaFCA Chairman 

galavizf@nafcausa.com 

6402 Arlington Blvd., 10th Floor 

Falls Church, VA 22042 

www.nafcausa.com 

4 Minority Enterprise Advocate • March – April 2012

MEA 


Contents 

Tomi Bannister, President & CEO, ARMA, Inc. 

Cover Story 

Cultivating The Leader Within . . . . . . . . 16 

Feature Article 

Moving Your Business to the Next Level. . . 9 

Business News 

Failure To Deliver 

on Small Business Promise . . . . . . . . 13 

Obama Elevates SBA 

to Cabinet-Level Agency . . . . . . . . . 39 

Financial News 

Do You Have Enough to Retire . . . . . . . 28 

Six Keys to More Successful Investing . . . . 30 

Tax Planning for the Self-Employed . . . . . . 32 

. 

In Memoriam 

CBCF Mourns the Passing of 

Chairman Donald M. Payne . . . . . . 7 

Power Player 

Vicky Harper-Hall of Northrop Grumman 

Aerospace Systems . . . . . . . . . . 20 

International News 

National Asian Business Association 

Forges US Links . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 

Shumaker Report 

If You Do the Right Thing, You Win – 

Most of the Time . . . . . . . . . . . 36 

Government News 

Press Releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 

Publisher’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Corporate Contact Listing . . . . . . . . . 51 

Minority Enterprise Advocate • March – April 2012 

5

Minority Enterprise 

Advocate Magazine 

Publisher 

Debra Williams 

Writers 

Steven Mihailovich 

Patricia Orsini 

Walid L. Petri 

Gary Shumaker 

Dona Storey 

Ruth P. Watson 

Design & Production 

Adrienne Butler 

Polaris Press 

Cover Photography 

Andrew Diggs 

President 

Sunny Ezeji 

Minority Enterprise Advocate Magazine 

is published bi-monthly by 

Minority Enterprise Executive Council 

P.O. Box 173 

Woodbridge, Virginia 22194 

Tel. (703) 730-4091 

Fax (703) 730-4092 

E-mail: vpwilliams@comcast.net 

Website: www.meecouncil.com 

Publisher’s Message 

For more than 16 years our organization has created opportunities for small/ 

minority, women and veteran-owned businesses. MEA magazine is a product 

of the Minority Enterprise Executive Council. Through the organization we have 

developed relationships with major corporations, federal government agencies 

and very successful small businesses across the country. Now we are reaching 

out to the international business community as well. 

We are result driven when it comes to establishing match-making relationships. 

Making good assessments for teaming on business-to-business relationships is a 

part of the decision-making process we do to meet your bottom-line. 

For new business opportunities to increase your bottom line, you should give 

us a call to see how we can assist you. MEA is not just a publication to profile 

your company or provide timely information. We create strategic opportunities to 

strengthen your ability to survive in the national and international economy. 

There are a lot of organizations that tell you they can help you, but they seldom 

do. It is too much work and not much compensation for an organization to help 

hundreds of members meet their needs. There is not enough manpower to make 

this happen. It is your responsibility to make networking through any organization 

work for you. But the reality is it just does not work in most cases. You can spend 

your money in an organization attending power breakfasts, sponsoring events and 

various programs hoping to get a piece of the pie, but it does not always work. All 

theses efforts just end up making you feeling taken advantage of. You walk away 

with nothing, no contractual opportunities. 

I am not knocking organizations, just advising you to make rational decisions about 

your associations with them. Just because an organization has a lot of members, 

looks fancy, does not mean you will benefit from their activities. If you are a member 

of any organization, how many contracts have you acquired How many successful 

business people have you met that actually want to 

do business with you How open is the organization 

to helping you with whatever services that attracted 

you to join in the first place 

It is impossible to be successful without the input 

of trusted colleagues; your business team; or a 

think-tank. Make MEA a part of your team. We are 

here for you. 

MEE Council 

Sunny Ezeji, President 

All rights reserved © copyright 

Debra Williams, 

Publisher 

“Never get to the point where you will be ashamed to ask anybody 

for information. The ignorant man will always be ignorant if he fears 

that by asking another for information he will display ignorance. 

Better once display your ignorance of a certain subject than always 

know nothing of it.” – Booker T. Washington 


In Memoriam 

CBCF Mourns the 

Passing of Chairman 

Donald M. Payne 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

MCooper 

March 6, 2012 

CBCF STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF FOUNDATION 

CHAIRDONALD M. PAYNE WASHINGTON, DC - The 

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) mourns the 

loss of its Chairman Donald M. Payne. Rep. Payne was elected 

chair in 2010, but his relationship with the Foundation and its 

mission extends almost two decades. He served as chair of 

the Congressional Black Caucus from 1995-1996, and was 

serving his second term on the CBCF Board upon his election to 

chair. As a former public school teacher in Newark and Passaic 

New Jersey, Rep. Payne recognized the value and impact of 

educational opportunities. He often reminisced of how he 

worked his way through college and how he wanted to provide 

opportunities like the Foundation’s internship, fellowship and 

scholarship programs so that students could concentrate on 

academics and take away some of the financial worry. 

Rep. Payne has served in Congress since 1989. During his 

tenure, he became the ranking member on the Education 

and Workforce Committee to advocate on behalf of 

children, working families and senior citizens. While using 

self-depreciating humor about technology, early on he 

recognized that globalization would set new boundaries and 

relationships throughout the world. As the highest ranking 

Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, 

Global Health, and Human Rights, Rep. Payne was an early 

advocate on linking African-Americans with the Diaspora. 

He took great pride and pleasure in presenting issue forums 

and brain trust building on those relationships during the 

Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conferences. Most recently 

he lead CBCF’s Fellows in the first international community 

service project to build homes in South Africa. 

Rep. Payne cared deeply about those he represented in 

the 10th District, bringing Foundation resources to Newark 

to deal with building economic wealth and ending health 

disparities in his community. He once said “I want to be a 

Congressman to serve as a role model for the young people 

I talk to on the Newark street corners. I want them to see 

there are no barriers to achievement. I want to give them 

a reason to try.” We have lost a tireless public servant who 

embodied humanity, compassion and dignity for all. It has 

been our honor and privilege to have worked with him. 

Rep. Payne brought a wealth of knowledge of CBCF and of 

the issues in which we are engaged. As a former educator 

and later corporate official, Rep. Payne brought a unique 

perspective to the position. CBCF will carry on his mission to 

work for justice and opportunity for all. To share reflections, 

please post to our blog at http://www.cbcfinc.org/blog. The 

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc., established in 

1976, is a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy, research and 

educational institute intended to broaden and elevate the 

influence of African Americans in the political, legislative and 

public policy arenas. 


7

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Feature Story 

Moving Your Business 

to the Next Level 

“Lions, and tigers, and bears! 

Oh, my!” 

By Doña Storey, American Express 

OPEN Advisor for Procurement 

Doña Storey 

Just as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz was determined, despite her 

fears, to follow the yellow brick road many small business owners 

are ready and anxious to follow their path to the “next level” of 

success in federal contracting. As the American Express OPEN 

Advisor for Procurement I see small companies move out of their 

comfort zone as a dependable subcontractor and get on a path 

to priming larger contract awards and obtaining greater business 

success. What needs to be understood by businesses of all 

sizes is that this path travels through the current and sometimes 

unfriendly regulatory environment of federal acquisition. Along 

this path there are many perceived and real dangers hiding in 

the shadows: I say “hiding in the shadows” because many 

businesses are either blissfully unaware (don’t know what they 

don’t know) or make the assumption (incorrectly) that these 

rules, regulations, or compliance issues don’t apply to them. In 

this article I am going to address that knowledge is power. This 

includes current federal subcontractors who need to understand 

that the “flow down” rule very much makes them at risk if they 

ignore these hidden dangers. 

The three elements of the current regulatory environment that 

are the focus of this article are affiliation, protests, and ethics. 

In order to present the most accurate and timely information 

on each of these topics I interviewed individuals who are true 

subject matter experts, a group of attorneys with the Kaufman 

& Canoles Government Contracts and Construction Practice 

Group chaired by Terry Murphy. I asked Terry and two of his 

partners, Chuck McPhillips and Pat O’Donnell, to help provide 

comments on the challenges you might encounter along your 

path to federal contracting success. 

Joint Ventures 

The decision to team or establish a Joint Venture (JV) can be 

part of your overall business development strategy or a specific 

bid/no bid decision. In either case if you are going to go down 

this road it is important to understand the affiliation rules that 

can impact your decision and your status as a potential prime 

contractor. Chuck McPhillips, the senior business lawyer in the 

Kaufman & Canoles Government Contracts Group, agrees that 

joint ventures are useful vehicles when the combined resources 

of two or more entities will serve to equip a contractor team 

with the ability to deliver the best value to the customer. 

Q: What are the concerns with joint ventures 

A: There are some important regulatory details restricting 

their use by small businesses. For example, business entities 

are considered to be “affiliates” of each other for purposes 

of SBA size determinations whenever one controls or has 

the power to control the other, or a third party controls or 

has the power to control both entities. Affiliation can be 

found in a number of circumstances, including contractor 

teams when an “ostensible subcontractor” is, in truth, the 

driving force behind the team’s proposal or performance of 

a government contract. 

When affiliation is found to exist, the revenues and employees 

of the affiliated entities are added together for purposes of 

determining compliance with the size standard applicable to 

the procurement based on its assigned NAICS code. 

Q: Are there any special considerations if two or more small 

businesses want to form a JV 

A: For small-business set-aside awards, the SBA allows two 

or more small businesses to form a joint venture, without 

disqualifying them as affiliates of each other, provided that 

each participant is small under the size standard applicable 

to the project and the procurement qualifies as “bundled” 

requirement or, if it does not qualify as a bundled requirement, 

the dollar value of the procurement meets certain minimum 

thresholds, depending on whether the NAICS code assigned 

to the contract is revenue-based or employee-based. 

Q: If you are successful and win a contract as a small business 

joint venture are there any other concerns 

A: If a joint venture is awarded a contract as a small business 

concern, it must incur at least 50% of the direct labor costs 

on services and supply contracts (other thresholds apply for 

construction contracts). 


9

Q: I’ve heard that the rules for SBA 

8(a) mentor-protégé joint ventures are 

different. Is that true 

A: Yes, joint ventures between an SBAapproved 

mentor and 8(a) protégé team 

are permitted to pursue small-business 

contract awards, regardless of the 

mentor’s size, as long as the protégé is 

small under the applicable size standards. 

Protests 

As a business owner you can be on either 

side of the protest issue and you need 

to be prepared for both possibilities. The 

“urban legend” is that all protests are bad 

no matter what side you are on and that 

is simply not true. Protests, unfortunately 

or not, are a way of life in the world of 

federal contracting and, in fact, some 

companies consider filing protests as part 

of their normal business strategy. Since it 

is important not to live in fear of protests 

the comments below by Terry Murphy, 

Chairman of the Kaufman & Canoles 

Government Contracts and Construction 

Practice Group, should take away some 

of the mystery surrounding this issue. 

When asked about protests in general 

Terry said:“One of the most important 

differences between commercial and 

government contracting is the ability of 

an unsuccessful contractor to protest the 

award of a contract. Some contractors 

say it is never wise to file a protest 

as it may alienate your Government 

customer. Nevertheless, in this era 

of declining budgets, bid protests are 

a course of doing business if you are 

a government contractor. A protest 

handled professionally and efficiently, 

without emotion, is a necessary option 

to be considered by all contractors.” 

Q: What are some of the common 

protest areas 

A: Common protest issues involve 

challenges to the Government’s failure 

to follow the evaluation criteria either 

through an unreasonable evaluation of 

the contractor’s proposal or a challenge 

of the evaluation of the successful 

offeror’s proposal. 

Q: I’ve been told that the timeliness of your 

protest action is critical. Is that the case 

A: Yes, a key issue in filing a bid protest 

involves timeliness. Pre-award protests 

challenging a request for proposal 

must be filed prior to the submission 

of your offer or it will be untimely. There 

also are very short deadlines for a postaward 

protest depending on the place 

the protest is filed. 

Q: How do you make the right business 

decision when it comes to protests 

A: A contractor should weigh the 

likelihood of success and costs before 

filing a protest. An often overlooked 

consequence for new contractors who 

are still euphoric over the award of a new 

contract is the surprise that their award 

has been protested (and is subject to a 

stop work order). In other words, the 

successful contractor is dragged into 

a protest it did not file. A successful 

awardee should always then consider 

“intervening” or filing to become a 

party to the protest to work with the 

agency to preserve the contract award. 

Ethics 

Another regulatory area is ethics, 

both business and personal. Almost 

every solicitation issued by the federal 

government requires that you address 

any business (organizational) “conflicts 

of interest” (OCI) and, now, there are 

new regulations pertaining to “personal 

conflicts of interest” (PCI). Pat O’Donnell, 

whose practice focuses on the ethics 

rules in government contracting, lays 

out how both of these ethical areas are 

addressed by the government and what 

you can do to mitigate any concerns about 

not complying with these regulations. 

Q: Where can I learn about the regulatory 

details about conflicts of interest 

A: FAR Subpart 9.5 (https://www. 

acquisition.gov/far) addresses 

organizational conflicts of interest. These 

regulations are specifically designed to 

maintain competitive fairness and to avoid 

situations in which a contractor’s advice 

to the government may be biased. Also, 

as of November 2, 2011, a new rule (FAR 

Subpart 3.1101 and FAR 52.203-16(a)) 

addresses personal conflicts of interest 

for government contractors and their 

employees performing procurement 

related functions. 

Q: What is meant by an organizational 

conflict of interest 

A: Organizational Conflicts of Interest 

(OCI’s) fall primarily into two categories: 

the existence of conflicting roles that 

might bias a contractor’s judgment 

and unfair competitive advantage due 

to obtaining proprietary information 

without proper authorization or 

obtaining source selection information 

not available to all competitors. 

Q: How is the area of personal conflicts 

of interest different 

A: The new rule regarding Personal Conflicts 

of Interest (PCI’s) applies to government 

contractors (and their employees) who 

perform work related to “acquisition 

functions closely associated with inherently 

governmental functions” such as: 

• Planning acquisitions 

• Determining what supplies or 

services will be acquired by the 

Government 

• Drafting statements of work 

• Developing or approving contract 

documents or evaluation criteria 

• Evaluating proposals or contract 

performance 

• Awarding contracts 

• Administering or terminating 

contracts 

In closing Pat said: Contractors 

must implement a system whereby 

employees who perform such functions 

disclose personal conflicts that might 

impair their ability to act impartially and 

in the best interest of the Government. 

As with all contractor business ethics 

requirements, the contractor must 

train its employees on identifying and 

disclosing potential personal conflicts of 

interest. Also, contractors are required 

to self-report employee violations.” 

As you can see from above, there are many 

important issues that you must consider 

and educate yourself about as you work to 

move your business to the next level. The 

wrong approach would be to ignore these 

issues or hope they don’t impact your 

business. You need to proactive learning 

about affiliation, protests, and ethics and 

seeking professional advice when needed. 

None of these concerns should be “show 

stoppers” for you moving down your path 

to greater federal contracting success. 

Now that you know about these issues 

take the time to dig deeper and learn 

more. It is time well spent. You will be a 

better contractor and teaming partner, and 

the unknown perceived dangers will be 

out of the shadows and in the light for you 

to address. 


Partners in the Promise 

“The Coca-Cola Company exists to benefit and 

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The Coca-Cola Company always welcomes new partners. 

For more information about becoming a qualified supplier, 

please contact our Office of Supplier Diversity. 

www.coke.net/supplierdiversity 

©2009 The Coca-Cola Company. “Coca-Cola,” the Dynamic Ribbon and the Contour Bottle design are registered trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company.

Who knows how far any of us can go together 

Our possibilities should have no limits. So if you’re 

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Business News 

Failure to Deliver 

on Small Business Promise 

by Steven Mihailovich 

Despite statements coming from elected officials of all 

stripes that small business is the centerpiece of economic 

and reform policy, recent actions affecting small business 

belie that vocal support and expose it as mere lip service. 

In the past few weeks and months, the government 

has adopted, continued or removed programs in federal 

contracting likely to increase, not decrease, the amount of 

obstacles to small business participation in the nearly $500 

billion in total spending this year in federal procurement for 

goods and services. 

Three recently announced programs in particular rely on 

measures such as bundling and consolidated reporting for 

subcontracting performance that limit small business access 

to federal contracts even as the government already falls 

short of meeting the federally mandated goal of awarding 23 

percent of all federal procurement dollars to small business. 

Buried within the National Defense Authorization Act of 

2012 passed by Congress is a provision extending the 

Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test Program (CSPTP), 

which permits the largest prime contractors that already 

capture the lion’s share of federal contracts to bypass reporting 

requirements on their small business subcontracting activity 

mandated by the Small Business Act. 

Under the program, participants are permitted to report on 

their use of small business subcontractors on an annual, 

aggregate basis instead of on a contract-to-contract instance. 

Launched in 1990, the original purpose of the CSPTP was 

to test whether a reduction in the bureaucratic paperwork 

needed for reporting might reduce costs while expanding 

the use of small business subcontractors. 

Since that time, the test program has been reauthorized four 

times. Yet no study has ever been undertaken to examine 

whether the CSPTP has been effective. 

This lack of information exists despite calls from some 

members of Congress to scrutinize the test program. As 

recently as October 2010, five members of Congress 

wrote to the Comptroller General requesting the General 


Administrative Office to investigate the results of the CSPTP. 

No action has been forthcoming. 

In fact, the sole study conducted by the American Small 

Business League in 1994 indicated a decline in subcontract 

work for small business since the implementation of CSPTP. 

Subcontracting is a lifeline for small businesses working 

in the federal marketplace. By continuing the CSPTP, the 

administration is allowing large Fortune 500 companies 

to continue elbowing small businesses out of their piece 

of congressionally mandated procurement pie through 

loopholes, creative bookkeeping and lack of oversight. 

This past December, the Defense Department unveiled the 

request for proposals for its $14.5 billion Next Generation 

Enterprise Network (NGEN) program to provide a secure IT 

infrastructure for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. The 

problem for small business is that all the elements of the 

contract have been bundled. 

Bundling is the process of rolling a number of separate aspects 

of a service into a single contract. To illustrate, consider the 

various aspects in preparation for a dinner banquet. 

With appetizers, entrees, drinks and desserts, there is an 

opportunity for a number of small businesses, from bakeries 

to produce markets to wine stores, to get a piece of the 

action. However, when the dinner is bundled, only the 

largest caterers can win the contract. 

NGEN has 35 different service portions that have been 

consolidated into a single contract. And no one seems to 

know why, despite federal mandates that 35 percent of all 

subcontracting go to small business. 

Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle in the 

House Small Business Committee charged with protecting 

and promoting small business interests have expressed 

their deep reservations concerning NGEN through their 

staff. As recently as two weeks ago, one congressional aide 

speaking off the record said that numerous requests to the 

U.S. Department of Navy for documentation justifying the 

bundling have gone unanswered. 

13

Yes. Send me a subscription to MEA Magazine 

If members of Congress can be ignored 

in their requests for information and 

clarity about a specific contract, small 

businesses can expect to fare far worse. 

In September of last year, the 

administration sought a rule change to the 

Federal Acquisition Regulation to remove 

a federal provision requiring the Pentagon, 

U.S. Coast Guard and NASA to award a 

bare minimum of five percent of its total 

contracts to minority owned businesses. 

If implemented, the move could cost 

minority owned small businesses working 

in the federal marketplace up to $25 billion 

in lost revenues. 

At a time when minority communities 

are particularly reeling from the 

present economic downturn – with 

unemployment rates twice as high 

for African-American- and about 30 

percent higher for Hispanic-American 

workers than their white counterparts – 

the intended action directly contradicts 

the Administration’s professed support 

for small business and minorities. 

George Bernard Shaw once said “The 

power of accurate observation is 

commonly called cynicism by those who 

have not got it.” 

It is any wonder why politicians, pollsters 

and pundits decry the fact that Americans 

have become so cynical nowadays. 

Steven Mihailovich is the Legislative 

Director for the National Federal 

Contractors Association (NaFCA). 

NaFCA may be contacted at 703-525- 

4444 for further details. 

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Fax Subscription Form to MEA (703) 730-4092 

MEA Magazine, P.O. Box 5199, Woodbridge, VA 22194

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY 

At BAE Systems we recognize the vital 

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Cover Story 

Cultivating 

the Leader Within 

By Ruth P. Watson 

Tomi Bannister, 

President/CEO, ARMA, Inc. 

“What are the qualities of a dynamic leader, one might ask.” 

Is it rock-solid work ethic, visionary thought, sound business 

acumen and the ability to see greatness in those you lead 

As the President/CEO and founder of Automated Resource 

Management Associates, Inc. (ARMA) of Silver Spring, 

Maryland, Tomi Bannister exemplifies these traits. She 

is the leader of a company with 20 years experience 

delivering comprehensive, performance-based information 

technology 

operations and 

administrative 

support services 

to the federal 

government 

and private 

sector, Bannister 

understands 

the challenges 

of successfully 

owning and 

managing a 

business. She is 

relentless for professionalism and excellence, securing 

a reputation as an intelligent, hard-working professional 

delivering quality services to her commercial and federal 

government customers. 

Bannister’s foundation of commitment and previous 

business experiences as a Senior Systems Analyst and 

Information Technology Programmer— combined with 

30 years of performance as a high-impact strategists, 

manager, business development specialist, and trainer, 

— established a solid foundation for the successful 

launch of ARMA. Well aware that, “relationships are 

cultivated with the person responsible for the marketing 

of the services,” Bannister continues to solidify herself 

as a respectable, trustworthy business leader who is 

able to exceed client expectations. 

Beating the Odds 

“Control is not leadership; management is not 

leadership; leadership is leadership. If you seek 

to lead, invest at least 50% of your time 

in leading yourself—your own purpose, ethics, 

principles, motivation and conduct. Invest at 

least 25% leading those with authority over 

you and 25% leading your peers.” – Dee Hock 

In 2007, the U.S. Census Report indicated that womenowned, 

minority businesses comprised nearly 7.8 million 

companies in the U.S. That’s 34 percent. Bannister typifies 

that percentage, demonstrating sustainability and success 

on the order of $65 million in company revenue to date. 

Tomi’s business begun with a clear premise: “Provide the 

best service each time every time. Sometimes you only 

get one opportunity to prove yourself. 

The level of many of the businesses 

I had worked with changed direction 

too frequently without proper 

planning for changes in technology 

and scope of work. All of it elevated 

client costs. I knew I wanted an 

agile business that offered innovative 

solutions to meet current and future 

client requirements.” 

Bannister focuses on three distinct 

areas of excellence: employee 

empowerment, service delivery and 

commitment to quality. For example, 

while assembling her organizational staff, she deliberately 

offered them an opportunity to fulfill their own business 

aspirations. She says, “I go further than respect; I reflect 

on what my employees think and how they feel. I want to 

know their thoughts, and how they perceive mine.” 

A Team — from Start to Finish 

The establishment of a solid business structure wasn’t easy. 

“In the beginning, there were many things I had to learn,” she 

explains. “I sought out the best employees. We take great 

pride in our ability to solve problems proactively while meeting 

contract performance schedules and budgets. Her biggest 

challenge was finding just the right team of people — those 

who understood and embraced the vision of ARMA. 


Assembling a superb team is 

paramount to a business, as is 

providing an atmosphere where your 

employees can take advantage of all 

of the opportunities. A well-trained 

staff is an essential component of a 

successful business. “It is important 

to regard the staff as peers,” Bannister 

adds. “My staff is my family.” 

Her staff believes it, which is likely 

the primary reason ARMA has thrived 

over the past 20 years. Another 

reason is the company’s perspective 

on partnership via teaming and 

subcontracting. Bannister explains, 

“I think many small businesses today 

have their eyes on the whole pie, 

whereas a partnership or teaming 

arrangement may actually be more 

effective and efficient in creating a 

path to success.” For the past decade, 

ARMA has partnered on contracts, 

affording them the luxury of sustained 

growth and consistent employment 

for their highly specialized staff. As 

a firm that provides human capital 

resources, Bannister believes that, 

“Highly dedicated personnel ensure 

your customers are consistently happy 

and satisfied. 

Bannister attributes her business 

success to her anticipation of 

and responsiveness to customer 

concerns, contract management and 

attention to detail. She simply has 

a talent for understanding exactly 

what the customer requires. Once 

she understands these needs, she 

delivers the right staff with the ideal 

skill set, who in turn produce quality 

service on time, every time. Sheree 

Butler, vice president of operations 

declares “It’s the respect Tomi has for 

the men and woman that she employs 

that fuel their commitment to quality 

for our customers.” 

About Automated Resource 

Management Associates, Inc. (ARMA) 

ARMA is a professional services 

consulting firm that is uniquely qualified 

to support government agencies with 

a diverse range of experienced subject 

matter experts who deliver a positive 

experience in all customer –facing 

environments. ARMA supports prime 

contracts with the military and federal 

government, as a subcontractor with 

Verizon Federal Network Systems (FNS) 

under the WITS 3 contract that provides 

local telecommunications services and 

products for federal agencies in the 

National Capital Region (NCR). WITS 

3 includes local voice, voice over IP, 

Internet access and Ethernet services, 

fiber-optic services, and products for 

the continuity of operations planning 

(COOP) for federal agencies. 

“Verizon has a long history of working 

with ARMA on the WITS 3 contract and 

its predecessor contract since 2001, 

providing technical support to meet 

the needs of the federal government. 

ARMA provides highly qualified and 

experienced talent that makes them the 

perfect fit for more of our customers’ 

unique project requirements, “ said 

Robert C. Mercincavage, the Verizon 

subcontracts manager. “Verizon 

is enthusiastic about providing 

opportunities for small businesses and 

helping them grow.” 

Leaving a secure working environment 

was not easy for Bannister. She 

acquired her first contract: a $25,000 

Blanket Purchasing Agreement (BPA) 

providing outsourcing for the U.S. 

Department of State — a far cry from 

the salary of a marketing executive. 

But she never gave up. Undeterred, her 

tenacity paid off: within two years, she 

had acquired eight $25,000 contracts 

and subcontracting opportunities 

charting the course for ARMA’s 

financial growth. 

After seven years in business, Bannister 

received her first 8(a) certified contract 

during her 5th year in the SBA - 8(a) 

Business Development Program. It 

was a $3 million, five-year contract. 

Each year thereafter, ARMA was able 

to acquire multiple contracts based on 

the stellar performances of its staff, 

which were recognized for paying keen 

attention to work performance detail, 

innovative solutions and delivering great 

customer centric service. Bannister 

admits, “I never once compared my 

company to another’s success. I 

knew we would eventually become a 

successful business because we were 

committed to working hard and doing 

the best we could for the client and the 

American taxpayer.” 

The Bannister Brand 

Tomi Bannister has grown and 

transitioned her company from a 

bootstrap startup into a successful 

ISO 9000 certified, 8(a) program 

graduate, and is now a SBA certified 


17

8(m) Woman-Owned Small Business 

(WOSB). She reiterates without 

hesitation, “ARMA’s success is 

measured not only by its financial 

achievements, but by the number of job 

opportunities it creates.” Bannister’s 

survival through tough economic 

times can easily be referenced back 

to her constant planning and focus on 

sustaining customer satisfaction. 

Bannister lives in Olney, Md. with her 

husband of 31 years, Robert. They 

have one son 29, Robert III. Bannister 

serves in her church and is very 

active in her community. Committed 

to genuine leadership, Bannister 

is passionate about business and 

charity. She has mentored many 8(a) 

businesses, and is now providing 

developmental assistance to an 

emerging Service-Disabled Veteran 

Owned Small Business. She was 

recently selected out of hundreds of 

local leaders to be a part of Leadership 

Montgomery, Core Class of 2012. 

Her participation has forged an 

excellent opportunity to deepen her 

commitment to Montgomery County 

and the surrounding region. “I never 

hesitate to help anyone seeking 

business insight,” she explains. “I 

enjoy seeing people succeed, so it’s 

easy to act as a mentor to potential 

businesses, people or my staff.” 

When mentoring, she often asks 

herself the questions: 

• How can I help you today 

• What can I share that will help or 

inspire you 

• Can I make a connection on your 

behalf 

Business success is deliberate, not an 

accident. Bannister says, “Try not to 

operate from where you are now, but 

where you see yourself going,” Truly a 

woman on the move, she is determined 

to take as many successful mentees 

and employees with her. 

MEA 

International Business Report 

Connecting U.S. businesses to the global economy 

For a business profile, sponsorship and advertising contact us at 703-730-4091 


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Power Player 

Vicky Harper-Hall of 

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Her aim is to strengthen capabilities and 

open access to business opportunities 

Vicky Harper-Hall, Sector Manager Socio-Economic 

Programs and Government Relations, NGC 

As senior manager of socio-economic business programs 

and government relations for Northrop Grumman Aerospace 

Systems, Vicky Harper-Hall oversees a strategically 

important function for the company’s Global Supply Chain 

organization. Her team helps small, minority and underutilized 

businesses gain access to procurement opportunities. 

While communicating proven processes, participating in 

negotiations and ensuring compliance, she’s helping these 

businesses strengthen their capabilities and competitiveness. 

“We consider minority, veteran and women-owned, small, 

disadvantaged enterprises to be an integral part of our 

industry team and important contributors to our future,” 

said Harper-Hall, who began working in 1987 for TRW, which 

was acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2001. A $10 billion 

business with 23,000 employees, Northrop Grumman’s 

Aerospace Systems sector is a premier provider of manned 

and unmanned aircraft, space systems, missile systems 

and advanced technologies critical to our nation’s security. 

“Our government and civil customers expect best-value 

solutions to complex defense missions,” said Harper-Hall. 

“We consider our suppliers to be partners in delivering 

products and services for space; intelligence, surveillance 

and reconnaissance; battle management command and 

control; and integrated strike warfare. What we do directly 

impacts the security of our nation and its allies. That’s why 

it’s so critical to comply with the highest technical standards 

and government requirements.” 

As the liaison between prospective small businesses 

and the sector’s large procurement organization, Harper- 

Hall oversees outreach and mentoring efforts that have 

led to increased business opportunities for minority 

enterprises of all sizes, including historically black 

colleges and universities, minority institutions, womenowned, 

veteran owned, service-disabled veterans, and 

historically underutilized businesses such as Alaska Native 

corporations and Indian tribes. 

Not only does Harper-Hall motivate a large procurement 

organization, she’s established, and documented, a track 

record that demonstrates Northrop Grumman’s commitment 

to supplier diversity and inclusion. Over the past three fiscal 

years, Aerospace Systems has met or exceeded its own 

small business goals as well as government requirements 

for including small business concerns in subcontracts. 

Harper-Hall’s team at Aerospace Systems is part of a 

broad corporate outreach that earned Northrop Grumman 

Corporation a top score from DiversityBusiness.com, the 

largest group of diversity-owned businesses throughout 

the United States. Northrop Grumman was named one 

of America’s Top Organizations for Multicultural Business 

Opportunities in 2012, with the rank of fifth overall. Rising 

from last year’s seventh place rating, Northrop Grumman 

is among 50 Fortune 500 companies to receive this honor, 

the result of 1.2 million businesses answering questions 

about diversity in the marketplace. The “Div50 award” is 

based on factors such as volume, consistency and quality 

of business initiatives that a company grants to multicultural 

suppliers. Northrop Grumman will receive the award at the 

DiversityBusiness.com’s 12th Annual Multicultural Business 

Conference, April 25-27, 2012, in Mashantucket, Conn. 

A certified Six Sigma Green Belt, Harper-Hall advocates training 

in rigorous processes for small businesses, and her team 

offers access to network-enabled, integrated systems and 

subsystems that have been optimized for small business use. 

But it’s her commitment and passion for advocacy and 

growth that have most impressed Northrop Grumman’s 

leaders and the greater business community. These qualities 

have been cited in the awards she’s won from the American 

Indian Chamber of Commerce of California (Warrior Award 

in November 2011), the Women of Color Technology Award 

Conference (Diversity Leadership Industry Award in October 

2010), the Los Angeles Minority Business Opportunity Center 

(Prime Contract Advocate Award in February 2007), and TRW 


Space and Defense (which named her a 

Woman of Achievement in1996). 

She serves on several boards, including 

the NASA Marshall Flight Center 

Prime Contractors Supplier Council, 

Asian Business Association, Black 

Business Association, Greater Los 

Angeles African American Chamber of 

Commerce, Latin Business Association, 

National Association of Women 

Business Owners, Native American 

Chamber of Commerce of California 

and the Southern California Minority 

Business Development Council. 

Ms. Harper-Hall earned a master’s 

of business administration with an 

emphasis in marketing from West 

Coast University, Los Angeles. She 

holds a bachelor’s degree from 

California State University, Long Beach, 

and she’s completed her certificate as 

a Six Sigma Green Belt from California 

State University, Fullerton. 

An active member of the Antioch 

Church of Long Beach, she assists with 

ministry preparedness for several other 

congregations. She’s been a Sunday 

school teacher for 15 years, a culinary 

minister for 12 years, and part of the 

couple’s ministry for seven years. 

A resident of Carson, Calif., she, her 

husband, Alex, and three daughters — 

Lindsey, Sydney and Courtney — are 

active in their community. 

For more information, visit 

northropgrumman.com or go directly 

to either the Supplier OASIS site or to 

the Socioeconomic Business Programs 

Webpage. 

U.S. - AFRICA 

TRADE and 

INVESTMENT 

CONFERENCE 

2012 

1 

His Excellency Professor Adebowale Adefuye, Ambassador 

From the Embassy of the Republic of Nigeria to the U.S. has officially endorsed this 

event and will open the conference with a welcome address. 

Highlights: 

Panel Discussion 

A. Perceptions that exist in Africa that impact and impede progress. 

B. Business leaders, investors and experts discuss why we should do business in Africa 

50 Women of Power In Business Awards Luncheon 

Finance 

Green Energy & Power 

IT Security & Telecommunications 

Agriculture 

Location: Washington Hilton Hotel 

1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009 

Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 

Time: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

The purpose of this forum is to engage in an active exchange between some of the greatest minds, leaders, 

business owners and experts to take a hard look at an Emerging Market called Africa and the opportunities 

in the 21 st Century. 

By Invitation Only – Call (703) 730-4091

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Con Edison Is ON IT– 

And We’ve Got Company. 

In fact, more than 300 companies in and around New York do business with Con Edison through 

our Supplier Diversity Program. Entrepreneurs like these who partner with Con Edison become the 

economic engines that keep New York on the move. 

You could be one of them. Con Edison. ON IT. 

Visit www.conEd.com/supplierdiversity or call Joy Crichlow, Director, 

Con Edison Supplier Diversity Program at 212-460-3076. 

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7 Delta Profile 

7 Delta’s business is building effective information 

technology solutions for Federal healthcare 

Program Management: Technology is critical to the effort to 

cut costs and find efficiencies in healthcare reform. 7 Delta 

provides governance and guidance in management of IT service 

delivery planning, execution, and control. 

Digital Government: A strong web presence is an 

indispensible method for interacting with citizens and 

stakeholders. 7 Delta helps Federal agencies master the broad 

range of services and information that are required to support 

effective digital government. 

Integration Services: The ability to link computer systems is 

critical in healthcare, for integration of biomedical systems, 

imaging, clinical management, laboratory management, PHR, 

EHR, revenue, billing and payment, and regulatory compliance. 

Operations and Maintenance: Enhanced healthcare services, 

online availability of information, and inter-connection of 

providers raises the incentives for 7 Delta’s work to ensure the 

security, reliability, availability, and performance of healthcare 

IT systems. 

7 Delta delivers effective IT solutions for Federal 

Healthcare every day: 

My HealtheVet Healthcare Web Portal 

7 Delta provides portal development, support of the My 

HealtheVet PHR, and integration with VA’s VistA healthcare 

management system for this ehealth portal for Veterans. 

Enhance the Veteran Experience and Access to Healthcare 

(EVEAH) 

7 Delta’s work on this VA initiative focuses on eliminating 

disparities in Veterans access to healthcare, in areas such as 

benefits eligibility, transportation services for clinic visits, and 

patient advocacy. 

Veterans Relationship Management (VRM) 

7 Delta’s work improves the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of 

communication between the VA and Veterans. 

VistA Enhancements 

7 Delta enhances VA’s healthcare management system to 

support HIPAA standards, fee payments, and financial 

transactions. 

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2005 

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VA Mentor-Protégé Program: 

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of Harris Corporation 


International News 

National Asian Business 

Association Forges US Links 

Press Release 

5 th March 2012 

London: Holly Vineyard, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Africa, the Middle East and South Asia at the US Department 

of Commerce was in London on route back to the US after 

a visit to the Indian Sub-continent. Holly along with John 

Breidenstine Senior Commercial attaché at the US embassy 

in London hosted a meeting with Uday K Dholakia, Chairman 

of the National Asian Business Association. 

“The discussions” said Uday Dholakia “were a follow up 

on a dialogue instigated with Holly and colleagues at the 

US Department of Commerce in Washington DC by Jaspal 

Singh Minhas the President of LABA and I”. “At NABA we 

are keen to develop practical programmes and mission 

based business network opportunities for British SME’s 

to collaborate with US SME networks to enhance bilateral 

trade and investment and jointly develop market entry and 

development synergies in; East Africa and South Africa, the 

Middle East and the Indian sub-continent”. 

NABA is planning a major British Asian business showcase 

in Washington DC during September 2012 and link-up via 

US Department of Commerce to team up with major US 

corporate companies to develop mentoring and supplier 

chain opportunities. 

“The value proposition” said Uday “is that in the current 

economic climate minority firms to explore export markets 

is a tough proposition, particularly amongst SME’s. However, 

linking up with minority business networks in Europe to 

jointly explore mutually beneficial markets of East Africa, 

Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent 

has merit. In the UK in Leicester, we are establishing an 

International Trade Hub where SME’s can have a home form 

home base to explore the potential for their products and 

service with a wider network of contacts. The aim is to 

promote bilateral trade missions between minority SME’s 

in the UK and the USA. USA is UK’s longest trading partner, 

and we would like the opportunity to build on this legacy. 

The National Asian Business Association in the UK has 

aspirations to link with the USA in the following key areas: 

1. Link up with African American and Hispanic Business 

Schools to facilitate student exchanges amongst SME 

enterprises. 

2. Plan inward and outward trade missions for minority 

business networks. 

3. Facilitate mission based trade between minority 

women’s networks in the UK and USA. 

4. Explore a hosting a major Minority USA franchise fair 

in the UK. 

5. Develop a bilateral master class and lecture circuit 

for successful minority entrepreneurs to share their 

experiences across the pond. 

6. Encourage minority journalists and broadcasters to visit 

and cover the economic opportunity profiles of Europe 

and the USA. 

John Breidenstine, Holly Vineyard, Uday K. Dholakia 


Anyone interested in partnering with NABA can contact 

me – uday.dholakia@nabauk.org 

25

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Do You Have Enough 

To Retire 

by Walid L. Petiri 

Once you retire you’ll likely only want to work for the fun of it 

and not because you have to, so a retirement plan is a must. 

Yet for some reason (procrastination, fear, do-it yourself) many, 

many retirees never make a budget of any kind, and later regret 

it. Now a plan is not a magic bullet that guarantees eternal 

retirement bliss nor will it alone solve the unexpected expenses 

that arise in the future. Still, most people underestimate lifestyle 

costs, medical expenses and inflation on all the things they will 

need during their retirement years. 

Do you have enough 

The typical rule of thumb is to expect to spend 70-80% of 

your current annual income to live comfortably in retirement. 

Though this estimate is often stated, since your retirement and 

your neighbor’s or co-workers’ is different, so is the amount 

of income needed for each of you during retirement. I would 

suggest at least 3-5 years before you decide to stop working for 

money and start letting your money work for you; sit down and 

begin to calculate your expected monthly income (including 

sources) and your expenses. Using online calculators (like here 

at fmsadvisors.com) is a great place to start and eventually you 

will want to have your financial advisor(s) weigh in too. 1 

Create a budget or spending plan. 

As you get closer to your retirement date, the more exact you 

can and will need to be about your expected income and likely 

future expenses. This is the reason that I personally think, about 

5 years out, is when you can calculate pretty good estimates of 

future expenses, while probably as early as 15-10 years before 

retirement you can get a good handle on targeting your future 

income (including, pensions, social security, and investments). 

While for many selling your home and moving to distant 

warmer lands is core to their retirement strategy, there are 

less dramatic ways to eliminate some expenses and increase 

your retirement assets. Not everyone wants to re-locate in 

retirement and sometimes the expenses maybe less where 

you currently live then they are at your tropical dream location. 

Still, whether you are staying or moving: first examine 

expenses like housing costs that might decrease or increase, 

health care costs, different types of taxes (some increase & 

others decrease), travel expenses and so on. Second, review 

your probable income sources like Social Security (the longer 

you wait, the more income you can potentially receive), your 

pension (if you’re lucky to have one), rental properties or other 

cash-flow holdings, and of course your portfolios both IRAs, 

401(k)s, and non-retirement accounts. 

Once you have done this good work there are some other 

variables people often overlook that will impact your retirement. 

Be Wary of... 

While you can’t predict the future and prevent some things like 

sudden health crises, you can try to mitigate others such as: 

• Supporting your kids, grandkids or relatives continuously 

with gifts or loans. 

• Withdrawing more every year than your portfolio can 

easily return. 

• Dragging big debts into retirement that will continually 

drain your nest egg. 

These are all controllable factors that can cause you to stray 

from a solid retirement plan, so think long and hard about 

each though clearly they can be emotional as well as financial 

decisions. Lastly, think deeply about the following areas: 

Heredity. Do you come from a family where people frequently 

live into their 80s and 90s You will probably live as long or 

longer. Remember life spans are increasing due to medical 

improvements with the fastest growing demographic in 

America consisting of those who are above age 85. 2 Just 

imagine retiring at 60 and living to 95 or 100. You would need 

about 40 years of consistent retirement income and had better 

have a good handle on your expenses. 


Your Spending. You probably do not 

limit yourself to spending only 70% 

of your salary If you do and/or will 

do so for the 10 years or so preceding 

your retirement; I can tell you that you 

are both rare and likely to be in very 

good shape at retirement. However, 

most Americans, spend as much as 

90% or 95% of it and are unlikely to 

spend less unless forced too. Most 

people only change spending habits 

in response to economic necessity 

or in pursuit of new financial goals. 

People don’t want to “live on less” 

once they have had “more”. Yet in 

the world that exists post 2008, it 

is clearly time to strongly consider 

adjusting to “less is better”. 

Personal Health. Almost all of us 

will have a major health challenge at 

sometime in our life. It could even be 

chronic health issues that last for the 

balance of our lives. While none of us 

like to think about this most unpleasant 

possibility, based on our longer life 

spans it is prudent to consider. So before 

you become a retiree, stop and think 

about the potential costs of prescription 

medicines, and recurring treatment for 

chronic ailments and...make sure you 

include them in your contingency plans. 

I have seen these costs take a bite out 

of retirement income for others, even 

when they had a great health care 

plan. Even with generics helping to 

stem the rising increase of prescription 

drug costs, still one estimate found 

that a 65-year-old couple who retired 

in 2011 would pay $230,000 for health 

care costs, excluding insurance and 

Medicare, including the costs for 

nursing home care. 3,4 

Investments. With most people retiring 

in the future either without a pension 

or a modest one, the importance 

of personal savings cannot be over 

emphasized. Unfortunately far to many 

people retire without haven’t had their 

investments reviewed in years. The 

asset allocations from three years ago 

may have needed to be changed so 

clearly the one from 10-15 years ago 

is likely no longer appropriate. Retirees 

sometimes carry too much investment 

risk in their portfolios (including today 

too much invested in bonds!) and 

other times have not diversified to 

achieve needed growth for a 40 year 

retirement that must keep pace with 

price inflation. The results being that 

the retirement income from their 

investments fluctuates wildly, which 

then creates anxiety and sometimes 

panic driven decisions. 

Social Security (or lack thereof). 

Will Social Security even exist by 

the time you’ve retired Not to be 

political, yet, a recent study from the 

Government Accounting Office (GAO) 

compels any retiree or future retiree 

to face that question. The study in 

summary states that the beloved 

program may start to run out of money 

by 2036 and may be broke by the end 

of that decade. Additionally, to keep it 

solvent, the GAO suggests a 20% cut 

in benefits, due to increased longevity 

(there’s that heredity again) and less 

workers. Even if SSI is still a going 

concern in 2040, it probably will not be 

the same as your Mom and Dad’s. 3,4 

Given those factors, creating a 

retirement plan makes a lot of sense. A 

budget – and the discipline to stick with 

it – may make a financial difference. 

Do you know if you have enough 

When it comes to planning your 

retirement just reading articles like 

this one, using some calculators, and 

making some assumptions may prove 

to be a disaster waiting to happen in 

the future. Take the time to find and 

meet with a retirement planner you 

trust, while you are still working to 

help you estimate your lifestyle needs, 

expenses (short-term & long-term) and 

contingency plans. A solid retirement 

plan including a budget, along with 

the discipline to follow through 

will make a big financial difference. 

Because once you get a few years into 

retirement, the chances of and your 

ability to generate additional income 

is significantly reduced…and besides, 

who wants to have go back to work 

Citations 

1 

- http://fmsadvisors.com/fmsadvisors. 

aspxMyMenu=newplanning&MyPage= 

nh/calculators.asp&SessionID=87297547 

2 

- http://transgenerational.org/aging/ 

demographics.htm 

3 

- www.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/ 

business/21generic.html_ 

r=1&oref=slogin 

4 

- www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/23/ 

us-column-miller-retirementcostidUSTRE81M24M20120223 

Financial Management Strategies, 

LLC (FMS) is a Registered Investment 

Advisory firm in the State of Maryland, 

providing its advisory services to both 

institutions and individuals. 

Mr. Petiri is the owner of Financial 

Management Strategies, LLC (FMS) 

a Registered Investment Advisor 

established in the year 2000. His nearly 

two decades of financial experience 

covers virtually all areas of finance from 

tax, insurance, stockbroker, personal 

financial planning and personal banking 

to corporate credit, business planning 

and consumer lending. 

Mr. Petiri has frequently been heard 

on WEAA (88.9 FM) as a financial 

commentator, appeared on WMAR-TV 

2 regarding the 2008 & 2009 economic 

downturn, and MTA Commuter 

Connections regarding residential land 

development. He has been interviewed 

and quoted by the Investment News 

magazine, written for the Journal 

of Personal Finance, is a frequent 

contributor to the IARFC publication, 

The Register, Popular Finance (of 

China), and publishes a monthly 

financial advice column called the 

Foresight. Mr. Petiri was also quoted 

in Bankrate.com and currently writes 

for the Baltimore Examiner. Walid 

also serves on the Finance Committee 

of Associated Black Charities and is 

member of Bethel African Methodist 

Episcopal Church. He is a devoted 

parent to his son and daughter. 


29


Six Keys to 

More Successful Investing 

Reprint Brocade Communications 

courtesy of Financial Management Strategies, LLC 

A successful investor maximizes gain and minimizes loss. 

Though there can be no guarantee that any investment 

strategy will be successful and all investing involves risk, 

including the possible loss of principal, here are six basic 

principles that may help you invest more successfully. 

Long-term compounding can help your nest egg grow 

It’s the “rolling snowball” effect. Put simply, compounding 

pays you earnings on your reinvested earnings. The longer 

you leave your money at work for you, the more exciting 

the numbers get. For example, imagine an investment of 

$10,000 at an annual rate of return of 8 percent. In 20 years, 

assuming no withdrawals, your $10,000 investment would 

grow to $46,610. In 25 years, it would grow to $68,485, 

a 47 percent gain over the 20-year figure. After 30 years, 

your account would total $100,627. (Of course, this is a 

hypothetical example that does not reflect the performance 

of any specific investment.) 

This simple example also assumes that no taxes are paid 

along the way, so all money stays invested. That would be 

the case in a tax-deferred individual retirement account 

or qualified retirement plan. The compounded earnings of 

deferred tax dollars are the main reason experts recommend 

fully funding all tax-advantaged retirement accounts and 

plans available to you. 

While you should review your portfolio on a regular basis, 

the point is that money left alone in an investment offers the 

potential of a significant return over time. With time on your 

side, you don’t have to go for investment “home runs” in 

order to be successful. 

Endure short-term pain for long-term gain 

Riding out market volatility sounds simple, doesn’t it But 

what if you’ve invested $10,000 in the stock market and the 

price of the stock drops like a stone one day On paper, 

you’ve lost a bundle, offsetting the value of compounding 

you’re trying to achieve. It’s tough to stand pat. 

There’s no denying it--the financial marketplace can be 

volatile. Still, it’s important to remember two things. First, the 

longer you stay with a diversified portfolio of investments, 

the more likely you are to reduce your risk and improve your 

opportunities for gain. Though past performance doesn’t 

guarantee future results, the long-term direction of the stock 

market has historically been up. Take your time horizon into 

account when establishing your investment game plan. For 

assets you’ll use soon, you may not have the time to wait 

out the market and should consider investments designed 

to protect your principal. Conversely, think long-term for 

goals that are many years away. 

Second, during any given period of market or economic 

turmoil, some asset categories and some individual 

investments historically have been less volatile than others. 

Bond price swings, for example, have generally been less 

dramatic than stock prices. Though diversification alone 

cannot guarantee a profit or ensure against the possibility of 

loss, you can minimize your risk somewhat by diversifying 

your holdings among various classes of assets, as well as 

different types of assets within each class. 

Spread your wealth through asset allocation 

Asset allocation is the process by which you spread your 

dollars over several categories of investments, usually 

referred to as asset classes. These classes include stocks, 

bonds, cash (and cash alternatives), real estate, precious 

metals, collectibles, and in some cases, insurance products. 

You’ll also see the term “asset classes” used to refer to 

subcategories, such as aggressive growth stocks, long-term 

growth stocks, international stocks, government bonds 

(U.S., state, and local), high-quality corporate bonds, lowquality 

corporate bonds, and tax-free municipal bonds. A 

basic asset allocation would likely include at least stocks, 


onds (or mutual funds of stocks and 

bonds), and cash or cash alternatives. 

There are two main reasons why asset 

allocation is important. First, the mix of 

asset classes you own is a large factor- 

-some say the biggest factor by far--in 

determining your overall investment 

portfolio performance. In other words, 

the basic decision about how to divide 

your money between stocks, bonds, 

and cash is probably more important 

than your subsequent decisions over 

exactly which companies to invest in, 

for example. 

Second, by dividing your investment 

dollars among asset classes that do 

not respond to the same market forces 

in the same way at the same time, 

you can help minimize the effects of 

market volatility while maximizing your 

chances of return in the long term. 

Ideally, if your investments in one 

class are performing poorly, assets in 

another class may be doing better. Any 

gains in the latter can help offset the 

losses in the former and help minimize 

their overall impact on your portfolio. 

Consider liquidity in your 

investment choices 

Liquidity refers to how quickly you can 

convert an investment into cash without 

loss of principal (your initial investment). 

Generally speaking, the sooner you’ll 

need your money, the wiser it is to keep 

it in investments with comparatively less 

volatile price movements. You want to 

avoid a situation, for example, where you 

need to write a tuition check next Tuesday, 

but the money is tied up in an investment 

whose price is currently down. 

Therefore, your liquidity needs should 

affect your investment choices. If you’ll 

need the money within the next one to 

three years, you may want to consider 

certificates of deposit or a savings 

account, which are insured by the 

FDIC, or short-term bonds or a money 

market account, which are neither 

insured or guaranteed by the FDIC 

or any other governmental agency. 

Your rate of return will likely be lower 

than that possible with more volatile 

investments such as stocks, but 

you’ll breathe easier knowing that the 

principal you invested is relatively safe 

and quickly available, without concern 

over market conditions on a given day. 

Dollar cost averaging: investing 

consistently and often 

Dollar cost averaging is a method of 

accumulating shares of stock or a 

mutual fund by purchasing a fixed dollar 

amount of these securities at regularly 

scheduled intervals over an extended 

time. When the price is high, your fixeddollar 

investment buys less; when prices 

are low, the same dollar investment will 

buy more shares. A regular, fixed-dollar 

investment should result in a lower 

average price per share than you would 

get buying a fixed number of shares at 

each investment interval. 

Remember that, just as with any 

investment strategy, dollar cost 

averaging can’t guarantee you a 

profit or protect you against a loss if 

the market is declining. To maximize 

the potential effects of dollar cost 

averaging, you should also assess your 

ability to keep investing even when the 

market is down. 

An alternative to dollar cost averaging 

would be trying to “time the market,” in 

an effort to predict how the price of the 

shares will fluctuate in the months ahead 

so you can make your full investment 

at the absolute lowest point. However, 

market timing is generally unprofitable 

guesswork. The discipline of regular 

investing is a much more manageable 

strategy, and it has the added benefit of 

automating the process. 

Buy and hold, don’t buy and forget 

Unless you plan to rely on luck, your 

portfolio’s long-term success will depend 

on periodically reviewing it. Maybe 

your uncle’s hot stock tip has frozen 

over. Maybe economic conditions have 

changed the prospects for a particular 

investment, or an entire asset class. 

Even if nothing bad at all happens, your 

various investments will likely appreciate 

at different rates, which will alter your 

asset allocation without any action on 

your part. For example, if you initially 

decided on an 80 percent to 20 percent 

mix of stocks to bonds, you might find 

that after several years the total value 

of your portfolio has become divided 

88 percent to 12 percent (conversely, 

if stocks haven’t done well, you might 

have a 70-30 ratio of stocks to bonds 

in this hypothetical example). You need 

to review your portfolio periodically to 

see if you need to return to your original 

allocation. To rebalance your portfolio, 

you would buy more of the asset class 

that’s lower than desired, possibly using 

some of the proceeds of the asset class 

that is now larger than you intended. 

Another reason for periodic portfolio 

review: your circumstances change over 

time, and your asset allocation will need 

to reflect those changes. For example, 

as you get closer to retirement, you 

might decide to increase your allocation 

to less volatile investments, or those that 

can provide a steady stream of income. 

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES 

Broadridge Investor Communication 

Solutions, Inc. does not provide 

investment, tax, or legal advice. The 

information presented here is not 

specific to any individual’s personal 

circumstances.To the extent that this 

material concerns tax matters, it is 

not intended or written to be used, 

and cannot be used, by a taxpayer 

for the purpose of avoiding penalties 

that may be imposed by law. Each 

taxpayer should seek independent 

advice from a tax professional based 

on his or her individual circumstances. 

These materials are provided for 

general information and educational 

purposes based upon publicly available 

information from sources believed to be 

reliablewe cannot assure the accuracy 

or completeness of these materials. 

The information in these materials may 

change at any time and without notice. 


31


Tax Planning 

for the Self-Employed 

Reprint Brocade Communications 

courtesy of Financial Management Strategies, LLC 

Self-employment is the opportunity to be your own boss, 

to come and go as you please, and oh yes, to establish a 

lifelong bond with your accountant. If you’re self-employed, 

you’ll need to pay your own FICA taxes and take charge of 

your own retirement plan, among other things. Here are 

some planning tips. 

Understand self-employment tax and how it’s calculated 

As a starting point, make sure that you understand (and 

comply with) your federal tax responsibilities. The federal 

government uses self-employment tax to fund Social Security 

and Medicare benefits. You must pay this tax if you have more 

than a minimal amount of self-employment income. If you file 

a Schedule C as a sole proprietor, independent contractor, or 

statutory employee, the net profit listed on your Schedule C 

(or Schedule C-EZ) is self-employment income and must be 

included on Schedule SE, which is filed with your federal Form 

1040. Schedule SE is used both to calculate self-employment 

tax and to report the amount of tax owed. 

Make your estimated tax payments on time to avoid 

pen alties 

Employees generally have income tax, Social Security tax, 

and Medicare tax withheld from their paychecks. But if 

you’re self-employed, it’s likely that no one is withholding 

federal and state taxes from your income. As a result, you’ll 

need to make quarterly estimated tax payments on your 

own (using IRS Form 1040-ES) to cover your federal income 

tax and self-employment tax liability. You may have to make 

state estimated tax payments, as well. If you don’t make 

estimated tax payments, you may be subject to penalties, 

interest, and a big tax bill at the end of the year. For more 

information about estimated tax, see IRS Publication 505. 

If you have employees, you’ll have additional periodic tax 

responsibilities. You’ll have to pay federal employment 

taxes and report certain information. Stay on top of your 

responsibilities and see IRS Publication 15 for details. 

Employ family members to save taxes 

Hiring a family member to work for your business can create 

tax savings for you; in effect, you shift business income 

to your relative. Your business can take a deduction for 

reasonable compensation paid to an employee, which in turn 

reduces the amount of taxable business income that flows 

through to you. Be aware, though, that the IRS can question 

compensation paid to a family member if the amount 

doesn’t seem reasonable, considering the services actually 

performed. Also, when hiring a family member who’s a minor, 

be sure that your business complies with child labor laws. 

As a business owner, you’re responsible for paying FICA (Social 

Security and Medicare) taxes on wages paid to your employees. 

The payment of these taxes will be a deductible business 

expense for tax purposes. However, if your business is a sole 

proprietorship and you hire your child who is under age 18, the 

wages that you pay your child won’t be subject to FICA taxes. 

As is the case with wages paid to all employees, wages 

paid to family members are subject to withholding of federal 

income and employment taxes, as well as certain taxes in 

some states. 

Establish an employer-sponsored retirement plan for 

tax (and nontax) reasons 

Because you’re self-employed, you’ll need to take care of 

your own retirement needs. You can do this by establishing an 

employer-sponsored retirement plan, which can provide you 

with a number of tax and nontax benefits. With such a plan, 

your business may be allowed an immediate federal income 

tax deduction for funding the plan, and you can generally 

contribute pretax dollars into a retirement account to grow 

tax deferred until withdrawal (as a tradeoff, tax-deferred funds 

withdrawn from these plans prior to age 59 are generally 

subject to a 10 percent premature distribution penalty tax-- 

as well as ordinary income tax--unless an exception applies). 

You can also choose to establish a 401(k) plan that allows 

Roth contributions; with Roth contributions, there’s no 


immediate tax benefit (after-tax dollars 

are contributed), but future qualified 

distributions will be free from federal 

income tax. You may want to consider 

evaluating one of the following types of 

retirement plans: 

• Keogh plan 

• Simplified employee pension (SEP) 

• SIMPLE IRA 

• SIMPLE 401(k) 

• Individual (or “solo”) 401(k) 

The type of retirement plan that your 

business should establish depends on 

your specific circumstances. Explore 

all of your options and consider the 

complexity of each plan. And bear 

in mind that if your business has 

employees, you may have to provide 

coverage for them as well (note that 

you may qualify for a tax credit of up 

to $500 for the costs associated with 

establishing and administering such a 

plan). For more information about your 

retirement plan options, consult a tax 

professional or see IRS Publication 560. 

Take full advantage of all business 

deductions to lower taxable income 

Because deductions lower your taxable 

income, you should make sure that 

your business is taking advantage of 

any business deductions to which it is 

entitled. You may be able to deduct a 

variety of business expenses, including 

rent or home office expenses, and the 

costs of office equipment, furniture, 

supplies, and utilities. To be deductible, 

business expenses must be both 

ordinary (common and accepted in 

your trade or business) and necessary 

(appropriate and helpful for your trade or 

business). If your expenses are incurred 

partly for business purposes and partly 

for personal purposes, you can deduct 

only the business-related portion. 

If you’re concerned about lowering 

your taxable income this year, consider 

the following possibilities: 

Deduct the business expenses 

associated with your motor vehicle, using 

either the standard mileage allowance 

or your actual business-related vehicle 

expenses to calculate your deduction 

• Buy supplies for your business late 

this year that you would normally 

order early next year 

• Purchase depreciable business 

equipment, furnishings, and vehicles 

this year 

• Deduct the appropriate portion 

of business meals, travel, and 

entertainment expenses 

• Write off any bad business debts 

Self-employed taxpayers who use the 

cash method of accounting have the 

most flexibility to maneuver at year-end. 

See a tax specialist for more information. 

Deduct health-care related expenses 

If you qualify, you may be able to benefit 

from the self-employed health insurance 

deduction, which would enable you to 

deduct up to 100 percent of the cost 

of health insurance that you provide 

for yourself, your spouse, and your 

dependents. This deduction is taken on 

the front of your federal Form 1040 (i.e., 

“above-the-line”) when computing your 

adjusted gross income, so it’s available 

whether you itemize or not. 

Contributions you make to a health 

savings account (HSA) are also deductible 

“above-the-line.” An HSA is a taxexempt 

trust or custodial account you 

can establish in conjunction with a highdeductible 

health plan to set aside funds 

for health-care expenses. If you withdraw 

funds to pay for the qualified medical 

expenses of you, your spouse, or your 

dependents, the funds are not included in 

your adjusted gross income. Distributions 

from an HSA that are not used to pay for 

qualified medical expenses are included 

in your adjusted gross income, and are 

subject to an additional 20 percent penalty 

tax unless an exception applies. 

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES 

Broadridge Investor Communication 

Solutions, Inc. does not provide 

investment, tax, or legal advice. The 

information presented here is not 

specific to any individual’s personal 

circumstances.To the extent that this 

material concerns tax matters, it is 

not intended or written to be used, 

and cannot be used, by a taxpayer 

for the purpose of avoiding penalties 

that may be imposed by law. Each 

taxpayer should seek independent 

advice from a tax professional based 

on his or her individual circumstances. 

These materials are provided for 

general information and educational 

purposes based upon publicly available 

information from sources believed to be 

reliablewe cannot assure the accuracy 

or completeness of these materials. 

The information in these materials may 

change at any time and without notice. 


33

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Shumaker Report 

If You Do the Right 

Thing, You Win— 

Most of the Time 

By Gary E. Shumaker 

Gary Shumaker, President, 

Gary E. Shumaker, Inc. 

When you compete for government contracts, sometimes 

you win, and sometimes you don’t. 

Fairfax (Virginia)-based ASM Research thought they had 

won when the Department of Veterans Affairs awarded 

them a $102 million task order off the firm’s Transformation 

Twenty-One Total Technology, or T-4, contract in late January, 

to develop software critical to the integration of Department 

of Defense and VA health records. 

At least they thought they had won until the contract was 

cancelled a month later as a result of a whistleblower at 

Military Health Systems who exposed possible organizational 

conflict of interest on the part of ASM’s subcontractors. 

According to the web site NextGov, the actions that led to 

the termination of the contract “stemmed from officials 

who worked for the Military Health System at the time the 

contract went out for bid in October 2011, and who now 

work for ASM subcontractors.” 

According to a blog post by Bob Brewin on the NextGov 

web site, the whistleblower was a government employee of 

the Military Health System getting even with folks who blew 

the whistle on him a few years back. 

NextGov says, “. . .termination of the contract stemmed 

from officials who worked for the Military Health System at 

the time the contract went out for bid in October 2011 and 

who now work for ASM subcontractors.” 

ASM Research probably spent tens of thousands of dollars, 

possibly into six figures, on their proposal for the work that 

they won. In addition, at least four other T-4 prime contractors 

invested in bids for this opportunity, including Harris Corp., 

SAIC, SRA International and 7 Delta. 7 Delta is a servicedisabled 

veteran-owned small business. 

Anybody who has ever worked on a government proposal knows 

that the dollars are just part of the cost—there’s absolutely an 

emotional cost, too. With this kind of an investment, it’s unlikely 

that ASM knowingly took the risk of doing something that might 

cause all of that money to be for nothing. 

(It’s important to remember that the allegations in this case 

are NOT that ASM did anything overtly wrong, but rather that 

their subcontractors had an organization conflict of interest.) 

The government still needs the software they contracted 

with ASM for. They’ll now need to do something else to get 

it. This probably involves a recompete. If it can be re-styled 

enough to negate the value of the insider information, ASM 

may still be eligible. Or not. 

Will the (alleged) guilty parties be punished Probably. 

Individual wrong doers occasionally end up with jail time, 

but corporate punishments are more frequently something 

like suspension or disbarment from federal contracting. 

Contractors may be proposed for disbarment for poor 

performance, or for ethical issues. Ignorance isn’t usually 

much of a defense; if an officer or senior executive of the 

company knew what was going on, it’s presumed that the 

company knew, should have known or could have known if 

it were an appropriately managed company. 

A company that is proposed for disbarment has the right to due 

process. During the time the process is ongoing the company 

may not propose for or accept new government work. Nothing. 

Not even task orders on existing contracts. Not even exercise 

of options on existing awarded contracts. Not even funding 

increases on existing tasks. It’s like time stands still for existing 

contracts, and no new business is allowed to come in the door 

to replace efforts that come to an end. 

Suspensions during the adjudication period are usually for 

relatively short periods and can be started with less evidence 

than disbarments. 

But it can take a year or more after a company is 

proposed for disbarment before a decision is reached. 

The ban on proposing or accepting new work is in place 

for the duration of this period. During this period, there 

may be negotiation of a package of changes in how the 

company does business. In a recent, highly publicized 


case, government contractor GTSI, 

as a part of a negotiated settlement, 

accepted the voluntary resignations 

of its chief executive officer and 

general counsel and suspended three 

other employees, who subsequently 

resigned. GTSI conducted a review of 

its business ethics program that covers 

all employees, created a position and 

designated an employee as GTSI’s 

corporate ethics officer, responsible 

for managing GTSI’s business ethics 

program. 

If approved, disbarment may be 

permanent, but it’s most often limited 

to a three-year period, again in which 

the company cannot propose or accept 

government work. This can be a killer 

for small businesses that depend 

on government contracts for their 

livelihood. 

In the past, there have been periods 

in which the government neglected 

to use suspension and disbarment. 

Right now, however, government 

agencies have a greater tendency to 

see themselves as watchdogs, and 

up their enforcement activity. There 

were 1076 contractors that agencies 

sought to debar from 2005 to 2008. 

Actions were initiated against 868 in 

2010 alone. According to a December, 

2011, story in the Washington Post, 

debarments increased by another 

11% in 2011. Suspensions in 2011 

were up by 40%. 

Moral to this story: It pays to be ethical 

because it’s the right thing to do. If you 

can’t do it for that reason, it still pays to 

be ethical because the risk of getting 

caught is increasing, and the penalties 

are severe. 

When you win, you really do win. At 

least most of the time. 

Gary E. Shumaker is the founder and 

senior consultant for Gary E. Shumaker, 

Inc., a strategic business development 

practice specializing in helping small 

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Business News 

Obama Elevates SBA 

to Cabinet-Level 

Agency 

By Patricia Orsini 

Patricia Orsini 

Small Business Editor, 

President Barack Obama today announced that the head of 

the U.S. Small Business Administration, Karen Mills, will be 

the newest cabinet member. 

He made the announcement that the SBA would become a 

cabinet-level agency in front of small-business owners at the 

White House. The 

head of the SBA 

was a cabinetlevel 

position 

under the Clinton 

Administration. 

The announcement 

was part of 

a larger proposal 

that would 

combine the SBA 

with five other 

government 

agencies that 

focus on business 

and trade. 

Those organizations 

include 

the Commerce 

Department’s 

President Barack Obama 

core business and 

trade functions; 

the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; the Export- 

Import Bank; the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; 

and the Trade and Development Agency. 

These agencies combined would, according to Obama, 

create a more efficient climate for business development 

and entrepreneurship. In addition, according to AP, the 

merger would save the federal government $3 billion over 10 

years by eliminating duplicate costs and human resources. 

Barry Sloane, CEO of the Small Business Authority, applauded 

the move. “I think it’s constructive for two reasons,” he told 

CNBC.com. “By doing this, Obama is making a statement 

that small business is important. And, he’s making good on 

his promise of reducing overlapping agencies, which will 

reduce government spending.” 

The proposal to merge the agencies must be approved by 

Congress. If the merger is approved, the SBA would no 

longer be in the cabinet. 

Sloane the SBA has been an engine for recovery from the 

recession. “Under the Obama Recovery Act, he increased 

loan size from the SBA from $2 million to $5 million, and 

increased the amount of government guarantee on those 

loans, which has been helpful to business owners. This 

proposal is another acknowledgment of the importance of 

small business.” 

House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves 

(R-MO) said in a statement today that “I look forward to 

examining the [proposed merger] further, and I hope the 

President will work very closely with Congress before 

finalizing any changes.” 

While he was non-committal on whether he would vote 

to approve the changes, he said: “Decreasing the size of 

government and reducing bureaucracy is something that I 

support in principle, however, it is important that any effort 

to make significant changes to federal commerce and trade 

programs be done carefully, and in a way that protects 

America’s small businesses.” 


39

Government News 

Commission for Environmental Cooperation 

Announces Funding to Address 

Environmental Problems in North America 


February, 16, 2012 

WASHINGTON – Today, Commission for Environmental 

Cooperation (CEC) council members including U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced the 

winners of more than $1.3 million of grants under the CEC’s North 

American Partnership for Environmental Community Action 

(NAPECA) program. The grants will support community efforts 

to promote healthy communities and ecosystems, encourage 

activities that address climate change through the transition to a 

low carbon economy, and advance innovative projects that could 

assist in greening the economies of the three countries. 

Eighteen projects were chosen from 500 proposals received last 

year as part of a new initiative announced at the CEC Council’s 

meeting held in Montreal. The successful projects span the 

eco-regions of North America and support environmental 

action at the community level from the sub-arctic tundra, to the 

grasslands of the Great Plains, to the tropical forests of Mexico. 

Projects address issues ranging from the effects of climate 

change on Woodland Caribou and the Athabaskan Peoples 

in Canada, to citizen-powered air quality testing in Louisiana, 

and protecting the health of women and children through the 

adoption of better clean energy cook stoves in Mexico. 

The 18 projects were selected based on their significance for 

addressing community and North American environmental 

issues, their innovation and technical or scientific 

approaches, their emphasis on promoting partnerships 

and demonstration of a plan to produce clear and tangible 

results. The projects represent an extremely broad base 

of hands-on groups and organizations, representing tribal 

nations, indigenous peoples, community organizations, 

environmental groups, and academic institutions 

The CEC council members include the environment ministers 

of the three NAFTA countries: Canada’s Environment Minister 

Peter Kent, Mexico’s Secretary of the Environment and 

Natural Resources Juan Elvira Quesada and US Environmental 

Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. 

A complete list of grantees: http://www.cec.org/napeca 

More information on the Commission for Environmental 

Cooperation: http://www.epa.gov/oia/regions/na/nacec/ 

index.html 

CONTACT: 

Stacy Kika (News Media Only) 

kika.stacy@epa.gov 

202-564-0906, 202-564-4355 

Obama Administration Announces Commitments 

to Protect the Health of Every American 

Agencies publish environmental justice strategies designed to ensure 

that all communities are protected from environmental harm and 

benefit from federal programs 


February 27, 2012 

WASHINGTON — Today, federal agencies, led by the Council 

on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA), released environmental justice 

strategies, implementation plans and progress reports, 

outlining steps agencies will take to protect communities 

facing greater health and environmental risks. These strategies 

represent a significant step forward in the Administration’s 

commitment to integrating environmental justice into federal 

decision-making and programs in areas such as transportation, 

labor, health services, housing and others. 

“Working together we have been able to make environmental 

justice a focus not just for EPA, but for agencies across the 

administration. Each of our federal partners plays a unique 

role in serving the American people, and each has a unique 

opportunity to ensure that our communities get the health 


and environmental protections they deserve,” said U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. 

Jackson. “If we aspire to build an economy and a society 

that works for every American, we can’t allow the heaviest 

burdens of pollution and health threats to fall on our poorest 

citizens. Bringing together our federal partners to tackle these 

challenges is a major step toward health, environmental and 

economic benefits in communities across the nation.” 

“We know that all too often, low-income and minority families 

live in the shadows of some of the worst pollution, leading 

to higher rates of diseases and threatening the economic 

potential of their communities,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of 

the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “With 

these environmental justice strategies, Federal agencies 

are following through on the Obama Administration’s 

commitment to reduce public health threats.” 

The Administration believes that all Americans should be 

able to live in healthy communities, share in the benefits 

of federal programs and initiatives, and have a voice in the 

federal decision-making process. Yet too often that is not 

the case, particularly for low-income, minority and tribal 

populations. To make progress toward addressing these 

inequities, federal agencies have reviewed their portfolios 

to assess how their programs, policies, and activities may 

have disproportionately adverse health and environmental 

effects. Through this review, they have identified overarching 

strategies, as well as specific programs and initiatives, to 

reduce environmental or health hazards, ensure access to 

beneficial programs, and increase community participation 

in agency decision-making. For example: 

The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Transit 

Administration is finalizing an environmental justice circular 

to help grantees determine whether there are any minority 

or low-income populations that may be adversely affected 

by a transit project or decision. DOT’s Federal Highway 

Administration is working with the National Highway Institute 

to revamp their course on environmental justice and Title VI. 

The U.S. Department of Labor is translating educational materials 

and hazard alerts into Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese to 

ensure that minority workers have access to information they 

need to avoid environmental hazards on the job. 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Pueblo Project in Los Alamos, 

N.M., provides four tribal governments the opportunity to run 

pollution monitoring programs and provide technical input on 

National Nuclear Security Administration decisions. 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is helping to provide 

green jobs and workforce development opportunities for 

veterans in minority and low-income communities. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with 

communities to use Health Impact Assessments, to help 

proactively address the potential impacts a policy or project 

might have on minority and low income populations. 

For example, in Baltimore, MD, work is under way to 

evaluate the human health impact of a vacant property 

redevelopment program. 

“Communities that have historically been the reluctant hosts 

to the country’s environmental burdens have endured the 

consequence of poor public health, housing, employment 

and education inequities to name a few,” said Elizabeth C. 

Yeampierre, Executive Director of the United Puerto Rican 

Organization of Sunset Park and chair of EPA’s National 

Environmental Justice Advisory Council “The Administration 

deserves praise for recognizing that these complex problems 

require a holistic approach.” 

“At the Department of Transportation, we are committed 

to working directly with disadvantaged groups to choose, 

plan, and build transportation projects that will create 

jobs and spur economic growth,” said U.S. Transportation 

Secretary Ray LaHood. “When we talk about environmental 

justice, we don’t just mean avoiding harm to disadvantaged 

communities: we want to invest in projects that will create 

healthy, vibrant neighborhoods, revitalize communities, 

and connect all Americans to jobs, housing, schools, and 

medical care.” 

“The Department of Labor’s environmental justice strategy 

demonstrates our commitment to ensuring safe and healthy 

workplaces, and vibrant communities for the American 

workforce to call home,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L.Solis. 

“Environmental justice is a key component of my vision of 

Good Jobs for Everyone, and means making sure that the 

department’s programs and policies foster health, safety 

and adequate training for all people, including minority, lowincome, 

and tribal workers.” 

“At the Department of Health & Human Services we 

understand the important connection between our 

environment and our country’s health but we also know that 

our department cannot do this work alone.” said Secretary 

Sebelius. “We look forward to our continued collaboration 

with the Environmental Protection Agency and others to 

focus on building safe and healthy communities.” 

The release of these strategies and implementation 

progress reports is a part of a broad effort the Administration 

has undertaken to reinvigorate the federal commitment 

to environmental justice. After more than a decade of 

inaction, the Administration reconvened the Environmental 

Justice Interagency Working Group and engaged more 

than 100 environmental justice leaders at a White House 

Forum on Environmental Justice. Throughout 2011, federal 

agencies participated in more than 15 listening sessions 

across the country to learn from stakeholders how the 

federal government can better partner with overburdened 

communities to reduce environmental and health burdens. 

Then, in August 2011, 16 federal agencies committed to 

finalizing environmental justice strategies and releasing 

annual implementation progress reports. 

Federal agencies releasing new environmental justice 

strategies by February 2012 include: the Department of 

Agriculture, Department of Labor, Department of Health 

and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, Department of Transportation, Department 

of Interior, Department of Veterans Affairs and General 

Services Administration. The EPA and the Department 


41

of Energy published new strategies in 2011 and 2008, 

respectively, and released annual implementation plans last 

year. They both continue to take public comment on their 

strategies and will update each strategy, as appropriate. 

The U.S. Department of Justice recently released its 

annual implementation progress report. The Department 

of Defense released its strategy in 1995 and this year will 

be releasing an annual implementation progress report. 

The Department of Education, Department of Homeland 

Security and Department of Commerce have taken public 

comment on their draft strategies and are working to finalize 

their strategies and implementation reports. 

More about agency strategies and implementation plans: 

http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/interagency/iwgcompendium.html 

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, 

Testimony Before the U.S. House Committee 

on Energy & Commerce Subcommittees on 

Energy & Power, Environment & the Economy 

Lisa P. Jackson, 

Administrator, EPA 


February 28, 2012 

WASHINGTON - 

As prepared for delivery. 

Thank you for inviting me to testify 

on the President’s Fiscal Year 2013 

budget for the Environmental 

Protection Agency. I’m joined 

by the Agency’s Chief Financial 

Officer, Barbara Bennett. 

EPA’s budget request of $8.344 billion 

focuses on fulfilling EPA’s core mission 

of protecting public health and the 

environment, while making the sacrifices and tough decisions 

that Americans across the country are making every day. 

EPA’s budget request fully reflects the President’s commitment 

to reducing government spending and finding cost savings in 

a responsible manner while supporting clean air, clean water 

and the innovative safe guards that are essential to an America 

that’s built to last. In some cases we have had to take a step 

back from programs - this budget reflects a savings of $50 

million through the elimination of several EPA programs and 

activities that have either met their goals, or can be achieved 

at the State or local level or by other Federal agencies. 

Let me spend a moment discussing major elements of EPA’s 

budget request. 

This budget recognizes the importance of our partners at the 

State, local and tribal level. As you know, they are at the front 

lines of implementing our environmental laws like the Clean 

Water Act, and the Clean Air Act. In fact, the largest portion – 

40% percent of EPA’s funding request -- is directed to the State 

and Tribal Assistance Grants appropriation to support their efforts. 

Specifically, this budget proposes that $1.2 billion - nearly 

15% of EPA’s overall request - be allocated back to the States 

and tribes, through categorical grants. This includes funding 

for State and Local Air Quality Management grants, Pollution 

Control grants and the tribal general assistance program. 

The budget also proposes that a combined $2 billion - another 

25% of EPA’s budget request - also goes directly to the States for 

the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. This 

funding will help support efficient system wide investments and 

development of water infrastructure in our communities. We are 

working collaboratively to identify opportunities to fund green 

infrastructure - projects that can reduce pollution efficiently and 

less expensively than traditional grey infrastructure. 

Additionally, EPA’s budget request would fund the protection of 

the nation’s land and water in local communities. Reflecting the 

President’s commitment to restoring and protecting the Great 

Lakes, this budget requests that Congress maintain the current 

funding level of $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration 

Initiative. This support will continue to be used for collaborative 

work with partners at the State, local and tribal level, and also 

with non-profit and municipal groups. The budget also requests 

support for protection of the Chesapeake Bay, and several other 

treasured and economically significant water bodies. The budget 

reflects the importance of cleaning up contaminated land sites 

in our communities by requesting $755 million for continued 

support of the Superfund cleanup programs and maintains the 

Agency’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities. 

EPA’s budget request makes major investments in its science 

and technology account of $807 million, or almost 10 percent 

of the total request. This request includes $576M for research, 

including $81 million in research grants and fellowships to 

scientists and universities throughout the country for targeted 

research as part of the Science to Achieve Results - or STAR 

– program, including children’s health, endocrine disruption, 

and air monitoring research. Also, as part of this request, EPA 

includes funding increases into key areas that include green 

infrastructure and hydraulic fracturing. 

As I’ve mentioned before, natural gas is an important 

resource which is abundant in the United States, but we 

must make sure that the ways we extract it do not risk the 

safety of public water supplies. This budget continues EPA’s 


ongoing congressionally directed hydraulic fracturing study, 

which we have taken great steps to ensure is independent, 

peer reviewed and based on strong and scientifically 

defensible data. Building on these ongoing efforts, this 

budget requests $14 million in total to work collaboratively 

with the United States Geological Survey, the Department 

of Energy and other partners to assess questions regarding 

hydraulic fracturing. Strong science means finding the 

answers to tough questions, and EPA’s request does that. 

We are making investments to support standards for clean 

energy and efficiency in this budget. Specifically, this budget 

supports EPA’s efforts to introduce cleaner vehicles and fuels 

and to expand the use of home-grown renewable fuels. This 

includes funding for EPA’s Federal Vehicle and Fuel Standards 

and Certification program to support certification, and 

compliance testing for all emissions standards. This also includes 

implementation of the President’s historic agreement with the 

auto industry for carbon pollution and fuel economy standards 

through 2025 for cars and light duty vehicles, including testing 

support for NHTSA’s fuel economy standards. Taken together, 

the Administration’s standards for cars and light trucks are 

projected to result in $1.7 trillion dollars of fuel savings, and 12 

billion fewer barrels of oil consumed. This funding will also help 

support implementation of the first ever carbon pollution and 

fuel economy standards for heavy duty trucks. 

CONTACT: 

EPA Press Office , press@epa.gov, 202-564-6794 

ARPA-E Issues Open Call 

for Transformational Energy Technologies 

Releases $150 Million Funding Opportunity Announcement 

Office of Public Affairs For Immediate Release: 

March 2, 2012 

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Advanced Research Projects 

Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) issued a $150 million funding 

opportunity open to all transformational energy technologies 

to support the Obama Administration’s all-of-the-above 

approach to solving our nation’s most pressing energy 

challenges. This Open Funding Opportunity Announcement 

is a call to our country’s brightest scientists, engineers and 

entrepreneurs to propose early-stage research projects that 

would not otherwise be able to attract private investment, 

but could lead to breakthrough energy technologies. This 

is the second open funding opportunity released under 

ARPA-E. The first was in 2009. 

“Today we are calling on our nation’s best and brightest to 

catalyze energy breakthroughs in all areas imaginable through 

this Open Funding Opportunity Announcement, which 

illustrates the true purpose of ARPA-E,” said Director Majumdar. 

“Innovation is our nation’s sweet spot, and it is critically 

important that we look at every possible energy solution in 

order to ensure America’s future prosperity and security.” 

This Open Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) joins 

ARPA-E’s other recently issued FOA – Methane Opportunities 

for Vehicular Energy (MOVE) – which will make $30 million 

available to find ways to harness our abundant supplies of 

domestic natural gas for vehicles and was announced by 

President Obama last week at the University of Miami. 

More details on all of ARPA-E’s Funding Opportunities and 

Requests For Information are available HERE. Individual 

awards under the Open FOA will range between $250,000 

and $10 million. 

President Obama launched the Energy Department’s 

Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) in 

2009 to seek out transformational, breakthrough technologies 

that are too risky for private sector investment but have the 

potential to translate science into quantum leaps in energy 

technology, form the foundation for entirely new industries, 

and in the future have large commercial impact. 

Including its most recent round of selections, ARPA-E has 

funded a total of more than 180 projects, for $521.7 million in 

awards across 12 program areas. Demonstrating the success 

ARPA-E has already seen, the Agency announced last year 

that eleven of its projects that received $40 million from 

ARPA-E for innovative research, were able to use this funding 

to demonstrate results, which allowed these teams to secure 

more than $200 million in outside private capital investment. 

ARPA-E’s third annual Energy Innovation Summit featured 107 

speakers, including: President Bill Clinton; Microsoft Founder 

and Chairman, Bill Gates; Xerox CEO, Ursula Burns; FedEx CEO, 

Fred Smith; BDT Capital Chairman, Lee Scott; Deputy Secretary 

of Defense, Ashton Carter; MIT President, Susan Hockfield; 

U.S. Energy Secretary, Steven Chu; and ARPA-E Director, Arun 

Majumdar. The Summit attracted 2,440 attendees from 49 

states and 26 countries and featured a Technology Showcase 

displaying over 240 breakthrough energy developments from 

ARPA-E’s awardees, finalists and other teams. 


43

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack 

Announces Funding To Improve Rural 

Electric Infrastructure and Make the 

‘Grid’ More Reliable and Efficient 

Almost $25 Million in Smart Grid Technology Projects to be Included 

Contact: 

USDA Office of Communications (202) 720-4623 

SAN DIEGO, Calif., March 7, 2012 — Agriculture Secretary 

Tom Vilsack today announced that rural electric cooperative 

utilities in eight states will receive funding to install smart 

grid technologies and make improvements to generation 

and transmission facilities. The announcement was made 

on the Secretary’s behalf by Under Secretary for Rural 

Development Dallas Tonsager during the 2012 National Rural 

Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Annual Meeting 

in San Diego. 

“President Obama is taking an all-of-the-above approach to 

meet our energy challenges by developing new domestic 

energy sources, expanding oil and gas production, and 

reducing our overall reliance on oil through fuel efficiencies 

and renewable energy development,” Vilsack said. “By 

supporting electrical system improvements, the Obama 

Administration is not only improving the reliability of 

America’s electric grid, it’s creating jobs and promoting 

business expansion. These investments in smart grid 

technologies give rural electric utilities and their consumers 

one more tool to better manage their use of electricity, 

improve efficiency, increase reliability of the electric grid and 

lower overall costs.” 

In less than a year, USDA Rural Development is more than 

halfway toward reaching Secretary Vilsack’s goal to fund 

more than $250 million for Smart Grid technologies. Today’s 

announcement includes support for about $25 million in 

Smart Grid technologies. 

Examples of funding announced today include the Roanoke 

Electric Membership Corporation in Ahoskie, NC. It will receive 

a $16.8 million guaranteed loan to fund system improvement 

projects to enhance reliability. The loan will also finance smart 

grid technologies and transmission line improvements. In 

Laurel, Miss., Dixie Electric Power Association will receive a 

$29 million loan to build or improve 301 miles of distribution 

line and make other system improvements. The loan includes 

$8.9 million for automated metering. 

The $201 million in loans announced today are provided by 

USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS). The 

funding helps electric utilities upgrade, expand, maintain 

and replace rural America’s electric infrastructure. USDA 

Rural Development also funds energy conservation and 

renewable energy projects. 

The following is a list of rural utilities that will receive USDA 

funding, which is contingent upon the recipient meeting the 

terms of the loan agreement. 

Florida 

Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, Inc. – $19,922,000. Funding 

will be used to build and improve 274 miles of distribution 

line and make other system improvements. The loan amount 

includes $2,397,027 in smart grid projects. 

Georgia 

Georgia Transmission Corporation – $74,051,000. Funding 

will be used to construct new lines and substations and 

make upgrades to existing lines and substations. The loan 

amount includes $5,305,823 in smart grid projects. 

Upson Electric Membership Corporation – $3,925,000. 

Funding will be used to build and improve 94 miles of 

distribution line and make other system improvements. 

Mississippi 

Dixie Electric Power Association – $29,079,000. Funding will 

be used to build and improve 301 miles of distribution line 

and make other system improvements. 

Magnolia Electric Power Association – $30,000,000. Funding 

will be used to build and improve 251 miles of distribution 

line and make other system improvements. The loan amount 

includes $5,414,200 in smart grid projects. 

New Mexico 

Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc. – $6,646,000. 


distribution line and make other system improvements. The 

loan amount includes $699,560 in smart grid projects. 

North Carolina 

Roanoke Electric Membership Corporation – $16,820,000. 




Ohio 

Darke Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. – $5,620,000. Funding 

will be used to build and improve 69 miles of distribution line 

and make other system improvements. The loan amount 

includes $637,360 for smart grid projects. 


South Dakota 

Codington-Clark Electric Cooperative, Inc. – $9,013,000. 




Tennessee 

Tennessee Valley Electric Cooperative – $6,912,000. Funds 

will be used to build and improve 406 miles of distribution line 

and make other system improvements. 

Since taking office, President Obama’s Administration has 

taken significant steps to improve the lives of rural Americans 

and has provided broad support for rural communities. 

The Obama Administration has set goals of modernizing 

infrastructure by providing broadband access to 10 million 

Americans, expanding educational opportunities for students 

in rural areas and providing affordable health care. In the long 

term, these unparalleled rural investments will help ensure 

that America’s rural communities are repopulating, selfsustaining 

and thriving economically. 

USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, 

administers and manages housing, business and community 

infrastructure and facility programs through a national 

network of state and local offices. Rural Development has 

an existing portfolio of more than $165 billion in loans and 

loan guarantees. These programs are designed to improve 

the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, 

residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of 

life in rural America. 

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack 

Highlights New Job Creation Opportunities 

for Agriculture and Manufacturing through 

Development of Biobased Products 

Recent Presidential Action Would Give Companies Making Products 

Using Agricultural Materials Federal Procurement Preferences 

Contact: 

USDA Office of Communications (202) 720-4623 

CLEVELAND, Ohio, March 16, 2012-- Agriculture Secretary 

Tom Vilsack today visited the Sherwin-Williams John G. Breen 

Technology research facility in Cleveland to highlight how the 

growing biobased products industry is creating new economic 

opportunities for Ohio agriculture and manufacturing. Sherwin 

Williams is developing new, biobased paints using soybeans, 

an example of how agricultural products grown by America’s 

farmers are being used to make products for consumers, 

creating jobs on the farm and in the manufacturing and retail 

sectors. Vilsack was joined at the event by Ohio U.S. Senator 

Sherrod Brown and Chris Connor, Chairman and CEO of the 

Sherwin-Williams Company. 

“The biobased products sector marries the two most 

important economic engines for rural America: agriculture 

and manufacturing,” said Vilsack. “Ohio has an emerging 

biobased-manufacturing industry, with nearly 150 

companies in Ohio already producing biobased products. 

Using agricultural commodities grown by farmers, right 

here in the Midwest, Ohio has the potential to lead the 

nation in the creation of new biobased products and create 

sustainable economic opportunities for the entire region.” 

Though the industry is in its early stages, today nearly 

3,100 companies are producing more than 25,000 biobased 

products. Last month, President Obama issued a Presidential 

Memorandum to create jobs through increased procurement 

of biobased products by the federal government. In 2011, 

USDA announced the designation of 14 additional biobased 

product categories that are eligible for federal procurement 

preference. 

Last year the Sherwin-Williams Company was awarded the 

Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. The award 

from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA) on behalf 

of the White House, recognized Sherwin-Williams innovative 

new paint formulation, utilizing soybean oil and recycled plastic 

bottles (PET) in the substantial reduction of Volatile Organic 

Compounds (VOC). In manufacturing the new paint formula, 

Sherwin-Williams has used 320,000 pounds of soybean oil, 

250,000 pounds of PET, and eliminated 1,000 barrels of oil. The 

company’s continued evolution and expansion of the Sherwin- 

Williams technology has the potential to eliminate millions of 

pounds of VOC emissions while supporting the recycling of 

multi-million pounds of PET each year. 

Secretary Vilsack also highlighted Ohio’s state program, 

BioOhio, which is similar to USDA’s BioPreferred program. 

The BioPreferred program, launched in January 2011, is a 

voluntary USDA product certification and labeling program 

for qualifying biobased products. The label identifies 

biobased products made from renewable resources and 

promotes the increased sale and use of these products in 

the commercial market and for consumers. 

Biobased products are composed wholly or significantly of 

biological ingredients—waste streams and renewable plant, 


45

animal, marine, or forestry materials. From natural pet foods 

and biobased paint, to soy ink and toner, these companies are 

creating jobs in Ohio’s small towns and rural communities, 

and generating a link between agriculture and manufacturing. 

Creating new markets for the nation’s agricultural products 

through biobased manufacturing is one of the many steps 

the Administration has taken over the past three years to 

strengthen the rural economy. Since August 2011, the White 

House Rural Council has supported a broad spectrum of 

rural initiatives including a $350 million commitment in SBA 

funding to rural small businesses over the next 5 years, 

launching a series of conferences to connect investors with 

rural start-ups, creating capital marketing teams to pitch 

federal funding opportunities to private investors interested 

in making rural investments, making job search information 

available at 2,800 local USDA offices nationwide, making 

HHS loans available to help more than 1,300 Critical Access 

Hospitals recruit additional staff, and helping rural hospitals 

purchase software and hardware to implement health IT. 


taken historic steps to improve the lives of rural Americans, 

put people back to work and build thriving economies in 

rural communities. From proposing the American Jobs Act 

to establishing the first-ever White House Rural Council – 

chaired by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack – the President 

wants the federal government to be the best possible partner 

for rural businesses, entrepreneurs and people who want to 

live, work and raise their families in rural communities. 

Secretary Vilsack Releases Report 

Highlighting Obama Administration Accomplishments 

Supporting Renewable 

Energy and Energy Efficiency Efforts 

Events Being Held Nationwide Today To Showcase Successful Projects, 

Deadline for Some 2012 Energy Applications Approaches 

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2012 – Agriculture Secretary Tom 

Vilsack today released a report highlighting the ways in which 

USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) contributes 

to U.S. energy independence and helps rural small businesses 

and farmers become more energy efficient. The Secretary 

also reminded eligible farmers, ranchers and rural business 

owners that the deadline to apply for some types of funding 

this year is approaching. 

“The Obama Administration understands that helping our 

nation become more energy efficient is key to continuing the 

current economic recovery and reducing our reliance on foreign 

oil,” Vilsack said. “Stable energy costs are a prime factor in an 

employer’s decision to expand a business or hire new workers. 

That is why USDA has partnered with more than 13,000 of 

America’s farmers, ranchers and rural businesses to improve 

their bottom line by helping them find energy efficient solutions 

that will spur economic growth and prosperity in rural America.” 

The REAP program is part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above 

approach to energy that includes increasing domestic oil and 

gas production, developing new alternative energy sources, 

and reducing our reliance on oil through energy efficiencies. 

To coincide with the report’s release, Rural Development 

state offices across the nation are holding events today to 

demonstrate how REAP helps reduce energy use and supports 

the development of renewable energy sources. During the next 

several weeks, RD state offices also are continuing to conduct 

energy stakeholder roundtable meetings to highlight Rural 

Development programs that help businesses conserve energy. 

Vilsack said that since President Obama took office three 

years ago the REAP program has: 

• Supported 5,733 renewable energy and energy efficiency 

projects nationwide; 

• Generated or saved an estimated 6,500 megawatt hours 

of power; 

• Provided $192 million in grants and $165 million in loan 

guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small 

business owners for renewable energy systems and 

energy efficiency improvements; 

• Fostered partnerships that have leveraged an estimated 

$800 million from other sources. 

REAP is Rural Development’s most successful and competitive 

renewable energy and energy efficiency program. It was 

authorized under the 2002 Farm Bill and is administered by 

USDA Rural Development. Since the first REAP awards were 

made in 2003, the program has helped more than 13,000 

rural small businesses and agricultural producers, saved 

enough energy to power nearly 600,000 American homes for 

a year, and funded more than1,000 solar projects and more 

than 560 wind projects. The program provides grants, loan 

guarantees, and a combination of grants and loan guarantees 

to rural small businesses and agricultural producers. 

Funds may be used to purchase renewable energy systems 

and to make energy efficiency improvements. REAP 

also provides grants for feasibility studies for renewable 


systems, energy audits, and renewable energy development 

assistance for agricultural producers and rural small 

businesses. In 2011, grants and loan guarantees funded 

projects in all 50 States and territories. 

While applications for REAP guaranteed loans for renewable 

energy systems and energy efficiency improvements are 

being accepted through June 29, 2012, applications for REAP 

grants and loan/grant combinations must be submitted no later 

than March 30th. For additional information on how to apply 

for REAP funding, see Page 2948 of the January 20 Federal 

Register, http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/ 

MN-RBS-REAP-AuditNOFA.pdf, or contact your USDA Rural 

Development state office. A list of these offices is available at 

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/StateOfficeAddresses.html. 


taken historic steps to improve the lives of rural Americans, 

put people back to work and build thriving economies in rural 

communities. From proposing the American Jobs Act to 

establishing the first-ever White House Rural Council – chaired 

by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack – the President wants 

the federal government to be the best possible partner for 

rural businesses and entrepreneurs and for people who want 

to live, work and raise their families in rural communities. 

USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers 

and manages housing, business and community infrastructure 

and facility programs through a national network of state and 

local offices. Rural Development has an active portfolio of more 

than $165 billion in affordable loans and loan guarantees. These 

programs are designed to improve the economic stability 

of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and 

ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America. 

Contact: 

Jay Fletcher (202) 690-0498 

Obama Administration Announces 

$15 Million Multi-Agency Challenge 

To Foster Job Creation and Business 

Innovation in Rural Communities Nationwide 

13 Federal agencies leverage resources to strengthen regional 

industry clusters and advance rural economies 

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2012—The Obama Administration 

today announced a $15 million multi-agency Rural Jobs and 

Innovation Accelerator challenge to spur job creation and 

economic growth in distressed rural communities. This 

competition, which is being funded by the U.S. Department 

of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration 

(EDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Delta 

Regional Authority (DRA), and the Appalachian Regional 

Commission (ARC), was designed by the Taskforce for 

the Advancement of Regional Innovation Clusters and the 

White House Rural Council. 

President Obama recently announced the challenge as part 

of the Administration’s “We Can’t Wait” efforts to strengthen 

the economy, create jobs and support business growth, 

particularly expanding opportunity for rural Americans and 

supporting new and innovative businesses nationwide. 

The national effort will support rural partnerships by 

identifying and leveraging local assets and strengthening 

linkages to industry clusters. Strong industry clusters 

promote robust economic ecosystems and the development 

of a skilled workforce, both of which are critical to long-term 

regional success in rural areas. Last year’s 20 challenge 

winners–both rural and urban public-private partnerships– 

generated millions in matching funds and their projects are 

expected to help create hundreds of new businesses and 

thousands of new jobs. 

“We know that when rural America is growing, America 

as a whole is getting strong, and bringing everyone to the 

table creates more innovation and more jobs,” said U.S. 

Commerce Department Secretary John Bryson. “This 

Rural Jobs Accelerator challenge aligns federal efforts and 

resources to build on the historic investments that have 

been made in rural America over the past three years. The 

contest will help determine where there is the greatest 

potential to maximize regional industrial strengths, helping 

businesses in rural areas create more jobs and support an 

economy that is built to last.” 

“The ‘Rural Jobs Accelerator’ will speed up job creation, 

new business start-ups and expansions by building regional 

economic systems in rural areas,” said U.S. Agriculture 

Secretary Tom Vilsack. “USDA and our partners will work 

together to increase the power of local businesses, Tribes 

and officials to implement economic development strategies 

specially targeted to their regions.” 

The Rural Jobs Accelerator Challenge is expected to give out 

approximately 20 awards, depending on the number of eligible 

applications. To be eligible for an award, projects must benefit 

rural communities, but the applicant is not required to be located 

in a rural area. Nonprofits, higher education institutions, tribes and 

state and local governments can collaborate to apply for funding. 

Although businesses are not eligible to apply directly, applicants 

can also partner with the private sector on implementation. 


47

“A strong rural economy is key to a stronger America. This 

announcement to support $15 million in investments is 

exactly what Delta families need. These common sense 

steps promote job growth in economic clusters and 

continues the White House’s commitment to growing 

and investing in the nation’s rural communities,” 

said Delta Regional Authority Federal Co-Chairman 

Christopher Masingill. 

“The Appalachian Regional Commission partnering with 

USDA, EDA and other agencies creates opportunities for 

Appalachia communities to better leverage resources, take 

advantage of economic opportunities, and lay the ground 

work for further economic growth. We believe proposals 

like the Jobs Accelerator will help strengthen the region’s 

entrepreneurial eco-system,” said Appalachian Regional 

Commission Federal Co-Chair Earl F. Gohl. 

The deadline for applications is May 9, 2012 and guidelines 

for submissions are accessible here. In addition to the four 

funding partners the initiative is supported by nine other Federal 

agencies: Commerce’s U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and 

National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing 

Extension Partnership; Denali Commission; U.S. Department of 

Education; U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training 

Administration; U.S. Department of Energy; Environmental 

Protection Agency; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 

Development; and the Small Business Administration. 

Contact: 

Cleve Mesidor, DOC/EDA, (202) 277-7381, cmesidor@doc.gov 

Jay Fletcher, USDA, (202) 690-0498, Jay.Fletcher@wdc.usda.gov 

Amanda Richardson, DRA, (501) 912-5722, arichardson@dra.gov 

Louis Segesvary, ARC, (202) 884-7771, lsegesvary@arc.gov 

VETERANS TRANSITION TO 

BUSINESS OWNERS AND 

CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR NATION. 

What is so different about 

The National Veteran Small Business Coalition (NVSBC) 

We provide ethical forum 

for discussions between 

government agencies 

and large businesses 

to promote contracting 

opportunities for Veteran 

owned small businesses. 

This coalition is organized 

by industry lines. 

We offer you Vet- to-Vet 

mentoring program. 

All board members are 

Veteran business owners. 

NVSBC supports other 

Veteran business 

advocacy organizations. 

TO LEARN HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF NVSBC PLEASE VISIT WWW.NVSBC.ORG 


MANUFACTURER 

Surfactants, Lubricants and 

Chemical Intermediates 

CEDAR CONCEPTS currently works with some 500 generally sought formulations 

of which most are solids and liquids used in a wide variety of personal care and 

household products, or to aid metalworking, agricultural or aerospace processes, 

marketed under many brand names familiar to both consumers and businesses. 

CEDAR CONCEPTS MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS: Alkanolamides • Amine 

Oxides • Betaines • Blend Concentrates • Custom Blends • Fatty Acid Esters 

• Fatty Alcohol Blends • Fatty Alcohol Emulsifying Blends • Methyl Esters 

• Metal Lubricants • Sulfonates • Sulfosuccinates 

www.cedarconcepts.net 

Chicago, 50 Illinois 773-890-5790 Minority Enterprise Advocate • March MBE/WBE – April 2012 Certified

Supplier Diversity Contacts 

ADP 

De Asa Brown 

Director, Supplier Diversity 

Procurement 

One ADP Blvd. 

M/S B125 

Roseland, NJ 07068 

973- 974-4730 

Air Liquid America Corporation 

Sharon Gammell 

Director of Procurement 

2700 Post Oak Blvd. 

Houston, TX 77056 

713-402-2325 

Alabama Power Company 

Joe Pitts 

Senior Supplier Diversity 

600 N. 18th Street 

Room 7N-0307 

Birmingham, AL 35291 

205-257-1884 

Aetna, Inc. 

Kristen Hickey, 

Supplier Diversity Program Manager 

151 Farmington, Ave. RW51 

Hartford, CT 06156 

(860) 273-6541 

Alcatel-Lucent 

Lynn Scott 

Executive Director, Supplier Diversity 

3400 W. Plano Pkwy, MS Div1 

Plano, TX 95075 

(972) 477-6909 

American Electric Power (AEP) 

Gloria Hines 

Manager Supplier Diversity 

825 Tech Center Drive 

Gahanna, OH 43230 

866-705-9689 

American Express Company 

Gladys Lopez 

Supplier Diversity Manager 

2512 W Dunlap Avenue, 

MS 40-02-04 

Phoenix, AZ 85021 

(888) 885-5993 

Amtrak (National Railroad 

Passenger Corporation) 

Walter R. Livingston, III, 


5th Floor South, Box 12 

30th Street Station 

Philadelphia, PA 19104 

(215) 349-3509 

Anheuser-Busch Companies 

Theresa Johnson 

Urban Marketing & Community Affairs 

One Busch Place 

St. Louis, MO 63118 

314-577-2236 

AT&T 

Sheila Bright 

Director of Supplier Diversity 

Programs 

2600 Camino Ramon 

San Ramon, Ca 94583 

(921) 823-5096 

Altria Client Services 

Connie W. Smith, C.P.M., 

Manager, Supplier Diversity 

Development 

2001 Walmsley Blvd. 

Richmond, VA 23234 

(804) 274-4714 


BAE Systems, Inc. 

Diane Dempsey 

Director Socio-Economic Programs 

2525 Network Place 

Herndon, VA 20171 

703-563-7991 

Baltimore Gas & Electric 

Frank Kelly 


P.O. Box 1472 

2900 Lord Baltimore Drive 

Baltimore, MD 21203 

410-470-7811 

Bayer Corporation 

Laura Lapiska 

Procurement Specialist 

100 Bayer Road 

Pittsburgh, PA 15205 

(412) 777-2352 

Boeing Company 

Anna Johnson 

Senior Manager, Supplier Diversity 

2401 E. Wardlow Road, CO52-5198 

Long Beach, CA 90807 

(562) 496-7266 

BP America, Inc. 

Kimberly Duck 


501 Westlake Park Blvd. 


(281) 366-2000 

Blue Cross & Blue Shield 

Association 

Ariel Gonzalez 

Purchasing Agent, Procurement 

225 N. Michigan Avenue 

Chicago, IL 60601 

312-653-6000 

CBS Broadcasting, Inc. 

Joseph Yang 

Director, Strategic Sourcing 

524 West 57th Street 

11th Floor 

New York, NY 10019 

212-975-8468 

51

CDW 

Nita Smith 


300 North Milwaukee Avenue 

Vernon Hills, IL 60061 

847-371-5002 

CH2M Hill 

Willie Franklin 

Small Business Liaison Officer 

9191 South Jamaica Street 

Englewood, CO 80112 

720-286-2274 

Cardinal Health 

Cathy Mock 

Director Supplier Diversity 

7000 Cardinal Place 

Dublin, OH 43017 

614-757-5005 

Champion Aerospace, Inc. 

Stanley Nalley 

Purchasing Manager 

1230 Old Norris Road 

Liberty, SC 29657 

864-843-5470 

Cisco Systems, Inc. 

Denise Coley 

Global Manager, Supplier Diversity 

170 West Tasman Drive 

San Jose, CA 95134 

408-527-1362 

ConocoPhillips 

Hubert Jones 

Supplier Diversity Director 

420 South Keeler 

Bartlesville, OK 74004 

918-661-3979 

Coca-Cola Company 

Johnnie Booker 


P.O. Box 1734 

Atlanta, GA 30301 

404-676-2529 

Computer Sciences Corporation 

Chireda Gaither 


45245 Business Court 

Sterling, VA 20166 

703-818-4217 

Dell, Inc. 

Ying McGuire 

Senior Manager of Global Supplier 

Diversity 

One Dell Way 

MS PSI-20 

Round Rock, TX 78682 

512-728-2435 

Deutsche Bank 

Janice Wilson 

Vice President, Head of Operations 

100 Plaza One 

3rd Floor 

Jersey City, NJ 07311 

866-364-7053 

Dominion Power 

Lowell Carrington 


P.O. Box 26532 

120 Tredegar Street 

Richmond, VA 23219 

804-771-3915 

Duke Energy Corporation 

Andrew Grier 


400 South Tryon Street 

Charlotte, NC 28201 

704-382-7690 

EDS 

Gwen Johnson 


5400 Legacy Drive 

Plano, TX 75204 

972-604-6000 

Entergy Corporation 

Madlyn Bagneris 


639 Loyola Avenue 

New Orleans, LA 70161 

504-576-2036 

General Electric Company 

Mark Miller 

Leader, Supplier Diversity 

One Neumann Way 

Cincinnati, OH 45215 

513-552-4457 

General Motors Corporation 

Linda Ware 


30009 Van Dyke Avenue 

Warren, MI 48090 

586-575-4100 

Goodrich Aerospace 

H. Ross Lowry 

Senior Buyer/SBLO 

100 Panton Road 

Vergennes, VT 05491 

802-877-4218 

Halliburton Company 

Teena Bell 

Senior Manager, Supplier Diversity 

10200 Bellaire Blvd. 

1SW-33E 


281-575-3254 

Harris Corporation 

Rhonda Sammons 

Small Business Liaison Office 

P.O. Box 37 

M/S Ren-11D 

Melbourne, FL 32902 

321-729-2093 

Hewlett-Packard Company 

Brian Tippens 


20555 Tomball Parkway 

MS 060401 


281-518-1477 

The Home Depot 

K. Michelle Sourie Johnson 

Director Supplier Diversity Sourcing 

2455 Paces Ferry Road 


770-384-4081 

Honeywell Aerospace 

Mike Glass 

Manager Aerospace Sourcing-Supplier 

Diversity 

2600 Ridgeway Parkway 

Minneapolis, MN 55413 

612-951-6297 

IBM Corporation 

Michael K. Robinson 

Program Director, Global Supplier 

Diversity 

8501 IBM Drive 

MG 54/B201 

Charlotte, NC 28262 

704-594-3074 


Intel Corporation 

Rosalind Hudnell 

Director Diversity 

5000 W. Chandler Blvd. 

Chandler, AZ 85226 

480-554-8080 

Johnson Controls, Inc. 

Kenneth Gardner 

Diversity Business Development 

Manager 

49200 Halyard Drive 

Plymouth, MI 48170 

734-254-5441 

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics 

Company 

Dianna L. Salgado 

Supplier Diversity Programs 

1011 Lockheed Way 

Mail Zone 0828 

Palmdale, CA 93599 

661-572-6122 

MGM Mirage, Inc. 

Kenyatte Lewis 


3260 Industrial Road 

Building C 

Las Vegas, NV 89109 

702-792-4926 

Microsoft Corporation 

Carol Hoffman 

Senior Supplier Diversity Manager 

One Microsoft Way 

Redmond, VA 98052 

425-421-6455 

NBC Universal 

Corey Smith 

Corporate Sourcing, Director Supplier 

Diversity 

30 Rockefeller Plaza 

Suite 1206 W 


212-664-0404 

Northrop Grumman Corporation 

Gloria Pualani 

Director Socio-Economic Programs/ 

Government Relations 

1000 Wilson Blvd. 

Suite 2300 

Arlington, VA 22209 

703-875-8451 

Owens & Minor 

Angela T. Wilkes 

Director Diversity/SBLO 

9120 Lockwood Blvd. 

Mechanicsville, VA 23116 

804-723-7704 

Pepco Holdings, Inc. 

Rhonda Lynch-Corini 


701 Ninth Street, NW 

Suite 4024 

Washington, DC 20068 

202-872-3008 

PepsiCo 

Chris Knox 


One Pepsi Way 

Somers, NY 10589 

914-767-7243 

Pfizer, Inc. 

Gwendolyn Turner 

Director, Worldwide Supplier Diversity 

150 East 42nd Street, MZ-ZIS 


212-733-2656 

Pitney Bowes 

Lawrence Wooten 


One Elmcroft Raod 

Stamford, CT 06926 

203-356-5000 

Shell Oil Company 

Patricia Richards 

Manager Supplier Diversity & 

Outreach 

910 Louisiana 

Suite 4222 


713-241-8925 

Sodexo, Inc. 

Darlene Fuller 

Senior Director, Supplier Diversity 

9801 Washington Blvd. 

Suite 1436 

Gaithersburg, MD 20878 

301-987-4394 

Southern California Edison 

Dennis Thurston 

Diversity Manager 

2244 Walnut Grove Ave. 

Rosemead, CA 91770 

626-302-8883 

Sprint/Nextel 

Haleemah Hall 


2002 Edmund Hailey Drive 

Reston, VA 20191 

703-283-4586 

Time Warner 

Greta Davis 

Executive Director Supplier Diversity 

One CNN Center, 14SE 


404-827-1951 

Toyota Motor Manufacturing North 

America, Inc. 

Adrienne C. Trimble 

Supplier Diversity Purchasing Manager 

25 Atlantic Avenue 

MC PURDS-NA 

Erlanger, KY 41018 

859-746-1611 

United Parcel Service, Inc. 

Fritz Valsaint 

Supplier Diversity Coordinator 

55 Glenlake Parkway, NE 

Building 1, 5th Floor 


404-828-6847 

United Space Alliance 

Joellen Moore 


8550 Astronaut Blvd. 

Mail Code USK – 360 

Cape Canaveral, FL 32920 

321-861-5249 

Verizon 

John Marshall 


22001 Loudoun County Parkway 

Ashburn, VA 

703-886-4563 

Washington Suburban Sanitary 

Commission 

John Bednarczyk 

Acquisition Department 

14501 Sweitzer Lane 

8th Floor 

Laurel, MD 20707 

301-206-8293 


53


Alzheimer's IS THE SIXTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH. 

IT CAN STEAL YOUR PAST AND YOUR FUTURE. 

©2012 Alzheimer’s Association. All Rights Reserved. 

Alzheimer’s disease is devastating. It can steal the most precious moments from you and 

your family. The Alzheimer’s Association has been behind every major advancement and 

continues to lead the fight against Alzheimer’s. We won’t rest until we have a cure. 

Join us. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

pepcoholdings.com 

A DIVERSE APPROACH 

TO A COMMON GOAL. 

Building relationships. Forging strategic partnerships. Our commitment to working with 

small and diverse suppliers is what powers us to be our best. By expanding opportunities for 

certified diverse businesses, we can help provide greater value for our customers. And that’s 

a connection we’re proud to make. 

Atlantic City Electric • Delmarva Power • Pepco 

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