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APEX ACCELERATOR

Northwest Michigan APEX Accelerator Newsletter

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Traverse City Business Receives EPA’s Outstanding Small Business Contractor Award

(June 2024)

Great Lakes Environmental Center, Inc. (GLEC) of Traverse City, a longtime client of the Northwest Michigan APEX Accelerator, received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator’s Award for Outstanding Accomplishments by a Small Business Contractor. The award recognizes GLEC’s outstanding contractor support for implementation of the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) and development of drinking water standards. The award was presented at the EPA Administrator’s 34th Annual Small Business Awards Ceremony May 2, 2024 in Washington D.C.

GLEC is an established national contracting firm offering applied environmental sciences, research, and compliance assistance focused on water quality and the protection of aquatic ecosystems. GLEC became a client of the APEX Accelerator (previously known as PTAC) back in 2009. Since that time, via one-on-one counseling or group training, they have received assistance with government registrations, marketing to the government, finding opportunities (BidMatch), understanding government regulations, GSA contracting and more; and have been awarded more than $114.5M in federal prime contracts.

"The APEX Accelerator BidMatch service continues to be the cornerstone of GLEC's market surveillance and business capture activities, providing equal or better results when compared to the various commercially available paid services,” said Bill Arnold, GLEC Manager of Business Development. “Through training seminars and individual consulting, the staff at our Northwest Michigan APEX regional office have assisted GLEC with understanding current federal small business contracting requirements and strategies.”

"We love to celebrate with our clients!" said Cathy Fairbanks, Northwest Michigan APEX Accelerator Regional Director. “When our clients succeed, we succeed. Congratulations to the entire team at GLEC. We are happy to have played a small part in your success."

For more information about Great Lakes Environmental Center, go to glec.com.

The Northwest Michigan APEX Accelerator is funded in part by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The APEX Accelerator is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense.

In photo above (l-r): Denise Benjamin Sirmons, Director, U.S. EPA Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU); Natalie Smith, GLEC Senior Researcher; Chris Young, GLEC Senior Researcher; John Bachman, GLEC UCMR Program Manager; Michelle Moore, GLEC Principal Research Scientist; Robin Silva-Wilkinson, GLEC Senior Research Scientist; Jerome A. Greene, Deputy Director, U.S. EPA OSDBU

Graceland Fruit Selected as Northwest Michigan APEX Accelerator Best Small Business of the Year

(April 2024)

Graceland Fruit in Frankfort, Michigan is a leading producer and global distributor of premium quality dried fruit ingredients for the food industry. The company strives to support their community by connecting growers to consumers and to produce innovative, natural, and nutritious food products to the market.

In 2018, Graceland Fruit approached the Northwest Michigan APEX Accelerator (then known as PTAC) for guidance on how to grow their government sales. Since then, Graceland has been taking advantage of the various services offered by APEX and has received over 200 hours of one-on-one counseling and attended five events. APEX assistance included areas such as registration, marketing to the government, researching past USDA purchases, and responding to government bids.

Navigating the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) can be a daunting task for businesses looking to register or renew their company registrations, especially if they plan to work with the government. Graceland Fruit recognizes the complexity of this process and takes a proactive approach by involving the APEX Accelerator each year to guarantee a seamless experience. Another challenge businesses face is bidding on government contracts, which can be complicated due to unclear solicitations. Graceland Fruit is once again ahead of the curve by engaging with their APEX Accelerator early on to ensure all requirements are met, including pricing, delivery, and successful submission of offers.

Since 2001, Graceland Fruit has been a trusted supplier of dried fruits such as cranberries, cherries, blueberries, and apples to the USDA. However, when they were notified of a bid deadline in the spring of 2019, they had only two weeks to prepare. Not wanting to miss out on such a crucial opportunity, they turned to the APEX Accelerator for help. The APEX Accelerator was able to review bid documents and assist Graceland Fruit in creating, reviewing, and finalizing the bid in record time. As a result, they landed a contract worth $4.5 million.

In the fall of 2022, Graceland Fruit once again sought the assistance of the APEX Accelerator in submitting a bid for dried cherries. Over the course of 10 months, the APEX Accelerator spent over 70 hours researching, reviewing, and providing support to ensure the bid was successful. In 2023, Graceland Fruit was awarded multiple contracts worth an impressive $15.4 million, marking their largest one-year sale to the USDA.

Graceland Fruit has achieved remarkable revenue growth since 2021, with an average rate of 20%. Their cherry sales alone have skyrocketed, increasing by over 380%, while cultivated blueberries have seen a growth rate of over 130%. Graceland Fruit's success story is a testament to their focus on diversity, with blueberries and cherries being two of their primary areas of growth.

The success they’ve had as a business and their work with APEX has earned Graceland Fruit recognition as the Northwest Michigan APEX Accelerator Best Small Business of the Year.

“Our partnership with APEX has been extremely valuable to us over the years,” said Kerry Babion, Graceland Fruit’s Customer Sales & Service Manager. “We appreciate their guidance and support, and we are excited to continue working together towards even greater success in the future.”

"APEX clients range from one person shops to very large businesses, selling everything from cherries to weapon components, and from snow plowing services to engineering services,” said Cathy Fairbanks, Northwest Michigan APEX Accelerator Regional Director “Every client is different and it is very rewarding to help a business like Graceland Fruit who bring nutritious food products to the market. Graceland Fruit has been an exceptional client, staying in touch with their counselor, taking advantage of our many services, and following through on all recommendations."

Graceland Fruit was formally honored at the Annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business Awards Gala May 21 in East Lansing.

Dan Engler, President and CEO of Graceland Fruit, Inc, accepting his Northwest Michigan APEX Accelerator Best Small Business of the Year Award at the Annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business Awards Gala on May 21st in East Lansing.

Kall Morris Inc. (KMI) Selected as Northwest Michigan PTAC Best Small Business of the Year

(March 2023)

Kall Morris Inc. (KMI) of Marquette, Michigan is a space solutions company that removes and repurposes uncooperative objects in Earth orbit to protect critical space assets and continue building the future.

In October of 2020, KMI was new to government contracting so they contacted the Northwest Michigan PTAC for assistance with SAM.gov registration and pursuit of an SBIR/STTR for the development of space debris retrieval technology.

With PTAC assistance, KMI positioned itself for government contracting and submitted multiple STTR proposals, eventually winning three research contracts through the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) worth $750,000 in total (as of September 2022).

These awards have already enabled KMI to hire 10 additional staff members and they intend to hire more staff. KMI is also expanding into a larger and more permanent facility in the Marquette area.

Additionally, KMI staff have attended numerous classes and events hosted by the PTAC, including an in-depth proposal writing course. KMI continues to interact regularly with PTAC whenever staff members have questions about acquisition regulations/processes or wish to receive training on specific government contracting topics.

"Utilizing PTAC is the easiest and strongest recommendation I can make to other companies interested in contracting with the government themselves,” said Troy Morris, Co-Founder & Director of Operations for KMI. “Working with our local PTAC, and guided by our representative Leo, KMI has been able to access, engage, and achieve with the US government nearly $1 million in contracts, with opportunity and confidence for so much more."

The success they’ve had as a business and their work with the PTAC earned KMI recognition as the Northwest Michigan PTAC’s Best Small Business of the Year. KMI will be formally honored at the Annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business awards gala May 2, 2023 in Lansing.

"PTAC clients range from one person shops to very large businesses, selling everything from cherries to manufactured weapon parts,” said Cathy Fairbanks, Northwest Michigan PTAC Regional Director. “Every client is different and it is very rewarding to help a small business like KMI who is doing such big things! To think we may have played a very, very small part in providing technology that cleans up space debris is incredible!"

Calderwood Enterprises Selected as Northwest Michigan PTAC Best Small Business of the Year

(March 2022)

Calderwood Enterprises in Trout Creek, Michigan was founded in 2003 by Fred Sliger who is a civil engineer, retired state trooper, and a Native American. The company started as a designer and manufacturer of wooden roof trusses. But Sliger says when the housing crunch hit about 2006 the truss business went dead in the water. He started designing small wastewater systems and while he was doing that a contractor asked Sliger if he was a HUBZone contractor. Sliger said he could get that certification and that’s when he first started working with the Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC).

“I went to every PTAC training for contractors and even repeated a lot of the trainings,” said Sliger. “I felt that I learned at least one thing at each training and I interacted with other contractors like myself and gained insight as to how earning a living on your own is not easy.”

The PTAC helped Sliger get his HUBZone certification which led to some HUBZone contracts. Sliger’s business evolved into construction, site management, and technology and he continued working with the PTAC. Since 2009 Sliger has attended 16 PTAC trainings, networking, and “Meet the Buyer” events. The PTAC has provided Calderwood with over 65 hours of one-on-one counseling assisting with various registrations and certifications. The PTAC has also provided Calderwood with a free bid match service, assistance with finding opportunities, marketing to the government, and numerous introductions to buyers, primes, and other Michigan resource partners (SBA, MEDC, SBDC).

“At every level and or plateau of my development I have been assisted by a PTAC representative, first in basic training and later in what I would refer as fine tuning a business to really expand and prosper,” said Sliger.

Since receiving their first government contract in 2012, Calderwood has seen a 98% increase in government awards. Calderwood attributes their success in government contracting in part to their relationship with, and service provided by, the Northwest Michigan PTAC.

"It's been a pleasure working with Fred and his office staff with different types of training, reviewing solicitations/set-asides, bid matches, etc.,” said LeAnne Kachmarsky, Northwest Michigan PTAC Procurement Counselor. “They are always open to suggestions and learning something new. It's very rewarding as a PTAC Counselor to see how Fred has grown his government contracting business.”

The success they’ve had as a business and their work with the PTAC earned Calderwood Enterprises recognition as the Northwest Michigan PTAC’s Best Small Business of the Year. Calderwood will be formally honored at the Annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business awards gala May 3, 2022 in Lansing.

“Our most successful clients are those that take advantage of the many no-cost services and assistance provided by the PTAC,” said Cathy Fairbanks, Northwest Michigan PTAC Regional Director. “Calderwood recognizes the benefits of being and staying connected to their PTAC. I congratulate the Calderwood Enterprises Team on their success in the government marketplace and look forward to continuing to serve them."

Calderwood is continuing to adapt and move forward. Working with partners they’ve expanded into providing high value IT solutions targeted at DOD, DOI, ISDA, Homeland Security, and other federal agencies. They will continue to make new and grow existing relationships including working with their PTAC and other resource partners.

“I would advise anyone starting out to develop a good relationship with a PTAC representative,” said Sliger. “I have found that once the PTAC representative gets involved with your development they take an interest in your development, as they see your success as their success.”

Local PTAC Director Elected as Head of Statewide Organization

(October 2021)

The Regional Director of the Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) has been elected as the president of the PTACs of Michigan, Inc. Cathy Fairbanks became president of the organization October 1 after serving several years as its vice president. The PTACs of Michigan, Inc. is a not for profit organization primarily focused on professional development, but also functions as a single point of contact for the State's resource partners and stakeholders to communicate and collaborate with Michigan's 10 regional PTAC Centers.

Fairbanks has been with the Northwest Michigan PTAC for over nine years, the past five years as regional director. The Northwest Michigan PTAC covers the entire Upper Peninsula and the 10 counties of the northwest Lower Peninsula. The PTAC program offers no-cost technical consulting and training to businesses who wish to sell their products/services to government agencies. The Northwest Michigan PTAC is a program of Networks Northwest.

TentCraft Selected as Small Business of the Year

(April 2021)

TentCraft in Traverse City has been selected as the Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Small Business of the Year. The company, which manufactures outdoor marketing elements such as pop-up tents, custom structures, flags, and signage, is being recognized for working to increase its government sales with assistance from the PTAC.

When the COVID-19 crisis hit in 2020, and demand for its custom-printed tents disappeared, TentCraft had to pivot to keep its employees working. The company recognized a critical need for portable, quick-deploy tents and shelters to support medical testing and containment, and emergency response activities. TentCraft quickly realized that selling to the government is rife with government-specific rules and regulations and complicated steps and procedures. TentCraft turned to the PTAC for assistance.

The PTAC collaborated with TentCraft’s supply chain manager and sales team and provided support and technical assistance including connections to a wide variety of information and resources. In 2020, the PTAC recorded nearly 100 hours of counseling time assisting TentCraft.

“The PTAC has been helpful researching new opportunities,” said Matt Bulloch, TentCraft President. “These efforts, with the PTAC’s guidance, gave us an enormous amount of credibility with the VA when we worked with their individual hospitals and regions on COVID-19 screening products and mobile infirmaries.”

With the assistance from the PTAC and TentCraft’s successful pivot to government sales, the company weathered the pandemic and jobs were retained. Since March 2020, TentCraft has been awarded over $2 million in federal government contracts (Source: USASpending.gov.)

“TentCraft took advantage of our many services and the expertise of the PTAC staff to switch gears mid-stream and without warning,” said Cathy Fairbanks, Northwest Michigan PTAC Regional Director. “I am glad we already had a relationship with them and they reached out to us. It was rewarding to play a small part in responding to the pandemic.”

“Our work with the PTAC has shown us that there is a world of opportunity for us to seize,” said Bulloch. “We look forward to continuing to work with the PTAC to bid on government contracts as they become available.”

TentCraft will be formally honored at the Annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business (MCSB) awards gala July 20, 2021 in Lansing.

For more information about TentCraft, go to Tentcraft.com.

The Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to enhance national defense and economic development of the State of Michigan by assisting Michigan businesses in obtaining and performing on federal, state, and local government contracts. We offer no-cost marketing, technical consulting, and training to businesses. More information is available at nwm.org/PTAC.

B&P Manufacturing Selected as Northwest Michigan PTAC Small Business of the Year

(June 2020)

B&P Manufacturing in Cadillac, Michigan manufactures commercial material handling products used for food and beverage distribution. In recent years, they have focused on diversifying their company beyond commercial material handling products and have begun offering high quality metal fabricated products, including missile containers, for the Department of Defense.

“We started really going after defense business as a diversification strategy about 10 years ago, at that time our DoD sales were almost non-existent,” said Lia Lipar, B&P’s Director of Defense Sales and Contracts. “We began working closely with the Northwest Michigan PTAC for guidance and training. Now, based on existing open orders we anticipate DoD sales to account for roughly 50 percent of our business in FY 2020.”

B&P attends PTAC training events and receives counseling and assistance from the PTAC on complex issues as they arise. B&P’s defense and commercial business have continued to grow, and since 2016 the company has added 10 full-time employees.

In 2018, B&P won its third-largest single delivery order worth $1.66 million from the Department of the Navy. In 2019, B&P won its second-largest single order worth $2.58 million, also with the Department of the Navy. B&P has several ongoing contracts with the Navy, NASA, Air Force, Raytheon, and DLA. In 2019 alone, B&P received over $9 million in delivery orders and contracts with the DoD as a prime contractor.

B&P has recently been awarded defense contracts that extend into 2022 and the company currently has over $11 million in open orders with the Department of Defense. B&P projects their sales to continue to climb in the next few years due in part to the continued success of its Defense Contracting Division that resulted from the direct involvement and training received from the PTAC.

"We hold up B & P as an example of how to be successful in the government marketplace,” said Cathy Fairbanks, Northwest Michigan PTAC Regional Director. “Beyond the quality of their product and people, they have dedicated themselves to ongoing training and staying connected to their PTAC. We are pleased to name them our PTAC Small Business of the Year.”

“We are fortunate to be able to reach out to PTAC for assistance whenever we have a question or a new situation arises,” said Lipar. “They have a great team of people and are a terrific resource for small businesses that have a strategy to do business with the DoD or are currently doing business with the DoD.”

B&P Manufacturing will be honored at the Annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business (MCSB) awards gala will be held virtually on Tuesday, July 28, 2020.

PTAC Helps TentCraft Respond to COVID-19 Crisis

(April 2020)

TentCraft in Traverse City manufactures outdoor marketing elements such as pop-up tents, custom structures, flags, signage, and event solutions for businesses, popular brands, and agencies across North America. In 2019, TentCraft decided to look at opportunities for sales to the government and the Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) helped them do that.

“The PTAC provided invaluable information on registering in the various systems (and kept us from making mistakes), gave us examples of capability statements, helped us format our government page on the TentCraft website, as well as create our own capability statement,” said Matt Bulloch, TentCraft President.

When the COVID-19 crisis hit in 2020, TentCraft recognized a need for portable, quick-deploy medical screening and containment tents. They were able to start manufacturing those products for customers including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

“The PTAC has been helpful researching new opportunities,” said Bulloch. “These efforts, with the PTAC’s guidance, gave us an enormous amount of credibility with the VA when we worked with their individual hospitals and regions on COVID-19 screening products and mobile infirmaries.”

The assistance from the PTAC helped TentCraft make multiple sales to the government in just the first quarter of 2020.

For more information about TentCraft, go to Tentcraft.com.

The Northwest Michigan PTAC is based in Traverse City and serves businesses in the northwest Lower Peninsula and the entire Upper Peninsula. The PTAC provides no-cost technical consulting, training, and marketing services aimed at assisting companies with obtaining and performing under local, state, and federal contracts. PTAC’s services include personalized one-on-one counseling, bid match notifications, contracting and subcontracting assistance, pre- and post-award assistance, and more. PTAC offers assistance through all stages of government contracting.

This procurement technical assistance center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency. This PTAC is funded in part by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), and is hosted by Networks Northwest. To learn more about PTAC’s services, visit nwm.org/ptac.

Graceland Fruit Makes $4.5 Million Sale With Help From PTAC

(June 2019)

Graceland Fruit in Frankfort is selling $4.5 million worth of dried cherries to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), hosted by Networks Northwest, helped the company make the sale. Graceland, a producer of dried fruits, including cranberries, cherries, blueberries, and apples, has sold products to the USDA since 2001. But this spring they were notified of the bid just two weeks prior to the deadline so they contacted the PTAC for assistance.

Graceland officials say a USDA Bid is a very important part of their business and PTAC was able to assist them with submitting the bid on a moment’s notice. PTAC staff reviewed bid documents and helped Graceland create, review, and finalize the bid while they were submitting it electronically.

Graceland officials say “the peace of mind and ease of contacting PTAC relieved a lot of stress and PTAC service is a vital part of successfully being able to submit bids to the USDA.”

The dried cherries Graceland sold to the USDA will be delivered to various locations from July 1, 2019 through September 30, 2019.

The Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) helped businesses earn over $79 million in government contracts during 2018. Nearly 400 jobs in the northwest Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula were created or sustained due to those client contract award dollars.

The Northwest Michigan PTAC is based in Traverse City and serves businesses in the northwest Lower Peninsula and the entire Upper Peninsula. The PTAC provides no-cost technical consulting, training, and marketing services aimed at assisting companies with obtaining and performing under local, state, and federal contracts. PTAC’s services include personalized one-on-one counseling, bid match notifications, contracting and subcontracting assistance, pre- and post-award assistance, and more. PTAC offers assistance through all stages of government contracting.

Northwest Michigan PTAC Client Recognized as Michigan's Government Contractor of the Year

(March 2019)

Dave Goudreau started Northern Wings in 2001 as an aircraft wheel and brake repair shop in a pole barn in Engadine, Michigan. Over the years the business has evolved and is now an aerospace and military support system based in a custom-built facility in Newberry.

“We take it from top to bottom,” said Goudreu. “We can assist you in any measure of maintenance, repair, supply chain, etcetera. We’ll import/export, we’ll manage your repairs, we’ll manufacture parts. We deliver them on time, on target, regardless of where you are in the world.”

Goudreau says starting and growing Northern Wings would have been “virtually impossible” without the assistance of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). His first connection to the PTAC was through a series of seminars when he was starting the business. Since then Northern Wings has received technical assistance from the PTAC and has been involved with government contract training on a variety of topics including cybersecurity and ITAR.

“I don’t know that there are very many employees here who haven’t been touched by some level of PTAC training and/or orientation,” said Goudreau.

“They take advantage of all the PTAC services that we have,” said Don Makowski, Northwest Michigan PTAC Procurement Counselor. “Any trainings we have here in the Upper Peninsula you can normally find a Northern Wings company representative there. Actually, I’ve had one of their representatives help teach a class before.”

“I always relate it to learning a different language and a different culture,” said Goudreau. “There’s only one way to do it and that’s go to the PTAC and learn how to speak their language.”

The success they’ve had as a business and their work with the PTAC has earned Northern Wings recognition as Michigan’s Government Contractor of the Year.

“They’ve given back to the community,” said Makowski. “They’ve received numerous awards, which they’ve deserved. But also they have members that sit on boards for Michigan Works. They’ve participated in our PTAC’s of Michigan events by sitting on panel discussions. And they’re always there to give a helping hand whenever asked.”

“It means a lot, and it’s primarily for the employees,” said Goudreau. “It kind of shows that, as we call it, we’re the anomaly in the wilderness, and that we can succeed.”

"The U.P. wilderness holds lots of wonders including small businesses with big dreams and big successes. So much so that we recently added a second counselor to the U.P.,” said Cathy Fairbanks, Northwest Michigan PTAC Program Manager. “We’re proud to play a small part in Northern Wing’s success. I often hold them up as an example of how to be successful in the government marketplace. It does take the commitment to “learn a new language.” But our most successful clients learn that language, take advantage of our many services, and stay involved with the PTAC.”

Special Recognition for Northwest Michigan PTAC Procurement Counselor

(January 2019)

A Northwest Michigan PTAC procurement counselor has received special recognition from the Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI). Don Makowski received the WPI’s Silent Partner Award in recognition of his passions, dedication, and commitment to the development of the federal contracting community. Makowski received the award at the End of Year Federal Contractor Update in Milwaukee. The award acknowledges the several dozen government contracting events the Northwest Michigan PTAC and the WPI have collaborated on over the past eight years. The PTAC and WPI have more training events scheduled to work on together during 2019.

Northwest Michigan PTAC Director Receives Defense Industry Award

(November 2018)

The Director of the Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) has been recognized for her work with the defense industry. Cathy Fairbanks (center in photo) received the 2018 Women in Defense (WID) Michigan Chapter Horizon Industry Award. The award was presented at the organization’s Annual Black Tie Gala, November 9 in Rochester, Michigan.

Fairbanks was nominated for the Horizon Award by General Dynamics Land Systems for her work in business development. She co-chaired an Industry Day that brought together all the Michigan PTACs and General Dynamics’ ten business units so they could meet and network with defense industry suppliers, buyers, and customers.

In the award nomination, General Dynamics officials said because of the industry day there will be increased spending in Michigan, bringing more awareness to Michigan suppliers and the various industries in this state.

Women in Defense (WID) Michigan Chapter, A National Security Organization, is a non-profit professional networking and development organization for women and men across Michigan who contribute to national defense and security. Formed in 2007, the Michigan Chapter seeks to strengthen and influence the defense and national security industry by inspiring women, cultivating leadership, and growing professional relationships.

The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) provides no fee assistance to businesses interested in doing business with state and federal government agencies. The mission of the PTAC is to enhance national defense and the economic development of the State of Michigan by helping area business secure local, state, and federal government contracts.

The Northwest Michigan PTAC is a program of Networks Northwest and serves the entire Upper Peninsula and 10 counties in the Northwest Lower Peninsula. The Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency and in part by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).

Fresh Baby Selected as Northwest Michigan PTAC Government Contractor of the Year 2017

(March 2018)

Fresh Baby is a Petoskey based nutrition education products company working with public health programs throughout the U.S. Company Founder and CEO, Cheryl Tallman, started the business in 2002 after other parents asked her about the baby food she was making for her son.

“I decided to create a baby food kit and show other parents how to make baby food…and I started selling it” said Tallman.

She initially targeted retailers. That began to change when she received calls from some USDA WIC clinics, a federally funded nutrition program offering assistance to mothers and young children.

“They were interested in buying our products,” said Tallman. “That was interesting to me. I thought well there’s a market.”

Tallman made that first government sale but says she didn’t really know anything about doing business with the government and wanted to learn more. She had the opportunity to do that in 2011 when she attended a PTAC Government Contracting Seminar and began working with the PTAC.

“It’s been an amazing support group to rely on and work with us,” said Tallman. “They’re truly a partner for us.”

With PTAC’s research support and other services, Fresh Baby discovered a number of government programs that procure their products. Fresh Baby has grown their government sales from a few thousand dollars in 2011 to over $2 Million in 2017.

“In government contracting…you can go down a lot of rabbit holes and it’s extremely time consuming,” said Tallman. “One of the things that PTAC does for us is…they go down them for us and they’re a lot more efficient at it because they’ve been doing it for a long time.”

Fresh Baby’s success with government contracts has earned them recognition as the Northwest Michigan PTAC Government Contractor of the Year. Tallman says they’re honored to receive the recognition. She says PTAC’s support is helping Fresh Baby with their mission to reduce U.S. obesity rates by developing products that make healthy food and drink choices the easy choices.

“They’ve certainly been a strategic partner for us that has allowed us to focus on selling our products with their support and input,” said Tallman. “They’ve kind of kept us on a nice path to success.”

Cyber Compliance

Recently, the Colorado PTAC and Colorado's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), Manufacturer's Edge, hosted a nationwide broadcast which provided a deep dive into DFARS 252.204-7012 cyber compliance.

One of the speakers on that panel was Michael G. Semmens, CEO of Imprimis, Inc. He spoke on understanding the cyber threat and best practices; and reviewed the subparts, clauses and provisions called for by DFARS 252.204-7012.

This short, educational video presented by Mr. Semmens details the process of achieving compliance with the cybersecurity DFARS and NIST 800-171. This video is not a product pitch. It is provided in hopes of keeping the educational process energized.

L'Anse Manufacturing Selected as Northwest Michigan PTAC Government Contractor of the Year 2016
(February 2017)

L’Anse Manufacturing is a precision machining company with a low volume, high mix approach and a special interest in projects with tight tolerances. Their primary markets are investment casting machining, light industrial manufacturers, and specialty products including medical, aerospace, and the military.

Even though they work with a variety of customers, after the recession in 2008 and 09, L’Anse Manufacturing saw the need to diversify. They started looking at government contracts and received assistance from the Procurement Technical Assistance Center.

“We started with L’Anse Manufacturing early on in their government contract stages,” said Don Makowski, PTAC Procurement Counselor. “Starting with training their staff, attending our training events, and all the way through finding government opportunities and responding to those opportunities.”

“They allowed my crew to design their future,” said Mark Massicotte, L’Anse Manufacturing President. “When they needed help they picked up a phone and there was a resource.”

Massicotte says the assistance from PTAC has helped L’Anse Manufacturing land government contracts that have been instrumental in the company’s progress over the past few years.

“We’re really hitting a very good spot,” said Massicotte. “We got a large contract in 2016. We also at the end of the year got our first five-year contract.”

The work they're doing has earned L’Anse Manufacturing recognition as the Northwest Michigan PTAC Government Contractor of the Year.

“L’Anse Manufacturing is a prime example of the correct steps to take as far as succeeding in government contracting,” said Makowski. “They took each step as part of the process which started out with smaller government contracts and worked up to larger government contracts.”

“PTAC is a wonderful thing, but it’s the individual people in PTAC that really bring the success forward,” said Massicotte. “So when it’s time, step forward, and you’ll find it a very rewarding investment in your time.”

Armor Express Selected as Michigan’s Government Contractor of the Year 2015
(March 2016)

Most businesses would never dream of firing bullets into their products. But at Armor Express in Central Lake that’s exactly what they do to test their products. Armor Express manufactures body armor used by law enforcement and the military.

“Armor Express saves lives by producing soft concealable and tactical body armor that is bullet resistant,” said Todd Olson, Director of Contracts at Armor Express. “We protect anybody that would be in harm’s way.”

Armor Express designs, tests, and manufactures their body armor in Central Lake and sells their products around the world. The company’s customers include federal law enforcement agencies like the DEA, FBI, and US Marshals, and branches of the U.S. military, including the Air Force, Army, and Navy.

“Government business is very important because it includes the federal law enforcement all the way through the military, so it’s a significant piece of business for Armor Express,” said Olson.

To help with their efforts to do business with the government, Armor Express has developed an ongoing relationship with the Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center or PTAC.

“The PTAC is always there for us whenever we have any questions,” said Olson. Whether it is getting registered, filling out a proposal, understanding price histories, and then all the way through contract performance.”

“Through their experience with the PTAC Armor Express was able to be awarded a GSA Schedule Contract and that’s been very lucrative for them,” said Anne Helbig, Northwest Michigan PTAC Program Director. “They were able to utilize that experience and start to pursue larger contract opportunities.”

Armor Express’s success with government contracts and its ongoing work with the PTAC have earned the company recognition as Michigan’s Government Contractor of the Year.

“They’re an important company to our region,” said Helbig. “They produce something that saves lives. To have something like that made here in northern Michigan is really something that we should all be proud of.”

“To know that we’re doing a significant part of our business with the Federal government and be recognized for it is very important,” said Olson. “Not only to us at the management level but to the people that work down at the plant. They know that they’re putting body armor on the people who protect and serve us.”

Oldenburg Group Selected as PTAC Government Contractor of the Year 2014
(May 2015)

The Oldenburg Group has facilities in Iron River, Kingsford, and Ontonagon and does a lot of business with the U.S. Navy. Oldenburg has been assisted in its government contracting efforts by the Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). For their dedication and superb history in government contracting, the company has been named the Michigan Government Contractor of the Year. Watch the video to find out more.

Great Openings Selected as PTAC Government Contractor of the Year 2013
(January 2014)

Great Openings has been manufacturing metal office furniture filing cabinets and desking products since 1966 and operates plants in Ludington and Manistee. The family-run company sells products to office furniture dealers and major office furniture contract companies like Steelcase, Trendway, and American Seating. Part of Great Opening’s sales also comes from government contracts, a market they have been in since 2005.

“When the economy goes into a recession, not necessarily the government will go into the same recession as the general economy,” said Steve Paine, Great Openings corporate principal. “It’s been a plus over the last few years to be able to have those additional sales.”

When Great Openings started doing business with the government they turned to the Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center to help them navigate through the government contract process. PTAC services to Great Openings have included bid matching and helping the company understand Federal Acquisition Regulations.

“They’ve also helped us with sales reporting to be able to get some baseline metrics established so that we can see how we’re doing compared to our competitors with government sales,” said Paine.

“They’ve worked with us extensively attending trainings and having private counseling to really understand how the entire process works, especially with their GSA schedule contract,” said Anne Helbig, Northwest Michigan PTAC program director.

About 10 percent of Great Opening’s business now comes from government contracts.

The company has also received the U.S. General Services Administration Evergreen Award for demonstrating a strong commitment to the environment. The work they are doing with government contracts has earned Great Openings recognition as the Northwest Michigan PTAC Government Contractor of the Year.

“I think they’re another testament to how our resources can better prepare a business to operate successfully in the government market,” said Helbig.

“Things change rapidly in the government arena and you need to stay on top of them,” said Paine. “The PTAC has done a good job of keeping us up with all of the current changes in the government.”

Two Upper Peninsula Companies Featured in Deana Vitale's Article on Contract Management

For nearly three decades, PTACs have been walking small businesses through the aisles of government contracting. This free assistance has not only paid off for small business owners, but has delivered capable suppliers to government contracting officers and federal primes. See article.

GLSV Selected as Northwest Michigan PTAC Government Contractor of the Year 2012

GLSV in Houghton, Michigan is an engineering company that offers a broad range of design, manufacturing and testing services. Assistance from the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) has helped GLSV land new government contracts and grants. The work they're doing has earned GLSV recognition as the Northwest Michigan PTAC Government Contractor of the Year; they are also in the running for statewide recognition. Watch the video to find out more.For more information about GLSV visit, glsv.com.

Exhaust ducts for helicopters, silencers for turbines on Navy ships, and after market suspension products for snowmobiles. Those are just a few examples of the types of things that are designed, manufactured and tested at GLSV in Houghton, Michigan.

Steve Polakowski started the company in 1996 in his garage with a focus on solving problems related to sound and vibration. Now GLSV is housed in a 15,000 square foot facility where they take on engineering, testing and manufacturing projects ranging from small parts to large vehicles and equipment.

"We do the hard things to do, the things that others have failed at," said Polakowski. We use creativity, innovation and all these awesome tools to tackle those types of very difficult problems."

Polakowski says GLSV tackles those problems with a well trained staff, state of the art equipment and hi-end computer software. They've even created a specialized sound room they use for acoustic tests.

"This is an environment that enables us to make a simplified set of measurements and understand more complex aspects of sound propagation," said Polakowski.

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GLSV's capabilities allow them to work on a variety of commercial and government projects. In 2011 they had an opportunity to attend a Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Industry Day held for Marinette Marine. The connections they made at that event have helped GLSV land more government contracts.

"They learned about the quality requirements to work for the government and the military and ever since then they've been an active participant in our PTAC programs and they've had success procuring Naval and government work," said Don Makowski, Northwest Michigan PTAC Procurement Counselor.

"The PTAC helped us make contact with other government agencies that helped us become ISO certified," said Polakowski. "That's a critical part in order to continue doing government contracting."

Besides helping GLSV get its ISO Certification the PTAC also helped the company win some Small Business Innovative Research Program grants that are being used for a couple of different projects including the development of an active exhaust noise cancellation system. With the grants and some new government contracts GLSV has added eleven employees in the past year. The work they're doing has earned GLSV recognition as the Northwest Michigan PTAC Government Contractor of the Year.

"GLSV is a good example of taking advantage of PTAC resources and they show the importance of networking," said Makowski.

"I would encourage people who aren't working with the PTAC to participate," said Polakowski. "You get a whole new education and you start to learn the tips and tricks."

Frontier US

Northwest Michigan PTAC Client, Frontier Computer Corporation, has been awarded its first government contract. The award was made from the United States Marine Corp. for Microsoft Licensing under NAICS Code 511210. Frontier is a supplier of new and refurbished IT hardware. Frontier has worked with the PTAC to identify opportunity within the government market place and to understand the regulations involved in government contracting. Frontier has attended numerous seminars and events on Federal Contracting basics and Market Research and worked with the NW Michigan PTAC on several market research projects. Frontier’s road to success began when they created a “Government Sales Division” in a targeted initiative to generate government sales. Frontier has also secured its HUBZone Certification, something Frontier credits, in part, for their receiving their recent Marine Corps contract. A press release issued from Frontier announcing their recent award can be accessed here.

Cadillac Fabrication/Yard King

The flash flood season at Bandelier National Monument, Los Alamos, New Mexico required removal of the bridge from the parking lot to the picnic area. Peak visitor season was ramping up and maintenance crews needed access to clean up flood debris in the picnic area. Long time PTAC client Cadillac Fabrication/Yard King, Inc. of Cadillac Michigan solved the problem by building a temporary steel bridge 12 feet wide and 65 feet long. To meet a tight time frame for delivery and installation Cadillac Fabrication Sales Executive Mike Gibbons worked with the contracting officer for their GSA Schedule. The bridge was added to their schedule in record time. Ordering through a GSA Schedule allowed Bandelier to get the bridge on site much faster than issuing a solicitation. Mike managed transportation arrangements and DOT permits for getting the oversize load from Michigan to New Mexico. He also found a crane and operator to do the installation at Bandelier.

Glen Simpson, Bandelier Chief of Facility Management commented, “Everything went like clockwork yesterday. The spanner looks great. We are already using it. Thanks for the great job on the ramps.”

Check out the May 21-25, 2012 Bandelier Facebook page for comments and pictures https://www.facebook.com/BandelierNPS

B&P Manufacturing - Contractor of the Year 2011

B&P Manufacturing has been selected as Michigan's Government Contractor of the Year and will receive the award at the Michigan Celebrates Small Business event May 3 in Lansing. B&P was nominated by the Northwest Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) and was one of 11 businesses in the running for the statewide award.

“B&P Manufacturing is a true PTAC success story and a success story for northern Michigan businesses," said Anne Helbig, PTAC program director. "They've been awarded nearly $30 million in government contracts, have added 10 new employees since 2009, and may add more employees in the near future."

B&P Manufacturing is an aluminum fabrication company known for its high quality material handling equipment. In recent years the company has also been making aluminum containers for the U.S. military. B&P's efforts to land more and larger government contracts have received a boost from PTAC.

“As a small northern Michigan business, B&P Manufacturing is both honored and pleased to be named as Michigan’s Government Contractor of the Year for 2012. The Northwest Michigan PTAC has provided assistance in our pursuit of Government contracts and we continue to work with them as we look for new opportunities in the future,” said Lia Krantz Lipar, B&P Manufacturing's director of military sales & contracts.

The Michigan Celebrates Small Business (MCSB) event is an annual awards program created by five founding organizations to recognize the importance of successful small businesses across the state. MCSB honors those businesses and their supporters who greatly contribute to the overall growth of Michigan's economy.

The Northwest Michigan PTAC is a program of the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments (NWMCOG) and provides no fee assistance to businesses interested in doing business with state and federal government agencies.

The Northwest Michigan APEX Accelerator is funded in part by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). This APEX Accelerator is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense.

The professionals at Networks Northwest help our City Council, Planning Commission, and staff make thoughtful decisions to ensure our community is sustainable and resilient for many years to come.
- Mark Heydlauff, Charlevoix City Manager