NEWS RELEASE: HigherEchelon Wins 2020 Distinguished Service Award for Veteran-Owned Established Business
TYSON’S CORNER, VA – The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce awarded HigherEchelon, Inc. the 2020 Distinguished Service Award for a Veteran-Owned Established Business in a Sept. 11, 2020, virtual ceremony honoring finalists and winners in five categories.
The Distinguished Service Awards were established six years ago to honor individuals, companies and non-profit organizations for their service to Veterans in the Greater Washington business community.
“We are thrilled to be able to honor some amazing local Veteran-owned businesses, inspirational Veteran employees and Veteran service organizations,” said NOVA Chamber CEO Julie Coons in her opening remarks.
The awards are presented in recognition of community stewardship and business leadership in five categories: Veteran Owned Business – Emerging (less than 5 years in business); Veteran Owned Business – Maturing (5-10 years in business); Veteran-Owned Business – Established (10+ years); Veteran Employee of the Year; and Veteran Service Organization.
The Veteran-Owned Business categories honor successful Veteran-Owned businesses that have demonstrated positive business performance and are poised for future success, according to Chamber member and ceremony presenter Scott McGeary of Washington Gas.
HigherEchelon was named winner in the Veteran-Owned Business – Established category. Finalists in the category were AllTransPack, Inc., OBXtek, Inc. and Three Wire Systems, LLC.
“As we all know this year has been very unique and challenging for us all,” said HigherEchelon Co-founder and Partner Paul Maggiano, who accepted the award on behalf of the organization. “We’ve all had to work through and overcome community challenges, business challenges and personal challenges.”
“Ultimately, this award is a testament to the HigherEchelon team that has faced and overcome these challenges during the past year. They have made us a stronger company, a company that is continuing to grow, and a company that continues to serve our customers, which are for the most part Defense and Veteran-related. More than 50-percent of our employees are Veterans, and we love that mission and the opportunity to serve. Thank you to all our HigherEchelon employees.”
VIDEO: HigherEchelon awarded Distinguished Service Award
HigherEchelon is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SVDOSB) that was founded in 2009 by Maggiano and HE President Joe Ross, Ph.D. The company hired its first full-time employee in 2012 and grew to more than 140 employees in 2019, including more than 70 Veterans. HigherEchelon offers a wide range of service offerings and consulting in its six business segments: Human Capital Services, Engineering Solutions, Gaming & Simulation, Cyber Training, Cloud Solutions and Enterprise Technology.
The company has seen sharp growth in recent years and will soon outgrow its small business designation due to increased revenue.
Other recent company milestones include earning: Salesforce Silver Partner status, certification as CMMI Level 2 for Services, and the Department of Labor HIREVets Gold Medallion designation for focus on Veteran hiring and support activities. HigherEchelon also won the 2019 GOVCON Program of the Year Award for creating a pilot program to help servicewomen better understand their health benefits and successfully transition from military service. The company was also named the Salesforce Military Hiring Partner of the Year in 2019.
Other recent activities in support of Veterans and the community include:
- Nearly half of all employees hired in 2019 were Veterans.
- HigherEchelon signed the Give One Percent Pledge which provides resources to the community through charitable contributions.
- HigherEchelon co-sponsored the Wall that Heals in 2018, which is a traveling ¾-scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial.
- The company has contributed to the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), Huntsville Association of Small Businesses Advanced Technology (HASBAT), Still Serving Veterans (SSV) and Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).
- HigherEchelon currently has three fellows through the U.S. Chamber and Salesforce Hiring Our Heroes Fellowship Programs.
- The company actively promotes Salesforce Military, which provides free training/certification for Veterans/spouses.
- HigherEchelon’s Veterans Resource Group creates both internal and external outreach programs to support Veterans, including time off for Veteran support activities, gift matching, mentoring programs, and bi-monthly water-cooler chat groups.
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