Page 24 - FCW, September 15, 2017

In addition to showcasing small firms’ value as vehicles for new technologies, the Fast 50 list also illustrates the importance that small-business programs play in fostering new, successful companies.
FedBiz IT Solutions is making its second consecutive appearance as the No. 1 company on the Fast 50, posting a compound annual growth rate of 255.9 percent.The firm describes itself as a provider of hardware, software and related services, but that is probably
an over-simplification. FedBiz IT Solutions has strong relationships with some of the leading players in the commercial technology market, including well-known names such as Akamai and Dell and relative newcomers such as Fidelis Cybersecurity and video platform company VBrick.
Counting FedBiz IT, there are 24 companies on the 2017 Fast 50 that appeared in the rankings last year. The No. 2 company, IP Consulting Inc., was ranked No. 3 in 2016.The company specializes in intelligent communication systems, IT infrastructure and cybersecurity.
Its five-year compound annual growth rate is 174.3 percent. The company touts its status as a Premier Cisco partner as a differentiator.
But the 26 newcomers to the list also exhibit the importance of specialization and technologies that are in demand in today’s government market.
At No. 5, Spear Inc. is one of the 22 September 15, 2017 FCW.COM
youngest companies in the Fast 50. It had $729,590 in revenue in 2012, the year it was founded. By 2016, its revenue had reached $18.5 million, for a compound annual growth rate of 124.4 percent.
Its focus has been cybersecurity, data analytics, infrastructure solutions and management consulting. Among its customers are the Army, Education Department, U.S. courts and the FBI. Spear has cultivated a close partnership with Splunk and implemented that company’s
data analytics platform for several agencies and other government contractors.
Spear’s Splunk relationship
is just one example of a Fast
50 company capitalizing on
its knowledge of government customers to bring other commercial technology solutions into the public-sector market.
In addition to showcasing small firms’ value as vehicles for new technologies, the Fast 50 list also illustrates the importance that small-business programs play in fostering new, successful companies. Only 12 companies on the list carry just the small- business designation based on size or number of employees.
All the others also carry another
small-business designation, such as 8(a), woman-owned or service- disabled veteran-owned.
With 21 companies on the list participating, the 8(a) program is the most common small-business designation, followed by woman- owned with 14 companies. Even the Historically Underutilized Business Zones program, which has been the toughest small- business goal for agencies to achieve, has eight companies
on the Fast 50 list with that designation.
Many companies have multiple designations. For example,
No. 13 Favor TechConsulting
is an 8(a), woman-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned company.
The capabilities on display among the Fast 50 companies also illustrate the breadth of customer needs.There are companies selling traditional IT services but also big- data analytics, cloud computing, geospatial services, mobile app development, cybersecurity, health IT and life sciences.
Growing a company in the federal market can be tough, but as the Fast 50 list makes clear, many small businesses have a strength and vibrancy that are worth celebrating. n