Different Name, Same Stuff

I was looking at an old friend, the Procurement and Technical Centers (PTAC), who have changed their names to APEX Accelerators. I kind of wondered what NEW thing are they bringing to the table to help introduce small businesses to the government market.

The name APEX reminds us of being at the top of the food chain, the pointy end of the spear. What has changed to bring it to such prominence? Additionally, the word Accelerators presents the sense of speed, agility, and quickness.

Given the PTAC's traditional role of assisting small businesses to enter into the government market palace, specifically DoD, how has their name change propelled them into prominence? The names APEX Accelerators suggest that they have something new to offer, what is it that places them at the top and speeds up what they do?

Really, there is the rub! New name, and the same old stuff. Not that the stuff wasn't good or useful, but the name presents expectations that are not accurate. I recall IT Supplies changing their names in the early 2000s, same product and service, but nothing changed, except their name.

In the 1980s Wendy's launched a campaign titled Where's the beef? It was to lift up their square burger against the round burgers of the other companies. The phrase Where's the beef? became part of the American slang for the substance of something.

So with that in mind, what is the SUBSTANCE that compelled PTACS to change their respective names to APEX Accelerators? or better said, Where is the beef?