The GovCon Grove - Good Government supported by Great Companies - February 3, 2025

This weekly newsletter spotlights some of the top GovCon companies and leaders who recognize the importance of good culture and giving back as a way to attract and retain key talent, and good partners, thereby creating a winning formula for success. We also share some of the partner insights and featured posts found on OrangeSlices over the past week. Details on OS AI’s Daily Fresh Squeezed Newsletter are available below.??

Looking for a good partner????

• Magpie Health Analytics: Telling Stories, Connecting Data, & Building Trust to Transform Healthcare?

• REI Systems – Empowering Employees to Drive Positive Outcomes that Make a Difference?

• Department of State focused small businesses to know?

• Perspective, Relationships, and What’s Ahead for J29’s new Vice President Kathy Dass?

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focused small businesses to know?

• Fedstack – A New Business Unit Focused on Serving Pressing Technology Needs of Federal Entities?

• US Coast Guard focused small businesses to know?

Featured Posts on OS AI last week:??

• The Peel Podcast: The power of HR in GovCon: A conversation with Halai Shukran?

• Army IT Day and APBI Highlights?

• The Peel Podcast: AI, measurement, and messaging: The future of government communications with Denise Kennedy?

• The Peel Podcast: M&A to Retirement: Merry Korn’s Successful Journey?

• Former Fed Podcast: Modernizing government: AI, data, and leadership in 2025 with Jose Arrieta?

Events to have on your Radar:???

Keep abreast of the industry days and networking opportunities you don’t want to miss. Stay in the loop. Bookmark this expanded Upcoming Event page now. Check them out here.??

• 2025 Childhelp Shining Stars Gala – This year’s Childhelp Shining Stars Gala is hosted by event Chairs Mike Agrillo, John Heneghan, Gautam Ijoor , and Alison & Pete Santighian. Childhelp is one of the nation’s largest and oldest national non-profit organizations dedicated to the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect. At Childhelp, they do not just heal broken bodies, they help children discover dreams stolen by abuse. Your participation can change the life of a child. Details here.?

• The Children's Inn at NIH Gala – An Evening for Hope Save the date and get in your sponsorship now for this one-of-a-kind gala and fundraising event in support of the Children’s Inn at NIH. Can’t attend? Watch for the chance to be involved with the annual silent auction. More here.?

• HIMSS NCA Annual Charity Golf Scramble - Sponsorships Open?

• NCMA Woodlawn Chapter Denim and Diamonds Gala 2025?- Following the success of last year’s inaugural Zenith Awards Gala, this year’s even bigger, bolder celebration will honor excellence and innovation in the Federal Healthcare Government Industry.?Details here.? ?

Have and event we can help support? Message us at [email protected].???

Included below we continue to shine a light on the good stuff, highlighting a few weekly examples of leading GovCon firms and executives who are proving that they understand it is not just about winning, but about building a lasting corporate culture and giving back.??????

As you focus plans for the year ahead, knowing that great talent can go anywhere, support anyone, consider the influence good culture and giving back has on those decisions…?

Culture?

• Precise Software Solutions, Inc. looked back on 2024 as they planned for the year ahead… that look back included 4 best places to work awards. Has to mean something… ??
• OneZero Solutions Al Sowers deliberately visits all remote locations, culminating in an annual celebration in the DMV, believing it is always important to reflect on achievements, and connect directly with the team wherever they may be. ?
• M&A done right. Employees from Softrams, a Tria Federal Company, are receiving exciting Tria Federal (Tria) welcome packages in the mail! These swag-filled boxes are packed with goodies to celebrate the companies uniting in the shared mission to deliver transformative digital solutions to federal agencies.?
• In honor of National Mentoring Month, LMI hosted an appreciation event to celebrate the mentors and mentees who participate in the MentorConnect? program. The event highlighted the importance of mentorship in fostering growth and collaboration across the organization.?

Giving Back?

• When it comes from the CEO, you know it is embedded. IronArch Technology ’s Joe Punaro shared: "Seeing IronArchers come together to support such meaningful organizations fills me with immense gratitude and pride. At the heart of IronArch Technology is our unwavering commitment to making a difference—not just for our customers but for our communities as well...."
• At Altarum , employee-led volunteer initiatives actively engage its team with service-based events and purpose-driven campaigns as part of a commitment to fostering a robust culture of service. ? ?
• J Michael Consulting proudly volunteered with ????????????????’ ???????????? at their monthly food distribution event! The team braved the cold to help distribute ?????? ?????????? ???? ?????????????????? to nearly ?????? ????????????????.?

Most Viewed Comments on OS AI?

• MetaPhase … Our founders have made MPC a place people want to come to work…. provide their personal contact information to new hires in the instance that anything is ever needed… We’re a 300+ person company now and they still choose to do this because it’s the right thing to do.?More here.?

• … I’ve come to see RELI Group, Inc. as a company that truly prioritizes both its partners and employees, creating an environment where innovation, collaboration and growth thrive…?

OrangeSlices Tips of the Week:?

This week’s tips come from across the community and share tips and advice for weathering the storm, understanding changes that are afoot and insight from ongoing coversations. Have something to share? Send it to me at [email protected].?

• The notice of termination of funding for NIH research was unexpected and will be impactful. Charles R. Rogers, PhD shared some tips on how the community can weather this storm together. More here.?

• LORNA TEDDER has been sharing advice and insight including to small businesses who've been notified that one of their contracts is being descoped, downscoped or T for C'd (terminated for [Govt] convenience). More here.?

• Shene' Commodore, CPCM, Fellow created and shared a Contract Termination Checklist to guide government contractors through the process of handling Terminations for Convenience (T4C). More here.?

• Shauna W. has been non-stop sharing resources and what she is hearing in order to support the community during this time of transition, including lending an ear to Fed friends and the discussions they are having. Check out the most recent here.?

Are you signed up yet to receive the new daily OrangeSlices AI newsletter, the Fresh Squeezed Daily?? Chock full of the latest awards, opportunities and executive shuffling that you don't want to miss, this is your must-read every morning to be sure you don't miss out.?

The GovCon Grove is compiled and published by Heather Seftel-Kirk , OrangeSlices AI’s Exec VP and our own Corporate Culture Champion charged with making sure we don’t just talk the talk, but we walk the walk. Follow Heather and connect if you are a leader passionate about employee experience and #doingittherightway?????????????????????

About OrangeSlices AI????????????????

OrangeSlices AI. Playful Name. Serious about making Data available and accessible for a more competitive marketplace and Disrupting the GovCon Competitive Intelligence Market.??????????????

The core mission for OS AI is to identify, share and create timely, actionable and responsible information and data products, tools and resources that 1) are accessible to all organizations and their teams, small to large; 2) will assist Federal government and Industry IT and consulting leaders.?

?

?

?