The GovCon Grove - Good Government supported by Great Companies - February 17, 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?

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focused 8(a) small businesses to know?

• Customs and Border Protection focused 8(a) small businesses to know?

• MBL Technologies: Stretching Boundaries and Taking Bigger Swings?

• Department of the Interior focused 8(a) small businesses to know?

Featured Posts on OS AI last week:??

• The Peel Podcast: Zenith Awards Preview: A Night of Excellence & Collaboration with Krista Yager?

• Coach’s Corner podcast: Women in Homeland Security: Kristina Tanasichuk’s Mission & Impact?

• The Peel Podcast: Liger and the AI Revolution with Matthew Finney?

• Nava EVP Growth James Gordon – Partners Working Together to Build a Culture that is Increasingly Open, Collaborative, and Nimble?

• Announcing the 2025 FXPElev8 Award honorees – Part I?

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.??

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

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?

• RIVA Solutions, Inc. posted that creating a culture of inclusivity isn’t just important—it’s essential.?A truly inclusive workplace fosters?respect, collaboration, and innovation, ensuring that diverse perspectives are not only heard but valued, sharing a recent blog: "How Diverse Teams and Inclusivity Shape Federal IT”?

• Bart & Associates, Inc. has achieved Gold recognition on the American Heart Association Well-being Works Better Scorecard for the second year in a row! The Scorecard provides valuable insights into the strategies that are working to help best support the workforce in all areas of life.?

• Partner Forces hit the jackpot at a Vegas-themed winter party, celebrating a year of bold moves and big wins! ?From high-stakes strategy to all-in teamwork, 2024 was a year of incredible growth—and the team doubled down on the dance floor to prove their moves are just as sharp as their consulting game.?

• Infotrend Inc kicked off a new ??????????????????, each month highlighting a new theme that reinforces the values that make its workplace thrive. This February ?????????????????????? ??????????????! “Our core values remind us that different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences shape the way we collaborate and innovate. By embracing these unique contributions, we create an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to succeed.”?

• Team Building is about making connections, stepping outside of the day to day. CTIS, Inc. engineers gathered for a race to create towers made from marshmallows and spaghetti noodles as part of a team-building session. ?

• A welcome to Team Agile, IntelliBridge! Agile Defense officially celebrated by raising its glasses and toasting to new beginnings as a stronger, united team. From reconnecting with familiar faces to forging new friendships, the energy in the room reflected what makes this group Agile—diverse, connected, and unique.?

• Team PGT Solutions hosted its annual All-Hands meeting in Orlando. One member’s take away — Many companies post on LI about how important the culture is to the success of an organization, but although these are great LinkedIn leadership posts, do they really actively model clear values? ?Jena Jones is a humble, amazing servant leader and person. She is the cultural compass leader of this organization leading with trust, innovation, respect and collaboration?

• Evans Consulting came together for a heartfelt initiative led by its remote team members, RemoNation—taking a break from our day to write letters to elders, service members, and those facing mental health challenges. A simple note can brighten someone's day, remind them they are valued, and create a ripple effect of kindness.?

Giving Back?

• At PGT Solutions , giving back to communities is a core value. To deepen its impact, employees nominate local charitable organizations close to their hearts. Each quarter, one organization is chosen and a donation made in that employee's name. In 2024, these included Karlee's Angels, Family Promise of Hall County, Inc., The Eric R. Beverly Family Foundation, and Shalom Farms.?

• Serving dinner with smiles – the Abt Associates and TSPi team recently hosted a meal for the families and children staying at the Children’s Inn in Bethesda. Since 1990, the Children’s Inn at NIH has provided a free place like home to families whose children are seriously ill and receiving life-changing pediatric care at NIH. ?

• Deloitte, team members volunteered at The Children's Inn at NIH serving dinner to pediatric patients and their families, and made it Valentine’s Day themed (thanks Nicole Heiner)!!

Most Viewed Comments on OS AI?

• OTHSolutions - Over the years, OTHSolutions has consistently shown me how they value me as an employee and as a person. I’ve experienced this in a more general sense through their continued trust, guidance, and commitment to growth…?

• Forum One - is an employee-owned digital agency focused on driving progress on issues of importance, such as health, education, the environment, and community development…engaged in an ongoing process of continuous learning… We prioritize people…?

• Prometheus Federal Services (PFS) ….have embodied a listening, nurturing environment where employees can develop mastery over their subject matter, feel a sense of autonomy in their professional lives, and engage in purposeful work that impacts the health and well-being of populations in need. More here.?

OrangeSlices Tips of the Week:?

• Salesforce exec Mia Jordan shared: “A Leader’s Required Read: Mastering the 5AM Mindset for Work and Life and how adopting this approach can help us lead, live, and thrive in times of change. More here.?

• Kate Lynch Machado shared some thoughts after a session discussing stop-work orders, sharing client concerns, and taking care of staff. See her reminders 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.?