GovernmentVAR Honors Solution Providers, Vendors At Awards Reception

Last night at the GovernmentVAR Awards reception, solution providers and vendors alike were recognized for having made the greatest strides in the public sector. The theme of the night: Anybody, big or small, can earn a piece of the government and education pie. The list of winners drives that point home.

Six solution providers received awards for demonstrating significant prowess in each segment of the public-sector market. Herkimer, N.Y.-based Annese & Associates was named Education Solution Provider of the Year, reporting 45 percent of its total revenue coming from that segment alone and serving as an example for how to work cooperatively with state-education service agencies that influence purchasing decisions and technology initiatives in K-12.

The award for Local Solution Provider of the Year went to Omaha, Neb.-based Adesta. The company's dedication to the market can be summed up by its recent project with Northern Vermont that involved the design, engineering and project management of a 400-mile open-access fiber-optic network installation in an area that had long struggled to find affordable broadband communication services. Such service to municipalities led the company to 40 percent growth in revenue from local government alone.

The self-proclaimed "people behind e-government," NIC in Olathe, Kan., won the State Solution Provider of the Year award for providing outsourced portal technology that enables agencies to offer services to citizens -- from online tax preparation to license renewal. With 90 percent of its revenue coming from state government (exceeding $53 million in 2005), the company consistently posts healthy growth.

Reston, Va.-based NCI Information Systems beat out Northrop Grumman and SAIC for Federal Solution Provider of the Year, reporting growth in federal revenue of 11 percent to $190 million. The company caters to both defense and civilian agencies, most recently winning a five-year, $25 million Army contract to provide Fort Lewis in Washington state with a full spectrum of IT support services.

For demonstrating growth in all levels of government, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Jeskell took the award for Government Solution Provider of the Year. The company reported $98 million in total government revenue in 2005 -- a 27 growth from the previous year -- and boasts major contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services and the state of California, among many others.

Greenbelt, Md.-based Presidio, which touts 60 percent of total revenue from government and education, was presented with the GovernmentVAR Editor's Choice award for cross-segment success, growing total public-sector business from $117 million to $140 million. Presidio's federal business alone jumped a reported 21 percent.

What to remember, said Frank Lancione, senior vice president of corporate business development at NCI, is that the 25 people at a small company working late on a contract bid aren't competing against the millions of people employed by top-tier systems integrators; they're competing against another team of 25 people. It's not David vs. Goliath, he said, but David vs. David, with the biggest ideas and not necessarily the biggest companies always winning in the end.

In addition to the awards presented to the channel community, three vendors and vendor executives were recognized for their support of partners driving into this challenging market. D-Link was credited with the Government Channel Program of the Year, offering special pricing programs, access to several state contracts, dedicated market representatives and around-the-clock support. The company reports 40 percent of total revenue derived from government and education, thanks largely to its network of solution providers and systems integrators.

Symantec's Alex Hart passed the torch of Government Channel Executive of the Year to Dawn Duross, Cisco's operations director of federal channels and global system integrators. While Duross gave credit for the program's success to her team, she is largely responsible for the incorporation of new marketing resources, tools and focus around the federal space; incentive and training programs catering specifically the needs of federal partners; and increased headcount in the channel organization. Through the company's finance division, loans and training programs, Duross has been able to assist small businesses that face distinctive challenges in serving public-sector customers, and strives to make herself and her team accessible to all partners.

Perhaps the biggest coup of the evening came with the final award, presented to Bob Samson, the former general manager of IBM's Global Public Sector Business, for Lifetime Achievement. Samson boasts a career with IBM of 33 years and counting, most of which were spent in the government space. As affirmation of a job well done, IBM announced a few weeks ago that Sampson would leave the public-sector to head up worldwide system sales. Despite his departure, Samson reiterated the relevance of the market's ability to change the world, encouraging attendees to walk through life continuing to inspire to inspire.