Pictured left to right are Sierra Vista entrepreneurs Danny Avant, Dave Olson, Mel Albert, and Edward Molina.
A Sierra Vista-area government contractor that opened in 2007 and has grown from two employees to 70 will be recognized by the Arizona Small Business Development Center Network (AZSBDC) with a 2011 Success Award.
Intelligence, Communications, and Engineering, Inc. (ICE) provides services to government, commercial, and non-profit entities. Services include operational intelligence support in intelligence analysis and tactical human intelligence operations; communications engineering and installation, operations and maintenance, and training support; and engineering and operational and developmental testing support. A client of the Cochise College Small Business Development Center, which nominated ICE for the honor, it is also a Service Disabled Veteran Owned, SBA 8a and HUBZone company.
ICE is among a number of Arizona small businesses that will be recognized at a ceremony March 22 in Phoenix. Success Award winners were chosen for their outstanding economic performance during the previous year (2010).
“The accomplishments of ICE and the rest of these companies is especially noteworthy given the tough economic climate that we have all faced over the past year,” said Mark Schmitt, director of the Cochise College SBDC. “Their collective achievements demonstrate everything that is positive about small business growth in Arizona.”
ICE credits some of its success to its work with the SBDC. One of a network of centers throughout the U.S., the center provides guidance and counseling to small-business owners. Services include business planning, cash flow analysis, financial planning and procurement, start-up assistance, marketing, sales and promotion planning, and growth strategies.
Counseling is free, but there is an expectation that clients engage as partners in the process by participating in business plan and sales strategy reviews, tax classes, government contracting guidance, and software training.
“Our business received cogent advice, counsel and training from the SBDC,” said owners Danny Avant, Ed Molina, Dave Olson and Mel Albert. “Mignonne Hollis, the director at the time, provided insight in the crucial areas of finance and accounting. This help proved invaluable as it helped us avoid problems in the areas of accounting and taxation.”
The advice paid off. ICE won a small subcontract for two individuals in March 2007. That grew to four and several additional subcontracts.
“These initial efforts helped us establish our presence and recognition as a quality service provider,” the owner’s said. “We also realized that in order to control our own destiny, we had to secure our own contracts directly with our customers.”
The company redoubled its marketing efforts, focusing on becoming the prime contractor on the majority of its new contracts. ICE is now the prime contractor on 90 percent of its business. It also now has offices in Augusta, Ga., and Omaha, Neb., as well as in Sierra Vista. Government clients include the Department of Defense, Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. A commercial client list includes several small businesses in Sierra Vista and Bisbee, and the company also repairs PCs, builds website and performs other computer-related services for the general public.
The owners of ICE are retired soldiers and bring expertise from the military to their services. The company credits its success to its dedication to the core values of integrity, commitment and excellence, which form the basis of all company operations.
ICE Inc.’s focus on providing quality services and good stewardship of client resources has been instrumental in its success, Schmitt said. The partners work to inculcate the company’s core values, recruit and hire the best employees, provide superior service, share success with employees and support the community.