Archive for category: Awards

Knight Federal Earns Gold - Receives HIRE Vets Medallion Award from the U.S. Department of Labor

Knight Federal Earns Gold – Receives HIRE Vets Medallion Award from the U.S. Department of Labor

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Award Highlights Company’s Commitment to Recruiting, Employing and Retaining Veterans

For the third consecutive year, Knight Federal Solutions, has been honored with the 2022 HIRE Vets Medallion Gold Award by the United States Department of Labor.  This award is presented to companies that have exemplary efforts in recruiting, employing, and retaining our nation’s veterans. 

The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans (HIRE Vets) Medallion Program implements the requirements of the HIRE Vets Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-31). The HIRE Vets Medallion Award is the only federal award recognizing exceptional achievement in veteran employment. By meeting the criteria required for a Gold Medallion Award, Knight Federal Solutions demonstrated both patriotism and recognition of the values veterans bring to the workplace.

“We are so honored to receive this award again by the U.S. Department of Labor.  It reiterates our strong commitment to hiring veterans and developing their full potential in a meaningful way,” says Chris Baeten, CEO of Knight Federal.

Knight Federal joins 834 other companies from 49 states, plus the District of Columbia, who have shown a commitment to hiring veterans, but also ensuring that they have a long-term career and growth plan that uses the diverse skills they acquired through their military service.

Recipients of the 2022 HIRE Vets Medallion Award meet rigorous employment and veteran integration assistance criteria, including veteran hiring and retention percentages; availability of veteran-specific resources; leadership programming for veterans; dedicated human resource efforts; pay compensation and tuition assistance programs for veterans. More than 1,400 employers have earned a HIRE Vets Medallion Award since 2018. For the full list of recipients, visit https://www.hirevets.gov/awardees.

About the HIRE Vets Medallion Program:
The HIRE Vets Medallion Award is earned by businesses that demonstrate unparalleled commitment to attracting, hiring and retaining veterans. The 2022 HIRE Vets Medallion Award application period will open to employers on Jan. 31, 2023. For more information about the program and the application process, visit HIREVets.gov.  There are different awards for large employers (500-plus employees), medium employers (51-499 employees), and small employers (50 or fewer employees). Additionally, there are two award tiers: platinum and gold.


Inc Magazine

With a 63% Two-Year Revenue Growth Knight Federal Earns a Spot on Inc. Magazine’s List of the Southeast Region’s Fastest Growing Companies

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Companies on the 2022 Inc. 5000 Regionals Southeast List Had An Average Growth Rate of 147 Percent

Inc Magazine

Inc. magazine today revealed that Knight Federal, a provider of simulation and training, cybersecurity, IT, and intelligence analysis solutions to the Defense and Intelligence sectors, is No. 169 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals Southeast list with a 63 percent growth rate over two years.  This list is the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies based in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Southeast region economy’s most dynamic segment–its independent small businesses.

“Earning a spot on the Inc. Southeast Regional list is an exciting achievement for Knight Federal.  Having this exposure is a great way to elevate the exciting growth taking place within our company,” says Chris Baeten, CEO of Knight Federal.

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Southeast region. Between 2018 and 2020, these 173 private companies had an average growth rate of 147% percent and, in 2020 alone, they added 27,794 jobs and nearly $4.9 billion to the Southeast region’s economy. Companies based in the Miami, Florida, Fairhope, Alabama, and Covington, Louisiana, areas had the highest growth rate overall.   

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals Southeast, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/southeast starting March 15, 2022.

“This year’s Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America’s off-the-charts growth companies. They’re disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you’ll be hearing about for years to come,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chiefof Inc.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals
Methodology
The 2022 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2018 and 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2018. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2018 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.  For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Awards

Knight Federal Earns Spot on Washington Technology’s 2021 Fast 50 List

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List Celebrates the Fastest Growing Small Businesses in the Federal Sector

Awards

Knight Federal was named by Washington Technology as a Fast 50 honoree for 2021.  The publication lists 50 of the nation’s fastest growing small businesses, which is a celebration of their depth, diversity, and hard work in the federal sector.

Knight Federal has shown sustained growth and ranks at number 20 based on its five-year compound growth rate of 24.8 percent which is reflective of its substantial revenue increase over the last three years.  Headquartered in Orlando, Florida Knight Federal is the only company listed from the state of Florida, representing the Southeast.

“This recognition is made possible through the collective collaboration, dedication and quality performance of our Knight Federal team.  They are dedicated to the mission of our defense customers and focus on delivering impactful results representing our core values, which is proven by our past performance and continued growth,” says Chris Baeten, Knight Federal CEO. 

To be eligible for the list, a company must be considered a fast-growing small business in the government market with at least $50,000 in government revenue in 2016.  It ranks small businesses according to their compound annual growth rate over the last five years.  Government revenue includes prime contract subcontract work in the federal, state, and local markets. This year’s Fast 50 companies comprise a depth of capabilities, but also note that innovation and cutting-edge skills aren’t solely found at the largest companies in the market.

Washington Technology, a web-based specialty publication, is considered the foremost authoritative source of competitive intelligence for executives of small businesses in the federal contracting or GovCon market.

For more information, view the entire list here.

Knight Federal Receives HIRE Vets

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Medallion Award from the U.S. Department of Labor

Award Underscores Company’s Commitment to Hiring and Developing Veterans

U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh recognized Knight Federal Solutions as one of the 849 recipients of the 2021 HIRE Vets Medallion Award during a virtual award ceremony presented by U.S. Department of Labor. Knight Federal earned the GOLD award after applying earlier this year. The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) Medallion Program is the only federal award program that recognizes employers who successfully recruit, hire, and retain veterans.

“We are thrilled to receive this honor again by the U.S. Department of Labor.  It emphasizes our commitment to hiring veterans and developing their full potential,” says Chris Baeten, CEO of Knight Federal.

Knight Federal joins 848 other companies from 49 states, plus the District of Columbia, who have shown a commitment to hiring veterans, but also ensuring that they have a long-term career and growth plan that uses the diverse skills they acquired through their military service.     This is the second year Knight Federal has been honored.  The company was recognized on the list in 2019 as a Platinum level honoree.

Recipients of the 2021 HIRE Vets Medallion Award meet rigorous employment and veteran integration assistance criteria, including veteran hiring and retention percentages; availability of veteran-specific resources; leadership programming for veterans; dedicated human resource efforts; pay compensation and tuition assistance programs for veterans. More than 1,400 employers have earned a HIRE Vets Medallion Award since 2018.

About the HIRE Vets Medallion Program:
The HIRE Vets Medallion Award is earned by businesses that demonstrate unparalleled commitment to attracting, hiring and retaining veterans. The 2022 HIRE Vets Medallion Award application period will open to employers on Jan. 31, 2022. For more information about the program and the application process, visit HIREVets.gov.  There are different awards for large employers (500-plus employees), medium employers (51-499 employees), and small employers (50 or fewer employees). Additionally, there are two award tiers: platinum and gold.

Elite 50

Knight Federal Honored as One of OBJ’s 2021 Elite 50

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Elite 50

Recording annual revenue growth is a major milestone for most companies during this time of turbulence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.  And having consecutive sales growth for multiple years is an even bigger accomplishment.

That’s why the Orlando Business Journal’s 2021 Elite 50 deserve kudos for their business success not only through 2020, but also in the previous two years.  The Elite 50 honors the cream of the crop among local, privately held companies who have achieved great success in the past year in the 2021 Elite 50.

Knight Federal has been selected as one of the 50 honorees for 2021, representing one of the five companies selected that are leaders among both OBJ’s Golden 100 List (top companies based on most recent year revenue) and the Fast 50 Lists (leading companies based on three consecutive years of positive revenue growth).

Below is an excerpt from the OBJ interview with Knight Federal’s CEO Chris Baeten:

Elite 50

How did the pandemic initially affect how you do business?

We had to adjust to our workforce by working remotely.  Communication with our employees was no longer face-to-face, so we had to find creative ways to stay in touch to ensure productivity was high and deliverables were being met.

How did you adjust/pivot/reimagine the business to keep operating during the pandemic?

On-line meetings became a necessity.

What were some things you had to stop doing or do less of during the pandemic?

Our company and office are built around open communication.  Without everyone in the office our communication with each other was not as frequent.

How did that affect your business?

Initially, it negatively affected our productivity on a week-to-week basis, however once we adjusted to the new working conditions, we found new ways to have open forums of communication where everyone could stay in touch with each other throughout the day.

What were some things you instituted to keep employee morale up?

Virtual happy hour!

What does the future look like now for your company?

Our company has continued to grow.  We are reinvesting in the infrastructure of our company and increasing the support we have at our headquarters. 

What do you believe makes your company an elite business?

Knight Federal was built with an entrepreneurial mindset that has been passed on through our employees.  We are constantly looking at ways to improve the skills, performance, and quality of life of our employees.

Your advice to other local businesses on surviving this challenging economic environment: 

Constantly look for ways to adapt to the ever-changing work environment.  Don’t get stuck in your own ways and be ready to pivot when your original ideas aren’t working.

What’s the most exciting thing that happened to your company last year?  We opened our new office across the street from UCF in the Quadrangle Office Park.  It’s exciting to be close to the university so we can provide opportunities for growth for interns to be part of our company – Go Knights, Charge On!

To view the list of honorees – visit https://lnkd.in/g_2n4Cpt 

Inc 5000

Inc. Magazine Unveils Its Annual List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies—the Inc. 5000

For the Third Year in a Row Knight Federal Solutions Appears on the Inc. 5000 with Three-Year Revenue Growth of 58 Percent

Inc. magazine’s Inc. 5000 list is a compilation of the fastest growing companies in America.  This year, those companies making the list have demonstrated brains, bravery, and optimism amid the Covid-19 pandemic.  Each of these companies has their own tale of persistence, perseverance, and pluck. Knight Federal Solutions is no exception.  For the third year in a row, the company has earned a spot on the coveted list with a three-year revenue growth of 58 percent, companies that have placed three or more times this year comprise 41.62 percent of the list.   Companies on the list represent a unique look into their success within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armor, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year’s list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020’s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

“Being included on this year’s Inc. 5000 list during a pandemic, is an incredible accomplishment.  This recognition is a tribute to the Knight Federal team that works tirelessly to help us achieve our continued growth and excellence.  We appreciate their efforts that keep our company focused on our mission to ensure the readiness of our nation’s warfighter,” says Chris Baeten, CEO of Knight Federal Solutions. 

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which hit newsstands on August 20.

“The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. “Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we’ve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people.”

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 19-20, 2021. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

Knight Federal ranked 4,539 on the 2021 Inc. 5000 List. 

About Inc. Media
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.

About Inc. 5000 – Methodology
Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this year’s Inc. 5000.  Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

Employee of the Quarter – JS J7 Technical Support Team Names O’Relius Powell

Powell

Each quarter, Knight Federal’s Employee of the Quarter (EOQ) award for J7 Technical Support Team recognizes the outstanding qualities and contributions of employees towards Knight Federal’s goals and mission. Knight Federal recognizes that driven and loyal employees empower an organization. 

For exceptional efforts from October through December 2020, O’Relius Powell has been recognized as the Employee of the Quarter. As the lead for the JTIMS/JLLIS Help Desk, O’Relius addresses issues from a world-wide user community.  Overall, he is responsible for the administration, troubleshooting of JTIMS and JLLIS enterprise operations objective analysis and recommendations to improve performance through strategy process modifications, dissemination of technology improvements, better management practices, and cost drivers.

During this reporting period, our team has had to adapt to the challenges associated with pandemic precautions.  Within the Help Desk Section, O’Relius has been the noticeable star due to his willingness and ability to work on-site every day without Help Desk Administrator relief. He has addressed the great majority of the 1000-plus JTIM and JLLIS Help Desk issues received from the user community, and it should be noted that he has completed each issue in a successful and timely fashion.   Additionally, O’Relius has supported improvements to the Defense readiness Reporting System, Enterprise Management system and JTIMS by providing input to the developers.  He also created a training module for the JTIMS user community. 

O’Relius is the “Shell answer man” for all things JTIMS and JLLIS software.  He is an exceptional individual who has served the JTIMS and JLLIS team extremely well and epitomizes the best qualities of a Knight Federal Solutions Team Member

The Employee of the Quarter will receive:

  • A gift card for $50
  • A framed certificate recognizing their accomplishments
  • A Knight Federal imprinted leather notebook

Nominate an Employee

Complete the EOQ Nomination Form and submit it to the program manager Murray Hess.  Anyone may nominate an employee. Nomination forms may be submitted at any time.   Nominations are due the week before the end of the quarter. 

The Process

The EOQ Committee will meet on a quarterly basis throughout the year. The committee will assure that the nominee meets all of the basic requirements. The committee will consider the following contributing qualities when making the award selection:

  • Longevity and performance
  • Contributions to the Knight Federal community
  • Contributions to his or her office
  • Contributions to the outside community
  • Awards or recognition received

Employee of the Quarter – KFS Navy Technical Support Team Names Matt Driscoll

Matt Driscoll

Matt Driscoll has been named the Employee of the Quarter for his exceptional efforts during the period October through December 2020.   During this time, Matt has distinguished himself through a very difficult period in the support of Navy efforts.  His knowledge of the network allows him to stand out among his peers and he is often escalated to support the NOC to troubleshoot the more complex issues. He continues to be a team player by volunteering to support off-hour events and has assisted with engineering efforts outside of his normal area of responsibility.   His exceptional performance during this period is a credit to Knight Federal Solutions and the Navy Tech Support Team.

EOQ 2020 Winner:

October – December – Matt Driscoll

The Employee of the Quarter will receive:

  • A gift card for $50
  • A framed certificate recognizing their accomplishments
  • A Knight Federal imprinted leather notebook

Nominate an Employee

Complete the EOQ Nomination Form and submit it to the program manager Murray Hess.  Anyone may nominate an employee. Nomination forms may be submitted at any time.   Nominations are due the week before the end of the quarter. 

The Process

The EOQ Committee will meet on a quarterly basis throughout the year. The committee will assure that the nominee meets all of the basic requirements. The committee will consider the following contributing qualities when making the award selection:

  • Longevity and performance
  • Contributions to the Knight Federal community
  • Contributions to his or her office
  • Contributions to the outside community
  • Awards or recognition received

Employee of the Year – J7 Technical Support Team Names Jerry Henderson

Henderson EOY 2020

Each year, Knight Federal’s Employee of the Year (EOY) award recognizes the outstanding qualities and contributions of employees towards Knight Federal’s goals and mission. Knight Federal recognizes that driven and loyal employees empower an organization.  This annual award recipient for 2020 is Jerry Henderson for his exceptional efforts over the past year, first and foremost, for the backbone of Joint Theater Level Simulation (JTLS) support at JSJ7. 

Jerry was responsible for being the primary trainer and mentor to three new KFS JTLS techs throughout the year.  Despite having to work a COVID 19 restricted training schedule Jerry ensured that new techs learned their primary support role and continued to grow and refine their skills throughout the year.  Even when exercises were cancelled because of COVID restrictions Jerry maintained a positive attitude and found ways to keep training the JTLS team. 

Jerry was the primary technical support lead for Pacific Fury 21-1, a TS level JTLS exercise taking place in the SCIF at JSJ7.  This exercise taking place on the JWICS exercise network had challenges beyond running a normal JTLS exercise.  New servers had to be put into operation on the JWICS network.  Jerry also assisted in supporting message testing between JTLS and TCSP despite this not being a direct support requirement for JTLS and PF21-1.  Despite being in COVID 19 isolation protocols, Jerry supported execution of PF 21-1 with over the phone support and troubleshooting. His troubleshooting skills during the Internal Look 21 (IL21) event testing phases contributed to the success of LOTS integrating to the rest of the JLVC federation contributing to savings in budget and manpower. 

Self-taught on JLVC federation tools, JSPA and JAWS, he was able to be the lead troubleshooter for the event.  Recipient of numerous kudos from the government, his performance is in keeping with the highest standards and is a credit to KFS and the Joint Staff J7 Tech Support Team.

The Employee of the Year will receive:

  • A gift card for $50
  • A framed certificate recognizing their accomplishments
  • A Knight Federal imprinted leather notebook

Nominate an Employee

Complete the EOY Nomination Form and submit it to the program manager Murray Hess.  Anyone may nominate an employee. Nomination forms may be submitted at any time.

Nominations are due December 1.

The Process

The EOY Committee will meet on a annual basis. The committee will assure that the nominee meets all of the basic requirements. The committee will consider the following contributing qualities when making the award selection:

  • Longevity and performance
  • Contributions to the Knight Federal community
  • Contributions to his or her office
  • Contributions to the outside community
  • Awards or recognition received

Employee of the Quarter – JS J7 Technical Support Team Names Kolette Fuller

Kolette Fuller EOQ

Each quarter, Knight Federal’s Employee of the Quarter (EOQ) award for J7 Technical Support Team recognizes the outstanding qualities and contributions of employees towards Knight Federal’s goals and mission. Knight Federal recognizes that driven and loyal employees empower an organization. 

For exceptional efforts from July through September 2020, Kolette Fuller has been recognized as the Employee of the Quarter. Since July 2020, she had to assume sole responsibilities for all JTIMS and JLLIS testing due to the unexpected departure of the second program tester.  Losing one half of a program’s Quality Assurance / Test Analyst Team during normal operations is significant, but losing a Quality Assurance/Testing Analyst in a period leading up to three critically important software releases caused great concern to our leadership. Kolette demonstrated superb organizational skills and dedication by ensuring critical testing was completed accurately and on-time.

Some of the key accomplishments she accomplished during this three month period included:  the creation of a User Acceptance Training (UAT) test plan for JLLIS v4.4 in approximately half the time normally required, identifying nearly a dozen discrepancies which had to be individually corrected or coordinated with other team mates prior to the UAT start, test all Help-Desk tickets for JLLIS Software Release v4.3.1 and 4.4 simultaneously, work with the JTIMS team to complete early testing of JTIMS v9.0 Help Desk tickets, create JTIMS Use Case Documents, and consistently participate in all sprint JLLIS and JTIMS planning meetings and provide feedback to all release plans submitted to the team for review. 

In August 2020, the program hired a new tester.  Kolette unselfishly took complete responsibility for training the new Quality Assurance / Test Analyst team member while balancing her responsibilities associated with software test evaluations. Kolette is an exceptional individual who has served the JTIMS and JLLIS team extremely well and epitomizes the best qualities of a Knight Federal Solutions Team Member.

The Employee of the Quarter will receive:

  • A gift card for $50
  • A framed certificate recognizing their accomplishments
  • A Knight Federal imprinted leather notebook

Nominate an Employee

Complete the EOQ Nomination Form and submit it to the program manager Murray Hess.  Anyone may nominate an employee. Nomination forms may be submitted at any time.   Nominations are due the week before the end of the quarter. 

The Process

The EOQ Committee will meet on a quarterly basis throughout the year. The committee will assure that the nominee meets all of the basic requirements. The committee will consider the following contributing qualities when making the award selection:

  • Longevity and performance
  • Contributions to the Knight Federal community
  • Contributions to his or her office
  • Contributions to the outside community
  • Awards or recognition received

Contact Us

407-243-6008

info@knightfederal.com

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Knight Federal Solutions, Inc.
11486 Corporate Boulevard, Suite 151
Orlando FL  32817

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