Archive for category: Awards

Elite 50

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

,
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

Inc. Magazine Unveils Its First-Ever List of Florida’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies—The Inc. 5000 Series: Florida

,
Inc 5000 Series 2020

Knight Federal Earns Spot on the Inaugural List

Inc. magazine revealed that KNIGHT FEDERAL SOLUTIONS is No. 234 on its inaugural Inc. 5000 Series: Florida list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Florida-based private companies. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Florida economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses.

“We are thrilled to have earned a spot on first 2020 Inc. 5000 Series: Florida list,” says Chris Baeten, CEO of Knight Federal Solutions.  “This recognition continues to solidify our efforts as a determined team with fantastic partners to achieve impressive growth and profitability.  We credit our entire team for this award!”

The companies on this list show stunning rates of growth across all industries in Florida. Between 2016 and 2018, these 250 private companies had an average growth rate of 302 percent and, in 2018 alone, they employed more than 56,000 people and added $12.6 billion to the Florida economy. Companies based in the Tampa, Miami, and Naples metro areas brought in the highest revenue overall.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Series: Florida, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/inc5000-series-florida-2020 starting March 18, 2020.

“The companies on this list demonstrate just how much the small-business sector impacts Florida’s economy,” says Inc. editor in chief Scott Omelianuk. “Across every single industry, these businesses have posted revenue and growth rates that are beyond impressive, further proving the tenacity of their founders and CEOs.”

About Inc. Media

The 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.

About Inc. 5000 Regional Series Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 Regional Series is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2018. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2018. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2018 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

Intern Spotlight

Congratulations to Dave Williams for graduating from the Purple Knight Initiative.  During his time as an intern at the Knowledge Online (JKO) as well as the J7 Instructor Controllers, Dave has ensured to make good use of his time and learn as much as possible from the team.  David has distinguished himself as an Instructor Controller supporting several exercises and gaining the respect of the J7 Ops team.

He has proven to be an avid learner and is easily trainable.  It is for this reason that Dave has been offered, and accepted, a new role on the program. David has set the standard for those going forward. Fair Winds and Following Seas.

For more information about the Purple Knight Initiative program, please view our page.

Employee of the Quarter – KFS Navy Technical Support Team Names Shripal Fernando

Each quarter, Knight Federal’s Employee of the Quarter (EOQ) award for the Suffolk, VA location 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.  The third quarter award recipient covering July – September 2019 is Shripal Fernando.

Shripal is one of four individuals that will receive the award each year. The honor is awarded the beginning of April, July, October and December during the Christmas party for an outstanding employee from the three preceding months.

EOQ 2019 Navy Technical Team Winner:

July – September – Shripal Fernando

Shripal Fernando has been named the Knight Federal Solutions Navy Technical Support Team’s Employee of the Quarter for July – September 2019. Shripal has been a consistent advocate for Knight Federal Solutions  at the CI43 Mechanical Branch. His leadership, professionalism and expertise was recognized when he was asked to attend several Kick-off meetings at another location. Shripal is known for always making himself available to help others while still completing his tasks.  We appreciate Shripal’s professionalism and dedication to the Knight Federal Solutions Team!

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

Previous EOQ winners 

2019

January – March – Carrie Powers
April – June  – James Malony

Employee of the Year Winner

Toby Washington (2018)

2018

October – December – Dave Drake
July – September – Al Williams, Jr.
April – June – Glenn James – J7
January – March – Louis E. Williams

Employee of the Quarter – KFS Joint Staff J7 Technical Support Team Names Khalil Claude

Each quarter, Knight Federal’s Employee of the Quarter (EOQ) award for the Suffolk, VA location 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.  The quarter award recipient covering July – September 2019 is Kahlil Claude.

Khalil is one of four individuals that will receive the award each year. The honor is awarded the beginning of April, July, October and December during the Christmas party for an outstanding employee from the three preceding months.

EOQ 2019 JS J7 Technical Team Winner:

July – September – Kahlil Claude 

Kahlil Claude has been named the Knight Federal Solutions Joint Staff J7 Technical Support Team’s Employee of the Quarter for July – September 2019. From day one, Kahlil has always come in excited and ready to work despite never know what kinds of tickets and situations he would encounter throughout the day.  Kahlil meets every challenge with a smile and with true determination.  Often times he completes 75 to 100 tickets per day! He is a team player that handles help desk tickets with ease and pure professionalism. His exceptional performance during this period is in keeping with the highest standards of the Joint Staff as a whole and is an asset to the KFS Team.

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

Previous EOQ winners 

2019

January – March – Carrie Powers
April – June  – Christa Hill

Employee of the Year Winner

Toby Washington (2018)

2018

October – December – Dave Drake
July – September – Al Williams, Jr.
April – June – Glenn James – J7
January – March – Louis E. Williams

Contact Us

407-243-6008

info@knightfederal.com

Address

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

map

Connect

Certification

Email Form

6 + 1 = ?