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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.

Wounded Warrior Intern Program

Purple Knight Initiative Fills a Need Helping Combat Wounded Veterans Obtain Real-World Skills

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Wounded Warrior Intern Program
Pictured: (left to right) – Jason Plucinik (Cole Engineering) and Steven Habercorn (PKI intern)

Cole Engineering Partners with Knight Federal to Offer Wounded Warrior Intern Program

Knight Federal Solutions is excited to announce a new partnership with Cole Engineering Services, Inc. (CESI), a premier provider of training solutions to the federal government and industry, through its wounded warrior internship program the Purple Knight Initiative (PKI).  

PKI offers paid internships to wounded warriors who are seeking to learn a new career in fields that are conducive to their disabilities and desires for employment.   Life after service can be a challenge to navigate, especially for those service members who have lived through combat with injuries.  With the veteran in mind first, Knight Federal partners with defense and government agencies as well as their prime contractors, non-profit organizations, and corporations across the country, to find employment opportunities.  With the veterans’ safety and welfare as top priority, PKI provides the education, management, and training for the veterans to develop future meaningful careers in high-demand technology fields.

“Cole Engineering is deeply committed to serving our veterans, and our partnership with Knight Federal’s Purple Knight Initiative is a great honor. Through our first PKI warrior hire we immediately recognized the difference PKI provides to transitioning veterans. As we continue to expand our partnership, we are proud to provide opportunities to these warriors who have sacrificed so much as they successfully transition from military to civilian life,” says Brian Serra, CESI’s Vice President, Acquisition Initiatives & Engagement.

More than 26,000 disabled veterans/wounded warriors are searching for career opportunities.  A 2014 Pew survey found that 44% of veterans who served since 9/11 were having trouble adjusting to civilian life. That was particularly true for those who suffered serious injury or endured an emotionally traumatic experience during their service. Veterans have many qualities that make them superb candidates for employment: discipline, leadership, and competency in areas from health care to information technology. However, they typically have less civilian work experience than other applicants. For many companies, that makes a big difference.

“Partnering with Cole Engineering will further expand the opportunities for our combat wounded veterans to have meaningful careers, which is helpful for their rehabilitation and successful integration into civilian life.  PKI’s primary focus is to mentor veterans, develop leadership skills, and successfully place them with veteran-friendly employers,” says Chris Baeten, CEO of Knight Federal Solutions.

If your company is interested in partnering with the PKI, please contact us.

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.

Chris Baeten

Message from the CEO – 2021

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I hope everyone has had a good year so far!  I also hope you and your families have stayed healthy during the pandemic.  It was nice to resume traveling to see everyone as we all get accustomed to the new normal.

2021 has been an exciting year for Knight Federal as we have continued to grow, and we have been very busy mobilizing new programs. We were fortunate to win new contracts supporting the Navy in Newport, Rhode Island, and the Department of Education in Washington DC.  I am proud to say that we were listed on the INC 5000 for the third year in row.  We also won an award for the Orlando Business Journal’s Elite 50 (Golden 100 and Fast 50) and the Washington Technology Fast 50 (50 fastest growing companies in the Washington DC metro area).

Our corporate office has been growing recently as we have hired a new Human Resources Manager and Corporate Controller.  Welcome to the KFS family, Nigel and Regina!

November has been a big month for Knight Federal as we continue to live out one of our core values, SERVE.  We were a corporate sponsor for the 11th annual Fairways for Warriors Veterans Day gala and golf tournament and participated in our 4th annual Heart Walk of Central Florida. Knight Federal was a key contributor in helping raise more than $150,000 combined for these events. We feel fortunate to support heart health and the well-being of our combat wounded veterans. For the holidays this year we will be supporting children in need by providing toys, food, and other resources in multiple locations where KFS has a presence.  Thanks to all who have contributed their time and energy to these efforts in helping us positively impact our local communities.

I hope everyone enjoys the approaching holiday season with friends and family. I wish you all good health and fondly anticipate seeing you in the very near future.

John Nickerson Named Program Manager for Purple Knight Initiative

John Nickerson Named Program Manager for Purple Knight Initiative

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John Nickerson Named Program Manager for Purple Knight Initiative
John Nickerson

John Nickerson opens the line of communication between Knight Federal Solution (KFS) customers and Wounded Veterans to get projects done.  With 21 years of military service, John has experience in management consultation, team building, professional development, strategic implementation, leadership, and company collaboration.  Since John’s retirement from the United States Marine Corps, he has worked in the Joint Staff J-7 as a database administrator and recently took on the position of Project Manager of the Knight Federal Solutions Purple Knight Initiative (PKI) program. As a wounded veteran himself, he is a graduate of the PKI program and can attest to its successes.

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 

Knight Federal Named to Fast 50 2020 List by Washington Technology

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KFS WT Fast 50 2020 Honoree

Knight Federal Solutions, a provider of simulation and training, cybersecurity, IT, finance and intelligence analysis solutions to the Defense and Intelligence sectors, was named by Washington Technology as a Fast 50 Award winner for 2020.  The outlet lists 50 of the nation’s fastest growing small businesses representing a full spectrum of capabilities, technologies and customers that make up the GovCon market. 

Knight Federal is listed number 43 based on its four-year compound growth rate of 27.8 percent.  Knight Federal’s revenue has continued to increase over the last three years. 

“Our team has worked hard to serve our government clients with dedication, focus and high quality by delivering successful results which is demonstrated by our proven performance and growth. We are honored to be recognized by Washington Technology as one of this year’s fast 50 companies,” says Chris Baeten, CEO of Knight Federal Solutions.

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 2015.   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.

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 market.

For more information, view the entire list here.

Employee of the Quarter – JS J7 Technical Support Team Names Sean Louisin

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.  This fourth quarter the award recipient covers January-March 2020 is Sean Louisin.

Sean 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 2020 Winner:

January-March – Sean Louisin

Sean ensured a successful data import from the United States Marine Corps Lessons Learned System to Joint Lessons Learned Information System (JLLIS).  He completed this by reviewing the latest requirements that were accepted by both stakeholders and determined the ColdFusion (commercial rapid web-application) JLLIS application needed a few updates to the Task Tracker and Consolidated Document Repository (CDR) modules to support the additional Marine Corps Lessons Learned Program (MCCLL) data.   

Sean added a few extra search result fields to the form as well as to the add/edit/view interfaces to support events, event types, and units.  These fields along with a metadata selection tool were added to the search form to allow further refinement. Sean also reviewed the MCCLL to JLLIS database mappings derived from the database schemas and requirements documentation to import all the battle board (task tracker) and structured document (CDR) data into JLLIS via a collection of SQL (relational database management system with the primary function of storing and retrieving data as requested by other software applications)scripts. To import the MCCLL unstructured documents, Sean was instrumental in creating a ColdFusion import process to read all the documents/files, match them to the correct CDR record and import them into JLLIS.

At the conclusion of the UAT, the JLLIS Program Manager expressed complete satisfaction with the progress made, and truly much of the credit goes to Sean.  In summary, Sean’s performance was exemplary.  His work was completed accurately, without a template to follow, and on time.  In the hundreds of hours Sean devoted to this effort, he demonstrated unsurpassed understanding of software development and ensured the upcoming JLLIS v4.3 Release remained on-schedule.

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 – JS J7 Technical Support Team Names Takeya Miller

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.  This quarter the award recipient covers April-June – 2020 and is awarded to Takeya Miller.

Takeya 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 2020 Winner:
April – June – Takeya Miller

Takeya has proven to be one of our most reliable Modeling and Simulation operators.  She shows up to work early with a drive that is ready to go as soon as she steps into the building…even without coffee!  She has helped our leading Joint Theater Level Simulation (JTLS) techs to decipher multiple issues with JTLS during exercise times and has helped other techs to understand the quirks in the JTLS model. 

Onboard less than a year, she has quickly mastered the JTLS simulation and is well on her way to mastering our other simulations.  A team player, she has a way to make everyone around her smile; be it with her calm demeanor or infectious laughter.  No other tech has stepped up to learn the ins and outs of the Air Tasking Order (ATO) translation as well as she has. Her continued superior performance has made Takeya’s selection as this quarter’s employee of the quarter a foregone conclusion. 

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 

2020

January – March – Sean Louisin

Contact Us

407-243-6008

info@knightfederal.com

Address

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

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