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Knight Federal Receives Northrop Grumman 2019 World Class Team Supplier Award

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Northrop Grumman 2019 World Class Team Supplier Award

Awards Program Recognizes Small Business Suppliers for Significant Performance and Outstanding Achievements

AwardKnight Federal Solutions, a solutions provider of simulation and training, cyber security, information technology, finance and intelligence analysis solutions to the Defense and Intelligence sectors, received Northrop Grumman’s 2019 World Class Team Supplier Award. The award is presented to small business suppliers that consistently demonstrate outstanding achievements and support of Northrop Grumman programs.  28 Small businesses from across the country were recognized for their significant performance as outstanding suppliers.

Chris Baeten, CEO, and Matthew Herring, Vice President of Business Development, attended the Corporate Global Supplier Diversity Programs Recognition Awards Luncheon held on May 16, 2019 in Linthicum, Maryland and accepted the award on behalf of the Knight Federal team.

“We are extremely honored to be recognized for this prestigious award from Northrop Grumman. This award reaffirms Knight Federal’s commitment to provide world-class technology solutions and services to our valued partners and the outstanding efforts of the Knight Federal team,” said Baeten.

Northrop Grumman annually acknowledges outstanding suppliers under its supplier diversity program which strives to ensure that capable small businesses receive subcontracting opportunities. The award selection process includes an extensive review against criteria such as technical capability and performance, cost competitiveness, product and service quality, and outstanding program support.

“Small business suppliers play a critical role in applying innovation and affordability to meet the challenging global security needs of our customers,” said Patricia McMahon, vice president, corporate supply chain, Northrop Grumman. “These awardees demonstrated superior business support and outstanding contributions to our small disadvantaged business, women-owned small business and service-disabled veterans’ objectives and top performance goals. They also have a large part in our relationships with the mentor-protégé programs, Historically Black Colleges/Universities and AbilityOne program initiatives.”

About Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. In 2018, Northrop Grumman contracted more than $8 billion to a broad base of suppliers, with more than 37 percent of its procurement spending going to small businesses and women- or minority-owned firms.

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2019 OBJ CEO Business Leader of the Year

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CEO of the yearChris Baeten, CEO of Knight Federal was honored as one of the 2019 CEO Business Leaders of the Year by the Orlando Business Journal (OBJ) in May 2019.

This year, 19 of the most dynamic and influential individuals in Central Florida, were honored at the awards luncheon held on May 10 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress.

Each year the OBJ, along with panel of community and business leaders, select a group of individuals whose business success, community engagement and innovative influence has moved the region forward. Once again, this year has recognized a stellar group of leaders.

These chief executives have led their firms to fiscal success, created engaged workplaces and made Central Florida a better place to live.  They have established a strong vision for their companies, involved their employees to bring that vision to fruition and made significant contributions to the community overall.

The award honors the highest-level executives at companies, organizations or agencies based in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake or Volusia counties.  These leaders have had significant achievements in their careers within the past year, a strong record of innovation, outstanding performance in their work and are actively involved in their community.

The list of 2019 CEOs

CEO PDF

Read Interview

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Knight Federal CEO Named 2019 CEO Leader of the Year

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Chris Baeten 2019 CEO Leader of the Year

2019 CEOs of the Year Announced

The Orlando Business Journal is recognizing 19 individuals as CEOs of the Year for 2019 based on their significant achievements in their careers within the past year, as well as a strong record of innovation, outstanding performance in their work and are active in the Central Florida community.

These dynamic, influential and passionate executives have contributed to Central Florida‘s economy by fueling the economic engines of the community by the thousands of companies, organizations and government agencies that are operating and moving along strongly thereby strengthening the local economy.

These leading individuals don’t lock themselves away in the corner office. Rather, they establish a strong vision for their companies, involve their employees in bringing that vision to fruition and make significant contributions to the community overall.

This year, the Orlando Business Journal is recognizing 19 such individuals in the 2019 CEOs of the Year Awards. The program honors highest-level executives at companies, organizations or agencies based in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Volusia or Brevard counties who have had significant achievements in their careers in the past year.

Chris Baeten made the list and will be honored at the awards luncheon on May 10 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando.
For the full article link, which includes the list of all 19 CEOs on the Orlando Business Journal site – visit this link.  NOTE: You must subscribe to the Orlando Business Journal to view the article.
Source: Orlando Business Journal, Anjali Fluker (March 29, 2019)
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From the Frontlines to the Boardroom – Feature on Shawn Lopez

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Shawn Lopez

Shawn Lopez is the program manager for the Purple Knight Initiative (PKI), Knight Federal’s internship program for wounded warriors. In this role he gets great pleasure to serve the nation’s combat veterans by providing them with paid internships and training that help reintegrate them into future successful careers. As a wounded veteran and graduate of the program, he is able to have firsthand knowledge on what these heroes face when they transition from active duty and integrate back into the workforce. This relatable experience propels Lopez to excel and find passion in the new career path he has chosen to follow.

“I am so grateful to Knight Federal, it has given me the opportunity to intern at the Joint Staff J7 after having served in the U.S. Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Battalion – East. This was an amazing experience that launched my current career and allows me to leverage my experience to ease their stress of transitioning and the feeling that they are alone in pursuing the next chapter of their lives,” says Lopez.

Lopez came on board at Knight Federal in July 2016. He was working in Charleston, South Carolina and communicating with his mentor Tim Baker, PKI Director, voicing his unhappiness with his current location and role. Baker told Lopez about a new company that was energetic and young that just became part of the Joint Staff Support team. He asked Lopez to reconsider moving back to Suffolk, VA where there could be a potential opportunity. Lopez recalls immediately recognizing the potential opportunity and took the advice to contact Matt Herring, Knight Federal’s Director of Programs. Herring reassured Lopez that they were not just about filling roles for work awarded, but their mission was to THRIVE as a team. After that call, Knight Federal hired Lopez as a communications technician for the Joint Staff Deployable Communications Shop. There he supported the Joint Exercises Division, as all areas support major simulated exercises for the Joint Staff J7.

“Having a CEO who stands by his employee’s and creates/supports a team environment is a huge plus to this job and company. Since the day I met Chris Baeten he welcomed me and supported me in all of my goals. He heard my story and said we can do more. Having a boss that has never served in the military, but yet understands the struggles of our veterans is highly respectable as a leadership trait in my eyes. Knowing that he supports the veteran community at work and within the community makes me proud to work with him.  Knight federal has become family to me,” says Lopez.

Moving forward Lopez hopes to become one of the leaders of Knight Federal in business development, with the coaching of Herring and Baeten. He continues to learn about its customers, teammates and the overall operations and business goals of Knight Federal.

Lopez has a distinguished military career. He joined the US Marine Corps in 2007. After graduating from Marine Corps recruit training Depot, Lopez was assigned to 2D Battalion 2D Marine Regiment, 2D Marine Division Camp Lejeune North Carolina. He served two tours in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. While serving in Afghanistan, Lopez received wounds from combat and was awarded the Purple Heart along with the Navy and Marine Corps Accommodation Medal with Valor. Lopez medically retired from the Marine Corps in 2012, and now has two children Shawn Jr. and Mia Lopez. He is attending Saint Leo University to pursue a degree in Business Administration. Lopez is involved in the community and currently serves on board of directors and as Tampa chapter president for Operation WetVet.  Additionally, he volunteers with Project Therapy at Sea’s “Taking Combat Veterans from Front Lines to tight lines!” – whose mission is to get Combat Wounded Veterans that suffer from P.T.S.D. together to enjoy a fun day of fishing and therapy along with counseling as needed. In his spare time, Lopez enjoys fishing, rock climbing, skydiving, motivational speaking and spending time with his kids. He also enjoys traveling.

Lopez’s words of wisdom for others: “People think the grass is greener on the other side. What they don’t realize is what it took to turn green. First you need to plow the land, then you plant the seeds, next you water it and feed it. In order to feed it, you have to grab the manure and throw it in front of you and walk through it. This process must be repeated over and over. Bottom line – it takes hard work, dedication, consistency, and commitment. At the end you will have grass. People can go one of two ways – are you going to continue looking over the fence, or are you going to grow your own grass? Stay hungry and do the work – hard work – it’s worth it in the end!”

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Knight Promotions – Matt Herring Advances

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Matt Herring

Knight Federal is proud to announce the promotion of Matt Herring to Vice President of Business Development. 

Matt has been with the company since its inception in 2013 and has been a critical part of growing the company into what it is today. 

Since Knight Federal’s inception, Matt has been instrumental in every aspect of the company’s growth.  His business development efforts allowed Knight Federal to grow more than 40% in the last two years. During this time Knight Federal added over 30 employees. His ability to capture, propose and win business led to Knight Federal’s award of its first prime contract in 2017. In addition to winning the first prime contract, Matt added new contracts and customers to Knight Federal’s portfolio while expanding and fortifying their current capabilities.  Being an emerging company, Matt wears many different hats in his role. In the competitive world of government services, Matt’s understanding of the market and network have allowed Knight Federal to be poised for strong revenue growth in 2019 and beyond.

With this promotion, Matt will be in charge of developing business in the Department of Defense and Intelligence sectors as well as forming strategic partnerships within industry and government. 

“The team at Knight Federal is very proud and excited for Matt on this important promotion.  The potential for exponential growth of Knight Federal is in very good hands,” says CEO Chris Baeten.

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Knight Federal Named 2018 Company to Watch

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Award Recognizes High Growth

GrowFL celebrated the mark of the 8th anniversary of its annual statewide awards program, Florida Companies to Watch℠. Presented by GrowFL, in association with Edward Lowe Foundation, Florida Companies to Watch is an awards program like no other. This event celebrates growing second-stage companies headquartered in Florida. Developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation, this event is a unique way to recognize and honor second-stage companies that demonstrate high performance in the marketplace with innovative strategies and processes, making them “worth watching.”

Companies from across the state and all industries are encouraged to participate. Selection is based on steady growth in employee counts and revenue as well as strength in leadership, corporate culture, community support and philanthropy, innovation in management or technology, or other factors that contribute to an outstanding organization.

Knight Federal was proud to be among the 50 winners of the ‘2018 Florida Companies to Watch’ award. The selection criteria is based on the following: the identification of standout companies expected to see significant growth over the next several years. Honorees were selected from more than 500 nominations by GrowFL, in association with the Edward Lowe Foundation. Factors included: strength in leadership, competitive market position and innovation in technology.

“The 50 honorees represent a diverse range of second-stage companies from across 20 Florida counties,” says Dr. Tom O’Neal, Executive Director of GrowFL. “While some of these businesses are fairly new, others are well-established. All demonstrate an entrepreneurial style that promotes steady growth. For example Knight Federal is a company that was established in 2013 but has experienced steady growth and creation of jobs due to its strategic business development strategies and innovative company culture.”

According to GrowFL, the 50 honorees generated nearly $1 billion in revenue and added nearly 1,000 jobs between 2014 and 2017. “This is a strong group of companies that deserve this special recognition given annually to the state’s top second-stage companies,” says Dr. Chris Morton, GrowFL Chairman and CEO of NanoPhotonica. Second-stage companies are defined as those with 6 to 150 full-time employees and between $750,000 and $100 million in annual revenue. There are many programs and incubators promoting start-up businesses; GrowFL is the only Florida program that focuses exclusively on second-stage companies. An awards ceremony was held on February 9th, 2019 in Tampa.

About GrowFL
GrowFL provides strategies, resources and support, including strategic research and peer-to-peer CEO mentoring and leadership development, to second-stage Florida companies. Created by the Florida Legislature in 2009 and grounded in the philosophy of Economic Gardening® — growing existing businesses in a community, region or state — GrowFL is a critical component of the state’s economic development strategy and Florida’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. GrowFL is certified by the National Center for Economic Gardening through the Edward Lowe Foundation. Website: http://www.growfl.com

About the Edward Lowe Foundation
Established in 1985, the Edward Lowe Foundation is a national, nonprofit organization that supports entrepreneurship through research, recognition and educational programs, which are delivered through entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs). The foundation focuses on second-stage companies — those that have moved beyond the startup phase and seek significant, steady growth. Website: http://www.edwardlowe.org

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Intern Spotlight

John F. Nickerson

John F. Nickerson CTR (USA) began his internship with the Purple Knight Initiative program in December 2018. Before that time, he had never heard of the Purple Knight Initiative or the program’s mission. After speaking with Shawn Lopez, Nickerson was invited to attend a Knight Federal Meet and Greet social. He was very impressed with the presentation and the program’s mission. “I believed the program was spectacular. As many know, it is very hard to get a foot in the door (being an outsider) at the Joint Staff community and without the Purple Knight Initiative I would not have had the opportunity to find this type of employment and hold the great position I have today,” says Nickerson.

Nickerson recently graduated from the internship program and is currently working in the data department where he is responsible for updating specific software systems within Joint Forces Command, Suffolk, VA.  The data he inputs is then integrated into Joint Training Data Services (JTDS).  JTDS supports the Joint Live, Virtual and Constructive (JLVC) Federation and the Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability-Entity Resolution Federation (JLCCTC-ERF).  Users include Department of Defense (DOD) and interagency personnel.

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

Murray Hess and Tim Baker present John Nickerson with his graduation certificate.

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Message from the CEO

Chris Baeten CEO

Since our last newsletter, we had the chance to celebrate the end of the year and see everyone during the annual holiday parties. I hope that the New Year has started off great for each of you. We have had another exciting quarter for Knight Federal. Since our last update, we have been building our presence and capabilities in the Hampton Roads, VA area with ongoing support to both the Navy and Joint Chiefs of Staff and also in Orlando supporting the National Cyber Range.

In February, Knight Federal was recognized by GrowFL, the economic gardening institute at UCF, as one of the 2018 Florida Companies to Watch honorees across the state of Florida.  It was a great honor and I would like to thank all of our employees who have been an integral part of our great organization that led to us achieve this recognition.

Additionally, Knight Federal is proud to announce the promotion of Matt Herring to Vice President of Business Development.  Matt has been with the company since its inception in 2013 and has been a critical part of growing the company into what it is today.  Read more about his promotion in the newsletter!

We have also featured the spotlight on Shawn Lopez, one of the rising stars at Knight Federal and a true example of success from the Purple Knight Initiative, as well as a former intern John Nickerson, who now works for Knight Federal full-time supporting the Joint Staff. Their success stories will be inspiring!

Team Knight Federal keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing everyone soon!

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Message from the CEO

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Chris Baeten, Knight Federal Solutions CEO

Hello team Knight Federal!  It has been a very busy quarter for our organization.  We were fortunate to win four new contracts over the past few months supporting the Navy in Norfolk, VA, the Air Force on Patrick Air Force Base, and the DIA in the National Capital region.  We have also been very busy supporting the local community in Orlando by participating in the Heart Walk on the campus of UCF supporting the American Heart Association and being a corporate sponsor for Fairways for Warriors supporting our local combat wounded veterans.

Knight Federal was one of 50 companies to be selected by GrowFL as Florida’s companies to watch for 2018.  We are very excited to receive this prestigious award by this great organization and are proud that our accomplishments professionally and philanthropically are being recognized.

I hope that everyone enjoys the upcoming holiday season and is able to spend time with their loved ones.  I look forward to seeing most of you at one of our holiday parties.  Keep up the great work and I look forward to 2019 being our best year yet!

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Fairways for Warriors Veterans Day Golf Tournament Raises Record Setting Goal

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Knight Federal Participates as Gold Level Sponsor

Golfers from businesses across Central Florida participated in the 8th annual Veterans Day Golf Tournament to benefit Fairways for Warriors Orlando Chapter.  The event was held on Friday, November 8, 2018, at the Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando.  This year’s event was sold out and raised more than $50K – setting a new record!. 

“Fairways for Warriors is significantly changing and saving the lives of our nation’s combat wounded veterans and their families.  We are so fortunate to be a corporate sponsor for this annual event and take pride in helping those that have sacrificed so much for us,” says event organizer and Knight Federal’s CEO Chris Baeten.

Fairways for Warriors is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit organization dedicated to providing a better quality of life for the nation’s wounded veterans by using golf and golf instruction to wounded service personnel and their family members. 

Golf has proven to be an excellent tool for mental and physical rehabilitation, and Fairways for Warriors is giving these brave men and women the opportunity to heal from their most significant injuries – unseen injuries such as depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), etc.  

For more information on how to support this organization or to get involved in the 2019 event, visit www.fairwaysforwarriors.org.  All donations are tax deductible! 

(From L to R) – Vietnam Veteran Richard Jacquet, Chris Baeten and OIF Veteran BJ Jackson.

Scott Wertsching, Air Force Veteran, Henry Rodriguez, Samantha Mooney-Outlaw, Chris Baeten and (Thunder the bald eagle-front)

 

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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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