The Peel

Welcome to this new M&A focused podcast series, Mastering the Business Exit Journey featuring Adam McNair. Designed for leaders on both the buy-side and sell-side of government contracting, the series offers real-world insights, strategies, and lessons learned for scaling, selling, or acquiring businesses. Whether you’re just beginning to plan or actively navigating a deal, this series meets y...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn chats with Mandy Peckham , CEO and Founder of BSR Consulting, who brings a bold and strategic perspective to the world of emerging tech and federal contracting. As the head of a woman-owned consulting firm that helps federal agencies and innovative tech companies connect and collaborate, Mandy is on the front lines of market shifts. She’s also a venture...

In this energizing episode of The Peel, host Shelly McGuire dives into the rising star of the defense contracting world—Huntsville, Alabama—with two of its most influential insiders, Allison Rhen and Jessica Washburn , with the AFCEA Huntsville chapter. With deep roots in the community and decades of combined experience in federal contracting and workforce development, Allison and Jessica offer a...

Welcome to this new M&A focused podcast series, Mastering the Business Exit Journey featuring Adam McNair. Episodes will focus on Designed for leaders on both the buy-side and sell-side of government contracting. The series offers real-world insights, strategies, and lessons learned for scaling, selling, or acquiring businesses. Whether you're just beginning to plan or actively navigating a de...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with Manuel Miranda , Chief AI and Growth Officer at APV, a mission-focused tech company that’s quietly revolutionizing government and enterprise services through cutting-edge solutions. From low-code/no-code development to scalable AI and Agile DevSecOps, APV’s work is having a real-world impact, including recent contract wins at HHS. Manuel...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with  Frank Nestore , Vice President of Mathtech, a 50-year-old employee-owned consulting firm making a strategic move into the federal space after decades of success with state governments and commercial clients. Frank discusses how Mathtech is bringing proven modernization strategies, pragmatic AI adoption frameworks, and data-driven insight...

The Real Deal is a new Peel series created by Speedshift Ventures and PilieroMazza PLLC. Episodes will explore the fast-evolving world of M&A in the government contracting space. This series dives deep into the realities facing buyers, sellers, advisors, and operators—unpacking the trends, risks, and decisions behind successful (and sometimes failed) deals. In this premiere episode, Sarah Djam...

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with  Scott Hopper , President of Hopper Consulting and a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel with over 27 years of experience in logistics and supply chain management. With a distinguished military career that included war planning, IT modernization, and serving as executive officer to top-level defense leaders, Scott brings a deep understanding o...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn welcomes  Larry Bafundo , the newly appointed President of MO, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business making major waves in the federal and commercial innovation spaces. With a background spanning federal agencies, including the Department of Labor and the GSA’s Technology Modernization Fund, Larry brings a rare dual perspective from both insid...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with  Jennifer Sample , Chief Technology Officer at Empower AI, to explore how this forward-leaning IT services company is helping federal agencies navigate, and operationalize the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence. Jennifer shares why she joined Empower AI, describing it as a rare blend of innovation and rigor, where deep tech...

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley welcomes  Matthew Sweatt , a standout leader with over 20 years of success in business development and government contracting and Vice President of Federal Solutions at DivIHN Integration. Known across the federal space for his high energy and extensive industry presence, Matt brings sharp insight into the evolving staffing landscape and what it means for both...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn speaks with  Natasha Williams , COO, and  Beverly Rohtert , VP at IntegrityM, an award-winning, woman-owned small business leading the charge in fraud, waste, and abuse (FWA) prevention for nearly two decades. With deep expertise in Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial healthcare, Natasha and Beverly detail how generative AI—voice cloning, deepfakes, and...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with  Robert Turner , CEO of rTurner Consulting, to explore how federal contractors can finally cut through the noise of countless RFQs and task orders. Robert introduces RFQ Plus, an AI-powered solution built to streamline one of the most time-consuming challenges in GovCon: identifying which solicitations are actually worth your time. Instea...

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with  Eric Nusbaum , CEO of ENcompass Consulting Group, to cut through the noise and deliver a fast-paced, insight-packed breakdown of what’s happening right now across major GWAC and IDIQ programs. They delve into the Army’s new AOS model, a streamlined approach to accessing innovative solutions, and provide key updates on ITES-4H, which is f...

In this episode, David speaks with Brittany Chiang , CEO of Flatter Inc., a fast-growing federal contractor deeply committed to innovation and national security. Brittany shares how Flatter is leveraging AI and automation across its enterprise, training over 20 custom GPTs to enhance capture and proposal development, enabling less experienced team members to contribute meaningfully to data calls a...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with  Mark Flournoy , a Marine Corps veteran and the founder of Subhoo, which is redefining how federal sales and BD teams uncover teaming relationships across the government contracting landscape. Drawing from two decades of experience, both as a government insider and a commercial seller with companies like Amazon, Red Hat, and F5, Mark crea...

n the latest episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with  Ken Hofgesang , VP of Health at RELI Group, to talk about growth, partnerships, and what it really takes to move from small business status to mid-tier success in the federal space, specifically within CMS. Ken shares stories from his 25+ year journey in health IT, from being employee #1 at a startup to helping steer RELI Group thro...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with Dr. Bob Frey, renowned author, educator, and Co-Owner of Successful Proposal Strategies, to connect the dots between what’s happening inside today’s federal acquisition landscape and what GovCon leaders need to be doing right now to align.   Dr. Bob, whose clients have won over $8B in federal contracts, brings a rare depth of expertise sh...

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire welcomes Jeanmarie Loria , CEO of Advize Health LLC, a trailblazer in healthcare audit and compliance. With over a decade of leadership and a background at KPMG, Jeanmarie has built a powerhouse firm that just landed its first prime contract with CMS—a major milestone in the commercial healthcare space. Jeanmarie dives into the biggest challenges facing...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with Luke Nascimento , the CEO and founder of Arctas, as they dive into a bold new platform purpose-built to help government leaders tackle one of the toughest parts of their job: market research. Only 90 days since launch, Arctas is already reshaping how government and industry connect - offering access to thousands of verified contractor pro...

Just months after

On this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn has a conversation with Arthur Runno , a Navy veteran and 20-year GovCon proposal expert turned tech founder. Arthur is the CEO of Turingon, the company behind Proposal Pilot, an AI-native platform purpose-built for government contractors. Unlike generic tools wrapped around ChatGPT, Proposal Pilot is fine-tuned for federal acquisition regulations, real...

Federal contractors and acquisition pros, get ready. In this episode of The Peel Podcast, Shelley McGuire sits down with Eric Nusbaum, CEO of ENcompass Consulting Group, to break down the historic FAR overhaul—its goals, challenges, and rollout strategy. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is undergoing a major rewrite aimed at modernizing and streamlining the federal procurement process. Thi...

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with Courtney Modecki, CEO of 3C Digital Solutions, a woman-owned small business specializing in cloud migration, hosting optimization, and hybrid cloud efficiency. Courtney shares how her experience at major tech companies and federal agencies inspired her to start a niche firm focused on automating and optimizing digital transformation. She...

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire catches up with Sarah Sanchez , Vice President of Digital Services at RELI Group, to explore how purpose-driven solutions are transforming the federal contracting space. With over 20 years in GovCon and a background in the U.S. Air Force, Sarah brings powerful insights on aligning technology with mission goals, leveraging government data, and the urgent...