Assist & Win

In this episode of Assist & Win, Dr. Cynthia Mitchell and Dr. Jason Mitchell, founders of A Mylestone Group , share how they built a successful government contracting business in under three years. Learn how strategic pivots, leveraging certifications, and guidance from the Maryland APEX Accelerator helped them secure major federal and state awards, including a $780,000 DoD prime contract and...

In this episode of Assist & Win, we sit down with Mitch Rubinstein, founder of ResolvIQ , a service-disabled veteran-owned small business specializing in AI-driven, cloud-native software development. Mitch shares how mentorship from the Maryland APEX Accelerator helped him build a winning team, pursue the Navy’s Seaport NxG contract vehicle, and land a spot on the $900M+ GSA SCRIPTS BPA. His a...

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Kym Ali, a former nurse turned CEO of Kym Ali Consulting , an SBA-certified service-disabled veteran-owned small business specializing in organizational development, employee wellness, and leadership coaching. Hear how Kym transitioned from a demanding nursing career to the dynamic world of federal contracting, securing partnerships with agencies like the...

Are you wondering how to do business with the government? Do you have a strategic plan to win local, state, or federal contracts? If you're asking yourself these questions, then you need to attend this virtual event. Join the Maryland APEX Accelerator team for a Roundtable discussion on what small businesses in Maryland can expect in the procurement world in 2025 and how your APEX counselor ca...

Our guest is Martin Cadirola, President of Ecotronics Ventures LLC, a pioneering hard and software systems engineering company based in New Market, Maryland. Ecotronics specializes in telecommunications, weather research, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industries (also known as drones). With numerous contract awards under its belt, including providing drone surveillance services and Lidar suppo...

Are you wondering how to do business with the government? Do you have a strategic plan to win local, state, or federal contracts? If you are asking yourself these questions then you need to listen to this podcast episode. Join the team at the Maryland APEX Accelerator for a Roundtable discussion on what small businesses in Maryland can expect in the procurement world in 2024 plus how your APEX cou...

In this episode, we chat to Dr Celeste Chamberlain, President of Information Protection Solutions (IPS) about their recent contract win with the U.S. Department of Justice for $51 million over 10 years. IPS was established in 2014 by Celeste and her husband, Dr. Todd Chamberlain Sr., and is a service-disabled veteran-owned business specializing in Cyber Security. They started with just one full-ti...

Are you wondering how to do business with the government? Do you have a strategic plan to win local, state, or federal contracts? If you are asking yourself these questions then you need to listen to this virtual event. Join the team at the Maryland APEX Accelerator for a Roundtable discussion on what small businesses in Maryland can expect in the procurement world in 2023 plus how your counselor...

Our guest is Keith Garner who is the Vice President of BFG Enterprises LLC – a woman-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned small business in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. BFG Enterprises is a reputable consulting firm that specializes in Data Management and Identity, Credentialing and Access Management, Data Integration, and Management solutions and services. They have won numerous contract awards...

The federal government's goal is to award 5% of all federal contracts to women-owned businesses. Listen to this episode and learn how you can get a piece of the pie. You will hear from women who have built successful businesses selling to the government. We will explore their stories, experiences, and advice on how to overcome adversity and continue to thrive. You will also learn what the Small Bu...

Today’s guest is MDAPEX client, Tejash Patel, Founder and (CEO) of TAYS , an IT systems services company in Baltimore, Maryland. Tejash is responsible for the strategic vision, Financial and Operational Performance, and business development at TAYS. He has over 18 years of IT experience including leading large projects in the public and private sectors. TAYS was recently awarded an $8 million Task...

Our guest is Akiesha M Foster , a Procurement Specialist at the Maryland APEX Accelerator.  Akiesha joined the program in 2020 and is working towards becoming a VA certified counselor. She is an experienced Senior Contract Specialist (51C) with over 19 years in Logistics and contracting.  Akiesha is currently serving as the Sergeant Major for Army Material Command- Army Reserve Element (AMC-ARE)....

We all hope COVID is in the rearview mirror, and now is the time to reinforce your government contracting knowledge. Are you wondering how to do business with the government? Do you have a strategic plan to win local, state, or federal contracts? If you are asking yourself these questions then you need to be at this virtual event. Join the team at the Maryland APEX Accelerator for a Roundtable dis...

Today’s guest is Lakeysha Claxton, CEO of Homeland Custodial Services , which was recently awarded a government contract to provide janitorial services to the Navy in Okinawa, Japan.  Lakeysha has won several large contracts over the years and has been a Maryland APEX Accelerator client since 2014. She works with her counselor, Richard Paden on her contracting goals. In this interview, Lakeysha de...

"My APEX counselor, Richard Paden, has been wonderful… he really encouraged me and has been my champion and guardian angel. He helps me to hone in and focus on what I need to do to keep my business growing." - Silvia Perez Today’s guest is Silvia Perez, CEO of Rathel Enterprises, a multi-service provider who was recently awarded a $300k contract to provide medical equipment to the VA. Silvia has b...

Our guest is John Graham,  who is the Managing Director of Sullivan Cove Consultants LLC  - a multi-disciplinary professional services firm practicing in the federal and commercial sectors in Severna Park, Maryland. John has been a Maryland APEX Accelerator client since 2003 and has been successful in winning many large federal contracts with the largest dollar value contract award from the Depart...

Our guest is Raffi Bilek, LCSW-C,  social worker and CEO of the Baltimore Therapy Center (BTC).  Raffi has been a client with the Maryland APEX Accelerator for over a year. He is counseled by procurement specialist, Ms. Arthenia LeFlore, and won his first government contract in 2020 offering therapeutic services to domestic violence offenders in Montgomery County. Raffi is new to government contra...

Our guest is Mary Lee Kolich ,  a Procurement Specialist  & VA Certified Counselor at the Maryland PTAC.   Ms. Kolich has been a part of our program since 2004 and was once the PTAC director. Her primary area of assistance lies in the Southern Maryland region (Charles, St. Mary’s, and Calvert Counties). A seasoned professional with over 30 years of knowledge and experience in sales and contrac...

Has COVID backed your business into a corner? Are you wondering what the government is buying this year? Are you worried that your contracting business is not going to survive or grow?  Fear no more.  Join the ENTIRE team at the Maryland APEX Accelerator for a Roundtable discussion on what small businesses in Maryland can expect in the procurement world in 2021. Some of the topics to be discussed...

Update: This episode was originally recorded in 2019. Digital Forensics has been listed two years in a row! MDAPEX client of the month - Jerome Taylor, CEO Digital Forensic Services, LLC was included on the 2019 Inc. 5000 List. Jerome explains how he achieved exponential growth in just a few years and how the program helped him achieve success.  Become a Maryland APEX Accelerator client today by r...

Today’s guest is Richard Paden , a Procurement Specialist at the Maryland APEX Accelerator.  Richard has been a part of our program since 2014, and his primary area of assistance lies in Howard, Prince George’s, and Montgomery Counties. During a career spanning over 30 years, Richard has identified, qualified, and conducted capture management and key personnel recruiting for numerous multi-year go...

Today’s guest is Ms. Arthenia LeFlore , a PTAC Procurement Specialist & VA Certified Counselor. Arthenia is our longest-serving Procurement Specialist and has been a part of our program since 2005. Her primary area of assistance lies in Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of procurement and government contracting, starting in 1999 as a senior c...

Our guest is Dottie Li , Founder, and CEO of TransPacific Communications, and a long time APEX Accelerator client.  Dottie has been recognized as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Daily Record. This is Dottie’s second time receiving this honor, becoming the first Chinese American woman to be so acknowledged in 2015. In this interview, Dottie tells us about her journey from China to the United...

Today’s guest is Arleen Wilson, the CEO at AW Enterprises Consulting Services. Arleen has helped business owners create winning proposals for the last 20 years. She also trains and counsels clients for the Maryland APEX Accelerator, where her Proposal Writing workshops are always in demand.  In this episode, Arleen reveals the one thing most government contractors get wrong when writing their prop...

Today’s guest is Pamela Minor, a procurement specialist and certified VA counselor. She has counseled clients for the Maryland APEX Accelerator and is a former business owner with a specialty in IT.   In this podcast, Pam explains how the Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) process works and why veteran contractors need to get certified.  She also reveals the one thing business owners sho...