John Hale III and Drake Russell (at left and right), director and deputy director of the U.S. DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, congratulate Erik Connard, CEO and owner of BES Technologies LLC, on his company’s receipt of DOE’s Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year award. (Photo courtesy Y-12/CNS)
Mentor-protégé relationship continues to receive federal accolades
BES Technologies LLC recently received the U.S. Department of Energy’s Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year award.
BES Technologies LLC, or BEST, is a service‑disabled, veteran‑owned small business in its fourth year as a protégé to Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, or CNS.
CNS and the Y-12 National Security Complex were recognized at last year’s awards ceremony as DOE’s Small Business Mentor of the Year for developmental assistance with BEST under the DOE Mentor-Protégé Program.
This year, it was time for the mentor to shine the spotlight on its protégé by nominating them for this DOE distinction and prestigious award. The resulting award confirms CNS’s glowing assessment that BEST truly lives up to its name, a press release said.
“This is what you hope for,” said Small Business Program Manager Lisa Copeland. “The purpose of our mentor-protégé relationship is to give a small company a chance to strengthen its business and interact with some of our contacts. BEST has taken every opportunity to build on this relationship so that at the end of the program term, BEST will have a stronger operation and a solid customer base.”
Through the Mentor-Protégé Program, CNS helped BEST achieve NQA‑1 compliant supplier status, which makes them more marketable, not only for Y‑12, but for opportunities at other federal sites and in the commercial sector. BEST now performs both radiological and non‑radiological laundry cleaning services for Y‑12, as well as three other federal customers, the press release said.
Achieving this status required a tremendous commitment from the small business, said Copeland, as well as all the end users at Y-12 who continue to help BEST serve the needs of Y-12. Sam Easterling, the Y-12 technical mentor, also continues to be instrumental in helping the supplier provide a quality service to Y-12 for years to come.
Copeland also applauds the company for its innovative ideas and “green” concepts.
“BEST truly embraces the ‘green company’ concept with a focus on reusing and recycling respirators and laundry items to reduce costs and landfill wastes,” Copeland said. “From the location of the building to the environmental impact of operations, the company actively pursues green business practices.”
BEST was recognized last year for reaching a major milestone by recycling one million gallons of radiological waste water through its laundry operations located in a reindustrialized building at the East Tennessee Technology Park. The company also uses ENERGY STAR appliances and equipment and takes advantage of natural lighting where possible, the press release said.
To find out more about the 2016 DOE Small Business awards ceremony, go to http://smallbusinessconference.energy.gov/.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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