Published: June 22, 2008 12:00 am         

State recognizes Garrett business for growth

Government Contract Consultants earns Incubator Technology Service Company of the Year honor

Though the business started as a small firm, Government Contracts Consultants has grown to employ more than 80 employees and 40 subcontractors.

That growth has brought them the honor of becoming the 2008 Maryland Incubator Technology Service Company of the Year.

“We were really happy about the award,” Shirley Bailey, managing partner, said. “It’s a huge achievement for us. We started with just 14 people. We contribute a lot of it to the environment in Garrett County.”

James Bailey, senior partner, said it came as a surprise for him. He said all the businesses they were up against in the category were definitely strong competitors.

GCC was announced as the winner for its category on June 10 as a company that represented several categories, including growth in employees and revenue, impact on the region and engaging significant customers.

The business, which the couple formed 11 years ago, moved to Centre Street in Cumberland in 2000. Mr. Bailey said they were drawn to move the main office of their business again to Garrett County last year partly because of the open atmosphere for new businesses and that the entire county is designated as a Historically Underutilized Business Zone, or HUBZone.

With GCC qualifying as a HUBZone business through the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Baileys are able to get first opportunity at government contracts and ensures that GCC will hire local residents.

Currently, Mrs. Bailey said, they employ 16 Garrett County residents who work with GCC in various areas of the company’s operations. These range from information technology services, with support specialists guiding agencies through information technology systems development and deployment to acquisition support services leading federal government and commercial customers through the procurement and project management processes to administrative support like clerical and accounting services.

They also have field offices in Annandale and Norfolk, Va., and in San Diego, Calif.

Mrs. Bailey said along with providing jobs in Garrett County, the business also tries to provide some of the government contract work that they do to the county as well.

“We’re really happy to be here,” Mr. Bailey said. “I thought we may have some difficulty finding people to do the work, but that hasn’t been the case. We’ve been finding the right staff and are managing well. Being able to provide jobs to this number of people is rewarding. It’s contributing to someone’s livelihood and that’s why we’re in business.”

Both credited a large part of their business’ success to the fact that it is located in the Garrett Information Enterprise Center, an incubator for technology-based businesses.

Mrs. Bailey said because the incubator is located on the campus of Garrett College, it has allowed them a close working relationship with the college, including bringing college students to serve internships in their office.

She added that in working with the county’s department of economic development, she has found staff receptive to business and willing to work with new companies as they start up in or locate to Garrett County.

“It shows that you don’t need to be on the Beltway to be competing for government contracts,” Mrs. Bailey said.

The biggest concern with GCC’s growth, Mrs. Bailey said, is if becomes too large to be housed in the incubator. She said she hopes that should the time come, there will be somewhere for the business to relocate to within the county.

Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@times-news.com.