Defense – GTS Coalition

GTSC Honors Our Leaders

Kristina Tanasichuk — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 15:52:16 +0000

GTSC last night honored those who make the contracting world a better place for both the government and for our market.

Ronald Gallihugh, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Transportation Security Administration and his procurement team, were recognized as Federal Small Business Champions of the Year; Pherson Associates for Small Business Member of the Year; Agilex as Mid-tier Member of the Year; Harris as Mentor of the Year; Sara Schroerlucke, Program Manager in Customs & Border Protection, as Federal Most Valuable Player; Michelle Mrdeza, Senior Advisor to Cornerstone Government Affairs and founding Strategic Partner of GTSC as Strategic Advisor of the Year; Government Contracting Weekly as Strategic Partner of the Year; and Jim Williams, co-founder of Schambach & Williams as the 2014 Market Maven.

Read the full release here.

Michael P. Jackson joins GTSC as Steering Committee Chair

Kristina Tanasichuk — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 01:47:59 +0000

GTSC today announced that Michael P. Jackson, CEO of Vidsys (www.vidsys.com) and Former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Transportation has joined the Coalition leadership as Chair of the Steering Committee. Jackson, the CEO of a small business working in the homeland and national security space, joins GTSC’s leadership to “share innovative, pragmatic lessons learned from small and mid-sized businesses serving public agencies responsible for essential security missions.” Read the press release here.

5 Tips for Considering the International Market

Kristina Tanasichuk — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 18:13:18 +0000

Brandon Torres Declet
CEO, SouthernCrux International
& GTSC Strategic Advisor

In an era of constrained budgets at the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, it makes sense for some small and mid-sized businesses to think about expanding internationally. How?

1. Think about your domestic government customers. Is the product or service you’re selling easily understood and universal in nature? Who do you want to sell to in a foreign country?

2. Learn regulations. Understand any regulations on the export of your product or service such as ITAR. Also, understand what foreign laws or regulations are pertinent. This will vary by country.

3. Test the waters. Before you spend a lot of money and time traveling overseas, work to develop relationships with foreign governments here in D.C. They can be your guide to appropriate contacts in the country.

4. Do your research. Reach out to the Department of Commerce and seek assistance in determining the size of the potential market.

5. Conduct vetting. Consider using brokers or in country re-sellers but always vet these contacts carefully. Small and mid-sized businesses that make mistakes and work with disreputable partners take significant risk.

6. Designate someone to international BD. Lastly, every country is different and the time to develop relationships and a sales pipeline will vary. Consider designating a person responsible for international business development.

Brandon Torres Declet is a GTSC Strategic Advisor and brings more than a decade of experience working among senior government officials at the Federal, state and local level.

Learn more about international business opportunities at the Mapping the International Sales Landscape in the Defense & Homeland Security Markets program on September 24.