Newark Consulting Firm Named Amongst Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America

Newark, NJ – Inc. Magazine today announced that Sabre88, the global technology firm servicing the federal government has been named amongst the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America.

The Inc. 5000 compares the growth of private companies throughout the nation, measuring growth over a three year span. Sabre88 entered this year’s list for the first time ranked at #671 with an astonishing growth rate of 672% since 2012, well above the list’s average of 490%.

The 2015 Inc. 5000, unveiled online at Inc.com and with the top 500 companies featured in the September issue of Inc. (available on newsstands August 18 to September 22) is the most competitive crop in the list’s history. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue is $205 billion, generating 647,000 jobs over the past three years. “We are honored to be included for the first time in the Inc. 5000 rankings,” Sabre88 Chairman and CEO Robert Cottingham, Jr. said. “Our growth is a testament to the diligent work and determination of our staff.”

Inc. 5000 honorees will be celebrated at the Inc. 5000 Conference and Gala on October 23, 2015 at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando. The complete list of award winners can be viewed at: http://www.inc.com/inc5000

About Sabre88

Sabre88 is a global consulting firm bringing capabilities in Help Desk & Contact Center Support, Telecommunications Support, Financial Services, Acquisition Support and Data Entry & Forms Processing to federal and commercial clients. Sabre88 takes pride in helping its clients improve overall business processes by tailoring best practices into replicable methodologies and by drawing on a capacity to assemble premier experts, processes and tools tailored to its client’s individual needs. Sabre88 presents a proven ability to help government leaders manage large-scale initiatives and achieve mission goals, and is unsurpassed in its fervent commitment to the objectives of its clients 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. For more information about Sabre88, visit www.sabre88.com.

 

About Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 6,000,000 today.

The Inc. 500|5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation’s most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. For more information on Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit www.inc.com.

Sabre88 Employee Wins Silver Medal Pan American Games

New York, NY – Benjamin Bratton, Sabre88 employee and member of the United States Men’s Fencing Team, earned a Silver medal at the recent Pan American Games held in Toronto, Canada last month. The Pan American Games, the second largest multi-sport event in the world, is held every four years in the year preceding the Olympic Summer Games and is competed amongst athletes from nations in North, Central and South America.

Apart from Ben Bratton (New York City, N.Y.) the other two members of the trio were Jason Pryor (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Yeisser Ramirez (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Team USA fenced Venezuela in the gold medal final which would serve as a rematch from the Pan American Championships 2 months earlier where the U.S. squad upset the Venezuelan team which was led by 2012 Olympic Champion Ruben Limardo for gold. Although Team USA tied both of the first two bouts, by the end of the fifth, Venezuela pulled away with a five-touch lead at 26-21. Although Pryor, Bratton and Ramirez each posted ties in the final bouts, Venezuela held its five-touch advantage to end the match, 45-40.

Typical Olympic athletes are forced to delay their professional careers in order to focus on competition and training, leaving many with the overwhelming question of what to do in their post athletic careers. For Bratton, an Executive Assistant at Sabre88, he credits recent successes to his ability to achieve an idyllic balance between both his professional and athletic careers with the federal contracting firm. Now with a Silver Medal in hand from one of the world’s most prestigious events, Bratton, currently the United States’ overall number one men’s epee fencer, has his sights set on the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero next August.

“I am really excited and motivated to be this close to achieving a lifelong dream,” says Bratton. “I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this success without the support of Sabre88 that has provided me with the guidance to balance my professional and athletic goals.

Sources: Nicole Jomantas. (07/25/2015). TEAM USA WINS WOMEN’S EPEE TITLE, TAKES SILVER IN MEN’S EPEE AT THE PAN AM GAMES

Sabre88 among the 2015 Washington Technology Fast 50

Newark, NJ – Global consulting firm Sabre88, LLC has recently been named amongst the Washington Technology Fast 50. The Washington Technology Fast 50 recognizes the 50 fastest growing small businesses in the government market considering their compound annual growth rate over the past four years. Washington Technology is known as one of the authoritative sources of competitive intelligence for business providing contract services to the federal marketplace.

Sabree88 has grown at such a fast rate that the company has sealed its spot on the Washington Technology’s 2015 Fast 50. Sabre88 ranked 37th overall where it registered $2.6 million in revenue in 2014 and compound annual growth rate of 63.63%.

“It is an honor to be included amongst the Washington Technology Top 50,” said Robert Cottingham, Founder and CEO, Sabre88. “The secret to navigating today’s federal marketplace is to continue be a step ahead of where you are right now.”

Click here to view rankings, where you can view the Fast 50 and learn who these companies with explosive growth are.

Highlights of the 2015 Washington Technology Fast 50

  • In total, 21 of the Fast 50 are making a second straight appearance. 29 are newcomers.
  • The designation distribution involved 9 Small business companies, 16 8(a) companies.
  • 16 companies with fewer than 50 employees.
  • 26 of the companies in the top 50 are IT service providers.

Company description

Sabre88 is a global consulting firm applying capabilities in financial services, billing support, FOIA, IT Help Desk Support, Data Entry and Document Scanning to government and commercial clients. With more than twenty years of combined personnel experience offering strategic solutions, Sabre88 staff advance the firm’s mission to provide civilian and defense agencies of the government with the necessary tools to address emerging challenges. Sabre88 was formed in January of 2008, with a mission to serve both civilian and defense agencies of the federal government. The founder, Robert Cottingham, Jr., started the firm out of a government need for innovative small businesses which provide a 100% customer focused service.

Founder & CEO of Sabre88, LLC. was inducted in the U.S. Fencing Hall of Fame 2015

Robert Cottingham; Founder and CEO of Sabre88, LLC. was inducted in the USA Hall of Fame this year as one of the most decorated Sabre fencers in USA Fencing history. Only two of the USA Fencing’s most embellished athletes and three coaches were inducted into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame for the year 2015. These five inductees after receiving nominations from the Hall of Fame Committee were selected through an online poll which was open to all the individuals aged 18 and older who held current USA Fencing memberships of supporting level or higher.

Robert Cottingham, U.S. Fencing Hall of Fame Nominee

Click here to view the list of Nominees

Robert Cottingham was a member of the 1988 and 1992 Olympic sabre teams and won six U.S. National Championship titles in sabre between 1986 and 1992. He was a Pan Am Team silver medalist in 1987 in Indianapolis. He had an outstanding collegiate career where he had a dominating record of 108-11 whilst he fenced for Columbia and won both individual and team NCAA titles in 1988.

The other four adorned names included in the USA Fencing Hall of Fame for 2015 were,
Becca Ward, two-time Olympic Medalist; Michel Sebastiani, former Olympian and U.S. Fencing Coach; Simon Gershon, Head Coach for U.S. Men’s Foill Team & Fencing Coach; Marty Schneider, Fencing Coach for Riverdale Country School (60 Years).

Sabre88 Awarded Contract with Naval Supply Systems Command for SERD Processing

Newark, New Jersey:  Sabre88 wins second contract with the Naval Supply Systems Command for SERD Processing in Philadelphia. The Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) is responsible for the supply and delivery of logistics and support to the Navy. Sabre88 will process ‘The Support Equipment Recommendation Data’; a contract deliverable document that lists recommended specific items of support equipment to support a weapon system or item of equipment.

The primary work location of this contract would be at NAVSUP- Weapon System Spaces in Philadelphia. The scope of this partnership includes processing of SERDs and their related spin-off tasks. Additionally, Sabre88 personnel will be responsible for providing and processing an in-depth and focused analysis of the documents with technical and logistics data from the Autoserd.

Sabre88 has been awarded this opportunity for a period of 1 year plus 4 option years. Sabre88 has always been in top crunch in the recent years. “Our company’s proliferating growth has not only left a mark in the business administration, but also has raised the bar for ourselves”, said Chairman and CEO Robert Cottingham, Jr. It is the approach towards our goal which always helps us execute every project swiftly. We are humbled and captivated with our second contract with the Navy.

About Sabre88, LLC.  Sabre88 is a global consulting firm applying capabilities in technology, public policy, international affairs, healthcare and education to government and commercial clients. With more than twenty years of experience offering strategic solutions, Sabre88 staff advance the firm’s mission to provide civilian and defense agencies of the government with the necessary tools to address emerging challenges and pursue global opportunities.

Owner of Newark Information Technology Company Honored as SBA’s 2015 NJ Minority Small Business Person of the Year

NEWARK, NJ – Robert Cottingham, Jr, founder and CEO of Sabre88, a Newark-based consulting and IT company was named the recipient of U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2015 New Jersey Minority Small Business Person of the Year, it was announced today.

The announcement was made at SBA’s Annual Small Business Week Awards Reception hosted by the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey at the State Museum in Trenton. In making the announcement, New Jersey District Director, Al. Titone .said that Cottingham, an African-American was selected for the award based on criteria that include the company’s Overall Financial Strength, Growth in Sales and Profits, Growth in Number of Employees, and Participation in Community and Charitable Events.

Six years ago, Cottingham started the business from his home. Today, his company has offices in Newark and provides IT and Telecommunications support to government agencies like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the General Services Administration (GSA) and the U.S. Navy among other clients. Sabre88 currently employ 32 fulltime employees and annual revenue in excess of $2 million.

A turning point for Cottingham came in 2011, when Sabre88 became an SBA certified 8(a) company. According to Titone, the 8(a) Program is an essential instrument for helping socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs gain access to federal contracting opportunities.

Participants of the program can receive sole-source contracts, up to a ceiling of $4 million for goods and services and $6.5 million for manufacturing. While we help 8(a) firms build their competitive and institutional know-how, we also encourage them to participate in competitive acquisitions, said Titone. We believe that contracting is one of the most effective ways for small businesses to create jobs in this country and inner cities like Newark.

Minority small business owners play an essential part in contributing to both our national and local economy, said Titone. I am here to tell you that the American dream does exist for those who have innovative businesses and are willing to work hard to achieve success, We’re just so pleased to be celebrating National Small Business Week (May 4-8) and recognizing the achievements and success of Bob Cottingham and Sabre88.

Contact: Harry Menta (973) 645-6064 (SBA)
Cell Phone: (201) 675-6309Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

Small Business Pushes Recovery Forward Despite Lull in Large Business Growth

While large companies have slowed in hiring in the first quarter of FY2015, small business continued to push forward last March according to payroll processing company ADP. Small companies added 108,000 workers, up from 105,000 in February making March the second consecutive month of growth since January and almost the strongest in nearly a decade.

Gains were divided almost evenly, with businesses fewer than 20 employees adding 57,000 new workers to the workforce, and 51,000 workers contributed by companies between 20 and 50 employees. In addition, according to the National Federation of Independent Business’ Chief Economists Bill Dunkelberg, one in ten small businesses expect to increase their payrolls in the upcoming months. According to the NFIB that also indexes economic growth in relation to business size, March continued to build upon the readings since the beginning of the new year with levels jumping to points not seen since 2005.

This upward trend for small enterprises continues despite a recent drop-off from large corporations. According to ADP, total employment has fallen in the United States every month since November with all companies accounting for 284,000 jobs in February and falling to 189,000 in March.

Government Unclear on How Many Federal Contractors it Hires

Between 2000 and 2012, spending on federal contracting grew more quickly than inflation and as a percentage of total federal spending. The fastest-growing category in dollars has been contracts for professional, administrative and management services the top expanding category being medical services.

Unfortunately, according to a March 11 letter released on the CBO website, the agency reports, “Regrettably, CBO is unaware of any comprehensive information about the size of federal government’s contracted workforce.” 2

The CBO’s efforts to deepen the analysis to help lawmakers determine whether contracting is more expensive than hiring federal employees fell short due to incomplete data. The Federal Procurement Data System-Next Generation (FPDS-NG), “is the only comprehensive source of information about federal spending on contracts.” Still, data in FPDS-NG is incomplete and “several reports have called the accuracy of this data into question”. 3

The database, the CBO concluded does not by itself allow analysts to compare the cost of performing a task with contracted employees against the cost of performing the same task with federal employees.

Critics of federal contracting have long expressed skepticism that contracting is more affordable than hiring government workers. On the other hand, advocates strongly disagree and call for fair, balanced policies, and clear, understandable measurements of public-private competition.

Medici, Andy “CBO: No clue on the number of contractors or their pay.”http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/management/oversight/2015/03/12/cbo-contractors/70201390/

 

2 Elmendorf, Douglas W. “Federal Contracts and the Contracted Workforce.” Letter to Congressman Chris Van Hollen. 11 Mar. 2015.

3 Elmendorf, Douglas W. “Federal Contracts and the Contracted Workforce.” Letter to Congressman Chris Van Hollen. 11 Mar. 2015.

Small Business Administration Proposes Expanded Small Business Mentor-Protege Program

Earlier last month, the US Small Business Administration (SBA) proposed rule changes that would establish a government-wide mentor-protege program and would increase the opportunity for large and small businesses to partner on unrestricted competitions and small business set asides. The new rule will be modeled after the 8(a) Business Development Program the only SBA program with a mentor-protege program established resulting in the expansion of the mentor-protege program to all small business contractors. The 8(a) mentor-protege program will remain in effect however with modifications to create additional opportunities for contracting with small disadvantaged businesses. The proposed rule comes amongst a series of sweeping changes from the SBA in the hope of creating new opportunities for small businesses.

The proposed rule would expand the mentor-protege program across all SBA programs including: Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small businesses, women-owned small businesses (WOSBs), service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs), and all small businesses. As opposed to creating multiple mentor-protege program for each of these designations, the SBA has elected to create one all-encompassing program for all SBA small business programs.

The new mentor-protege program will in large measure follow the requirements set in the 8(a) mentor-protege program. Below are the key elements of the proposal:

Mentors:

To be an eligible mentor a business will have to demonstrate: it is strong financially, is not listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) and it can impart value to the protege “due to lessons learned and practical experience gained” or “through its knowledge of general business operations and government contracting.”

Proteges:

A protege would need to qualify as small under its primary NAICS code, which the SBA would verify by seeing a formal size determination from the firms regional SBA office. Proteges would generally be allowed to have only one mentor at a time, but a second mentor could be added if the relationship would “not compete or otherwise conflict with the assistance” of the existing relationship.

Benefits:

Once the SBA approves a mentor-protege agreement, the mentor and protege would be eligible to submit offers as joint ventures on set-aside procurements for which the protege is otherwise ineligible. Additionally, a protege could also sell up to 40% ownership interest to the mentor for the purpose of raising capital. The benefits of this relationship would cease when the protege is no longer small for its primary NAICS code.

Congress Renews Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test Program

The House of Representatives voted last week to renew the Pentagon’s 25-year old Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test program for three more years of testing despite claims from Pentagon spokeswoman Maureen Schumann stating that the Pentagon would like to see the program terminated due to a lack of any quantifiable results proving the programs efficacy. The Senate is expected to renew the Test Program by the end of the week as part of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDCA).

The Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan Test Program was set up in 1990 to “determine if comprehensive subcontracting plans on a corporate, division or plant-wide basis would lead to increased opportunities for small businesses”. Currently the program has failed to publish a report or yield any relevant data, and small business advocates charge that the Test Program’s existence is actually costing smaller companies opportunities by allowing larger firms a loophole exempting them from submitting subcontracting reports used to monitor compliance with small business goals allowing a work to get around the government wide goal of awarding 23 percent of all federal contract dollars to small business. In 2010, the American Small Business League (ASBL) launched a national campaign to potentially block the Test Program’s extension and last September Professor Charles Tiefer, one of the nation’s leading experts in federal contracting law called the program a “sham” due to the egregious lack of transparency and oversight, stating that “The program and its extension will be seriously harmful to vital opportunities for small businesses to get government contracting work.”

Last summer, chairman of the Small Business Committee, Rep. Same Graves, R-Mo, pressed for revision in the NDCA to increase transparency and accountability in the program, however Senators on the Armed Services Committee called for an end to the program entirely. The final bill, which the President is expected to sign will extend the program for another three years but will require thorough reporting in greater detail more frequently.