Hartzell appointed to Veterans Business Corp.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller announced that Craig Hartzell, of Morgantown, has been appointed by President Clinton to sit on the newly created National Veterans Business Development Corp. Rockefeller nominated Hartzell for this position in November.
Rockefeller said, "This is truly an enormous honor for Craig, as he is one of only six presidential appointees for this position. I am sure that the National Veterans Business Development Corp. will help veterans play a more active role in our nation's economy by creating small businesses. Craig's success and experience at Azimuth Inc. will surely be a great benefit to him, and to all veterans who seek his assistance, in this new endeavor."
The NVBDC was created as part of the Veterans Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Act of 1999, to expand and improve access to technical assistance for veterans to start, maintain and succeed in small business. The corporation will oversee a network of assistance centers for veterans who are setting up their own businesses. It will also work with the public and private sectors to establish an independent nationwide network of business assistance and information centers for veterans.
Hartzell is vice president of the engineering firm Azimuth Inc. He is a veteran, having served for four years on active duty in the U.S. Army and another 16 years in the Army Reserves, with all his assignments in Special Forces.
SBDC (Small Business Development Center), Summer 2000
Morgantown Company A True High-Tech Success
Azimuth, Inc., founders Craig Hartzell and Adam Macias share friendship, service in the U.S. Army Special Forces and the expertise to market successfully to the Department of Defense, with its research and development budget in the billions of dollars.
That combination resulted in a company with annual sales higher than $8.5 million, more than 100 full-time staff members and recognition by Inc. magazine as one of the top 500 fastest-growing businesses in the United States.
Azimuth, Inc., was born in 1989 with a single $79,000 subcontract with Electronic Warfare Associates and a staff of three: Hartzell, Macias and Tina Belt, who is responsible for all financial and contractual matters.
The company specializes in electronic and software engineering, logistics, database development, electronic design, circuit board production and systems integration. Its client base has grown to include customers in government and commercial sectors. It has expanded to eight offices at government and contractor sites throughout the United States.
During the company's infancy and early expansions, Hartzell sought assistance to validate the business plan and construct a financial proposal. Working with Sharon Stratton, business analyst for the Fairmont State SBDC satellite office at West Virginia University, financial acquisition was a success and the business plan was tailored to meet future goals.
"Sharon was an invaluable asset to us at a critical time in our company's growth pattern," Hartzell said. "The SBDC is a most useful resource to obtain business advice and in fact provided constant word-of-mouth advertising through introductions to other small business and government agencies."
Azimuth, Inc. L-R: Adam Macias, Tina Belt, Craig Hartzell
Azimuth has grown consistently and expanded into the military medical and telemedicine arena. The company is a lead support firm for the U.S. Research Center (TATRC) at Fort Detrick, MD.
Many of the company's products are R&D projects that support Department of Defense activities including the Airborne Leaflet Delivery System and the Integrated Electronic Bridge (IBS) for assault and patrol boats.
Azimuth has received wide recognition for its outstanding performance and growth. The company won the Outstanding Small Business of the Year award in 1993 from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium and was one of six regional winners of the Blue Chip Enterprise Award in 1994 sponsored in part by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Azimuth also has been recognized by the Morgantown Area Economic Partnership for its outstanding contribution to the local economy and by the Business and Professional Women's Association for its equal employment policy.
In 1995, the company received the Small Business of the Year award at the Teaming to Win Conference for its utilization of a teaming approach to business. The company won a Blue Chip Enterprise Award again in 1999.
Hartzell and Macias believe their continued success is based largely on the West Virginia and military work ethic for which they are recognized and on the quality of their staff. The team philosophy is an integral part of the corporate culture as Azimuth continues to identify high-quality team members from other companies to help capture and perform contracts.
The Dominion Post, August 8, 2000
Blue Chip Winner is Azimuth
Craig Hartzell and Adam Macias of Azimuth, Inc. receive the prestigious Blue Chip Enterprise Award from Jerry Jones Financial Advisor of Mass Mutual
Behind every business is an inspirational story - about meeting challenges, seizing opportunities, overcoming adversity and emerging stronger. The Blue Chip Enterprise Award is the national symbol of inspiration, dedication, resourcefullness, and perseverance in the small business marketplace. This award, co-sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Mass Mutual Financial Group recognizes small and closely held businesses that have overcome obstacles and who have triumphed over their hardships. Mass Mutual Financial Group is proud to announce this year's winner is Azimuth, Inc. of Morgantown, WV. Azimuth does advanced electronic and software engineering for the U.S. Department of Defense. Much of this work is related to communication systems and has users in both the U.S. Navy Seals and in the U.S. Army special-operations forces. Azimuth won the award because of their fast reaction to challenges and because of this strong spirit of creativity and innovation.