Make-A-Wish program sends a Fairmont teen to Hawaii
Teaming to Win Inc. recently hosted a dinner gathering at the Ramada Inn for Fairmont native Sandra Alvaro, her family and best friend, Sandra, from Fairmont, is a wish child with Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern West Virginia and is going to Hawaii.
Sandra's desire was to be a model, which was highlighted last June in The Dominion Post. Circumstances made that impossible, and so she chose to have her second dream come true.
Sandra's wish sponsor, Teaming to Win Inc. sponsored her wish, and took care of all the arrangements for her wish party evening. In addition, they provided her with gifts to make her Hawaii trip a success.
Make-A-Wish is the national organization that grants wishes to young people diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. As a newborn, Sandra was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a disease that robs young people of lung capacity.
Teaming to Win is a nonprofit organization devoted to advancing and improving small business prospects in West Virginia, and to facilitate educational opportunities, which promote higher business standards, methods and practices.
Make-A-Wish presented Teaming to Win a plaque in appreciation.
Teaming to Win Inc. and Make-A-Wish representative held a dinner for Sandra Alvaro (center, dark dress). Pictured are (from left): Bobbie Spear, Make-A-Wish; Greg Rousseau, Electronic Warfare Associates; Donna Ozburn, NASA; Herb Smith, MPL Corporation; Alvaro, wish child; Sean Sikora, EG&G, Inc; Melissa Nicholas, Make-A-Wish; Shelly Montgomery, National Biometrics Security; Craig Hartzell, Azimuth; and Belinda Sheridan, Procurement Technical Assistance Center.
Dominion Post, March 9, 2004
Azimuth earns national SBA District Director Award
Small business is the unsung backbone of America's economy.
On Monday, seven small businesses heard their praises sung as they were presented District Director Awards by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA was celebrating its 50th birthday with an event at the Radisson.
West Virginia's honors went to Morgantown-based Azimuth Inc., and left Craig W. Hartzell, Sr. vice president and CEO, somewhat breathless.
"I moved here about 20 years ago with a small defense contractor," he said. "They sent me out to open up a facility, which I did, and I just never left. I just love it here. Part of this decision to start the business was to be able to remain here."
Azimuth focuses its efforts on electronic engineering, software engineering, logistics support, telemedicine, imagery exploitation and GIS.
Offices are in Morgantown, Fairmont and Hagerstown, Md. About half the company's 75 employees are in West Virginia; the rest are in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
"Our corporate office, it's not real fancy, but our corporate office is in Morgantown. We started here and we'll finish here."
Hartzell and Adam Macias met while serving in the U.S. Army Special Forces. They decided to incorporate as Azimuth in 1988. First-year sales were a mere $15,000. Today, annual sales exceed $7 million.
"The main thing that we do, we provide products and services, primarily services," he said. "For what we do, we need very competent engineers and support staff. That's almost the easy part here, to find a good loyal staff member who will stick with you for the long haul. When I think about it, that's what really made it a huge plus to be here, the ability to recruit the right people."
The SBA made Azimuth possible, Hartzell said.
"The SBA locally is very, very hands on. They helped us tremendously, still help us," he said. "It wasn't easy, but we had all the support mechanisms and advisers behind us, pushing us along, guiding us."
Among those helping set up the business, folks who joined Hartzell at the awards luncheon, were Ed Heflin, insurance; George Armistead, their attorney, and Barton Loar, the banker who helped everything get started along with an SBA loan.
He praised West Virginia SBA Acting District Director Judy McCauley.
"We've known and worked with Judy for our entire business life," he said. "For her to pick us out from the numerous really powerful small businesses is very, very gratifying to us."
McCauley had just as much praise for them. "Azimuth is an exemplary small business with an impressive success story," she said. "Focused on learning with other small businesses since their inception, Azimuth made sure as they grew, other small businesses grew with them. This humble company is a solid pillar in the economic development and future of north central West Virginia."
Azimuth was recognized as No. 387 in Inc. 500 Magazine's America's Fastest Growing Small Businesses and received the Blue Chip Enterprise Award from Nation's Business Magazine, the SBA reported.
And Hartzell was named in 2000 to serve on the National Veterans Business Development Corporation Board. Many of the company's employees are veterans, he said.
Other recipients of the U.S. Small Business Administration's mid Atlantic region's District Director Choice Awards were: Info Systems, Wilmington, Del.; Under Armour Performance Apparel, Baltimore; Digital Solutions, Altoona, Pa.; Gentex Corporation, Carbondale, Pa.; Premier Pet Products, Richmond, Va.; and UNO Communications, Sterling, Va.
SBA Administrator Hector V. Barfete said these companies show the innovation and the drive "that make small business the driving force of job creation in this country."