Domain expertise equals success

Sentek Consulting Inc., an 8(a)small, disadvantaged businessand a California-certified disabledveteran-owned business, ranks No.33 on the 2008 Fast 50, having rackedup $4.1 million in government contractsin 2007. That's a 78.91 percent increasein five years."The meat of Sentek's work is servicesto the Navy's space and warfare organizationin San Diego," said retired RearAdm. Hamlin Tallent, partner and vicepresident of C4ISR systems at Sentek."If you're going to do technical work,at some point you need to have a feel forand a very good appreciation of exactlywhat [the work] is intended to do and whom this particular piece of technologyis supposed to be assisting," he said.Therefore, the San Diego company'smanagement team includesretired senior military andgovernment officials withdecades of experience ininformation technologyarchitecture, command andcontrol systems, counterterrorism,special operationsand military infrastructure.Like many small companies, Sentekhas grown by partnering with largercontractors and among them Booz AllenHamilton Inc. is its major partner. SinceTallent joined the company in 2005,Sentek has grown from 17 employees toalmost 50."The company did not get its own[prime] contract until last year, whenwe won a $20 million contract," Tallentsaid. Under the award, Sentek examinesclassified program documents for theNavy and certifies that they have thecorrect security safeguards. The companyplans to use that expertise to pursuesimilar certification work for otherbranches of the military, he added.Sentek is succeeding despite a gooddeal of local competition. "It'sa crowded space," Tallentsaid, because "anyone whohas a fax machine can callhimself a C4I company." SoSentek is looking for newmarkets far beyond SanDiego.Tallent has created an internationaldivision primarily to win workin the Philippines and west Africa. "Thethings that are valuable to resourcemanagement in the U.S. of course wouldbe valuable and are valuable to developingcountries," he said.The retired Navy flag officer said hewould advise newcomers to the governmentmarket "to have the courage to goafter your vision." For example, "to go toAfrica from San Diego is a 32-hourplane ride, and you're not the same guygetting off [the plane] that you weregetting on it, believe me."