Since 2004, HX5 has built its business around a single mission: supporting the people who carry out the work of the Department of Defense and NASA. Founder Margarita Howard describes that role in personal terms rather than purely commercial ones.

“Working side by side with civil servants and the military, supporting their respective missions, is a privilege. I love this business and the work that we do. I’m extremely proud of it,” she says. That sentiment traces back to her own military service and her time helping implement Tricare, the Department of Defense’s health care program, before she started HX5.

A COMPANY BUILT ON SCALE AND TRUST

HX5, headquartered in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, now employs more than 1,000 people across 34 states and 90 government locations, a footprint that reflects the range of missions the company supports. Reaching that scale required more than technical know-how. Margarita Howard says it demanded strict attention to federal compliance requirements. “It’s important that a company’s records are impeccable when working with the government due to the compliance reporting and audits that companies have to agree to perform on government contracts,” she says.

Howard also points to her leadership team as central to HX5‘s ability to serve its government partners well. Many senior positions at the company are held by women who have stayed with HX5 for a decade or more. “We were very selective of people that we chose for our management team. And really, I could not be more proud of them,” she says.

As federal spending on defense and infrastructure projects climbed to record levels in 2024, Howard says HX5’s long-standing relationships with the Department of Defense and NASA have positioned the company to keep expanding its support role, work she describes as both a professional achievement and a personal privilege.

Howard also credits her own background for helping her understand what agencies expect from a mission support partner. Years spent working inside a federal health care rollout, she says, taught her how closely government clients watch execution and follow-through, lessons she has carried into every contract HX5 has taken on since. Refer to this page to learn more.

Learn more about Margarita Howard HX5 on https://www.finsmes.com/2026/01/margarita-howard-on-how-hx5s-defense-origins-launched-its-expansion-into-nasa-contracting.html