Government contractors have a reputation for slow-moving bureaucracy, and Margarita Howard knows that reputation can cost her company talent. Howard, sole owner, CEO and president of HX5, has spent recent years updating internal systems to feel less like a relic

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HX5 handles a wide range of Department of Defense and NASA work, from advanced weapons research to production readiness reviews for sensor systems and modeling and simulation for space programs. That scope of work sits behind CEO Margarita Howard‘s approach

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Artificial intelligence is changing the mechanics of government contracting faster than many industry observers anticipated. Margarita Howard, sole owner, CEO, and president of HX5, has been tracking that shift and positioning her company to operate effectively in the environment she

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The federal defense contracting sector has historically skewed heavily toward large, established firms with deep government relationships. Breaking into that environment as a small, women-owned business requires more than ambition. Margarita Howard, sole owner and CEO/president of HX5, has done

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Government contracting rewards firms that take compliance seriously from the start. Margarita Howard built HX5 around that principle in 2004, and the company’s growth over the following two decades reflects just how powerful early infrastructure investment can be. The Accounting

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Not every small business in the government contracting sector chooses to compete. For some, sole-source contract awards through programs like the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) initiative are enough to sustain operations for years. But Margarita Howard, who has led HX5

Continue ReadingHX5 and Margarita Howard Demonstrate the Value of Competitive Bidding

Government contracting rewards companies that can demonstrate reliability before they have a lengthy track record. Margarita Howard founded HX5 in 2004, which is why she made accounting infrastructure her first major investment rather than waiting until contracts created the need.

Continue ReadingMargarita Howard’s Investment Philosophy Fueled HX5’s Growth

Margarita Howard, sole owner and CEO/president of HX5, has grown her Fort Walton Beach, Florida-based company from a modest startup founded in 2004 into a contractor employing more than 1,000 people across 34 states and 90 government locations. The firm

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The transition from military service to civilian employment is rarely seamless. Skills transfer unevenly, workplace cultures differ, and the structure that defined daily life in uniform is suddenly absent. HX5 CEO Margarita Howard has experienced that shift firsthand, and it

Continue ReadingHX5 and Margarita Howard Build Pathways for Veterans in Defense Work

Margarita Howard has built a reputation for spotting the infrastructure decisions that separate fast-scaling companies from the rest. At HX5, her early investment philosophy treated infrastructure not as a back-office cost center but as a core strategic asset capable of

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