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 it by combining operational discipline with a clear-eyed view of where the industry is heading.

HX5, based in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, supports the Department of Defense and NASA with professional mission support services. Since its founding in 2004, the company has grown to more than 1,000 employees working across 34 states and 90 government locations, a trajectory that reflects two decades of consistent execution.

Progress and Persistence for Women Contractors

Howard has spoken openly about the evolving role of women in her industry. “It’s rewarding to see that women are making significant strides in the government contracting industry, over the years, breaking barriers and more often assuming leadership roles in this industry and within government agencies that we work with,” she has said. At the same time, she acknowledges that the work is not finished. “It’s still somewhat challenging for women in this industry, and while progress has been made, some biases unfortunately remain to be overcome.”

HX5 reflects those values internally. Many of the company’s senior management positions are held by women, and a number of those leaders have been with the firm for a decade or more. Margarita Howard has described her management team as among the company’s greatest assets.

Margarita Howard’s own path into contracting ran through the Tricare program, where she rose to regional director before founding HX5. That federal experience gave her fluency in the compliance and reporting expectations that govern government contracts, something she views as non-negotiable. “It’s important that a company’s records are impeccable when working with the government,” she has said, a standard she holds HX5 to across all of its contracts and client relationships. Refer to this article for related information.

Find more information about HX5 on https://about.me/margaritahoward