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S & K Technologies outgrows federal help program

By Maggie Plummer

ST. IGNATIUS - Last Wednesday was graduation day for S & K Technologies (SKT).

The tribally-owned corporation has rapidly outgrown the label "small business," and on Oct. 11 graduated early from the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA's) 8(a) program.

That success is a first in the United States, according to Robert Much, SBA Business Development Specialist for the 8(a) program.

"They've done a darned good job," Much remarked just before presenting a graduation certificate to SKT President and Chief Executive Officer Greg DuMontier. "S & K Technologies is a model. I'm very proud of (this company)."

Much, who works in the SBA Montana District office in Helena, jokingly called the graduation certificate the "Golden Boot" award. However, he and others were quick to clarify that this "boot" is a "very good thing."

DuMontier observed that the corporation's goal was to graduate from the SBA program in five years. "With rapid building, we've been able to achieve that goal," he commented. "Tribal people can run businesses, and the success of this program shows that."

The tribal firm started out with only three employees. "Now S & K has 282 employees and revenues of $72.8 million," Much said. "There's been that much growth in just a five-year period. They've grown to a point where they'll be able to compete with other large firms out there."

According to DuMontier, SKT is 83rd on a list of companies nationwide that contract with the government.

Much added that the firm is also listed in the top 500 government contractors. "You have to market market market," Much said. "Also, the Tribes here are very progressive."

The SBA's 8(a) program is a business development program created to help small disadvantaged businesses compete in the American economy and access the federal procurement market.

The graduation gathering took place at SKT's St. Ignatius corporate headquarters, located in the former Medicine Tree clinic. Some of the firm's work is done here, and some is done at operations in Georgia, Ohio, Alaska, Washington, and Texas.

Basically, SKT helps businesses move from paper to digital, DuMontier explained, by using computer networks and software applications that make them more effective.

The firm's other branch is aerospace: taking information technology tools to the Air Force, and helping the Air Force move into that digital environment, he said.

"We put together an electronic network so that when a part is broken the guy can jump on our system, know where to send that part, track it, hear back from the repair firm, and what the cost will be...immediate information," the CEO commented. "We take the whole issue of repair and do it better, cheaper and faster by using information technology tools...and we do it better than anybody."

The software aspect of what SKT does boils down to "COS" - meaning Commercially Off the Shelf, DuMontier continued: "Understanding how to work with COS software sets us apart. We walk in with the idea of trying to understand the customer's problem. We're about people."

The SKT aerospace operations also work with the Department of Defense, the State Department, and commercial customers.

Among the awards and recognitions SKT has received during its relatively short history are:

* Small, Disadvantaged Contractor of the Year, 2005, USDA Farm Service Agency;
* Ranked number 2 in the top 8(a) Companies, 2003, Washington Technologies Magazine;
* Member of Top 100 Federal IT Contractors, 2003, Washington Post/Computer News;
* Tribal Business of the Year, 2002, American Indian Business Leaders;
* Outstanding National Tribal Business, 2002, National Indian Business Association;
* Montana Minority Business of the Year, 2002, Small Business Administration;
* Top Minority-owned Business Firm of the Year, 2002, Government Computer News Industry Information Award; and
* Tribally Owned Business of the Year, 2002, National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.

"Economic development is central to our vision of a self-sufficient tribal community," the company's official mission states. "By recognizing the preeminence of modern technology, S&K Technologies is looking to the future of our people."