Encouraging examples of entrepreneurial excellence!



Washington Metropolitan Area District Office - March 2022





u s small business administration



SBA SUCCESS STORY

MARIA HICKS, FOUNDER

MERIDIEN GROUP, LLC

Maria Hicks of Meridien Group, LLC

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*Proof Positive: Persistence Pays!*

Maria Hicks immigrated to the United States from El Salvador when she was a child. Experiencing many challenges during her youth, she saw her mother working multiple jobs to provide for her family. Shaped by her early difficulties and her mother?s resolve, Maria went to college and found her way to becoming a full-time accountant. It was during this time that Maria decided to form her own general contracting company ? one grounded in the values of self-reliance, integrity, and hard work that had been instilled in her up to this point. Maria had heard about the SBA and wanted to learn more about the Agency?s programs and services. She researched and discovered that while the SBA offered many tools to help entrepreneurs, the question remained: How to use them??

As a general contractor, Maria applied to and was accepted into the SBA?s 8(a) Business Development Program in February 2014. She takes very seriously her certification as a socially and economically disadvantaged small business owner, including the capture management trainings and set-aside contracting opportunities made available to 8(a) firms. What?s more, Maria makes it a point to understand not just the basics but the details of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the federal government?s principal set of rules guiding its procurement practices and processes.?

When Maria started the nine-year 8(a) Business Development Program in 2014, she knew she would have to prove her worth to federal buyers ? especially in an industry dominated by male-owned companies. She recalls her first contract was with the General Services Administration (GSA), a construction repair project worth $98,000. Maria finished the project with flying colors and started establishing a record of ?past performance? with the federal government, a crucial element to remain competitive for additional contracting opportunities. In 2016, she was awarded a construction contract valued at $1.5 million. Ever humble about her many accomplishments, Maria credits her Business Opportunity Specialist at the SBA for helping her develop her company into the highly respected firm it is today -- a minority-and-woman-owned firm that not only provides turnkey services in support of historical and conservation projects across the federal government but also generates annual sales of around $9 million.

*DISCLAIMER:?*"All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. This website is provided as a public service. It is not an official U.S. government website, and it may contain links to non-U.S. government information. Inclusion of such links does not constitute or imply an endorsement by SBA. SBA is not responsible for the content, accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of linked information.?Please use caution when considering a product, service or opinion offered by a linked website."

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SBA Washington Metropolitan Area District Office

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