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could grow to $638 million if the service exercises all
contract options.
According to Dr. Lee Whitt, technical fellow for
Northrop Grumman, under the agreement approved by
the Defense Contract Management Agency —which
oversees contract administration for the DoD and other
federal agencies — Northrop Grumman will help Juno
Technologies improve its public image to potential customers,
develop new business opportunities, gain exposure
at trade shows,
understand foreign
military sales and
International Traffic
in Arms Regulations.
“The Mentor-
Protégé Program
gives us a chance to
work with Juno
Technologies beyond
the confines
of a particular contract,
and help them become a better success by providing
training and guidance in addition to developing areas
of expertise they may be lacking in,” Whitt said. “Instead
of saying we want you as a subcontractor to perform better
on this project for our customer, we turn that around
and say that we as a larger company with deep resources,
want to help you become a better company.”
As a requirement on contracts it wins from the Pentagon,
Northrop Grumman — a $34 billion company
based in Falls Church, Va., with information technology
and unmanned aircraft divisions in San Diego — must
team up with a certain percentage of small disadvantaged
businesses as subcontractors. For its participation,
Northrop Grumman will receive credits towards its required
subcontracting percentage goal based on the cost
of developmental assistance.
Whitt explained that the decision to enter into the
agreement was based on Juno Technologies having
shown itself to be an extraordinary small business that
has performed exceptionally well in all areas as a sub-
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contractor over the course of the two companies’ five-year
working relationship.
Founded in Oct. 2001 by Julie and Dan Ferraro, Juno
Technologies Inc. has grown to 37 employees working
on national and international projects.
Juno’s focus is on IT engineering, systems integration,
software development, and technical assistance and support
for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command
(SPAWAR).
“We’re firm believers
in that if
you do the right
thing, good things
will come your
way,” Co-owner
and Vice President
Dan Ferraro said.
“It’s not easy for a
small business to
find a company
that would be willing
to invest the
kind of resources, effort and time that Northrop Grumman
has in us.”
With shrinking budgets and limited opportunities for
small companies in the defense industry, Ferraro pointed
out that having a big brother take them under their wing
gives Juno Technologies the strength to speed up its business
plan, along with the optimism that it can actually
make the jump to the next level.
Ferraro called the opportunity “dramatic” in that it allows
Juno to go after bids and proposals that it was not
able to qualify for previously. With Northrop Grumman’s
assistance, Ferraro expects that Juno Technologies can
win a bigger share of the defense contracting pie, which
translates into more jobs and better career paths for San
Diegans.
“If you can, I think it’s invaluable to get involved in a
mentor-protégé program such as this one,” Ferraro said.
“There isn’t much help out there, We now have a big
brother to answer questions and help us to do things
properly.”