Two decades ago, Margarita Howard launched HX5 with an understanding of the federal contracting world gained from working inside it. Today, as sole owner and CEO/president of the company, she leads an organization with more than 1,000 employees, active contracts at 90 government locations, and work spanning 34 states. The company’s focus remains on professional mission support services for the Department of Defense and NASA.
Howard has described the privilege of that work in direct terms. “Working side by side with civil servants and the military, supporting their respective missions, is a privilege,” she has said. “I love this business and the work that we do.” That sentiment has guided her decisions from the company’s founding in Fort Walton Beach, Florida in 2004 through its current scale.
Competing for Every Contract
A consistent thread in Howard’s account of HX5‘s growth is the choice to compete openly rather than rely on set-aside mechanisms. She has observed that small businesses which lean entirely on the 8(a) business development program for contract awards often find themselves without the skills to win once that support ends. HX5 took a different approach, using the program to win four contracts in its first year and then developing the competitive infrastructure to pursue larger solicitations on the open market.
Agencies have taken notice. Howard has noted that government clients and prime contractors look for small businesses that are operationally ready and require minimal oversight. HX5’s ability to meet that standard has strengthened its position in a crowded field.
Margarita Howard has also built HX5’s leadership to reflect her belief in workforce diversity. Many senior positions at the company are held by women, and a number of those leaders have accumulated a decade or more of tenure. Howard credits that team with much of what HX5 has accomplished. “I could not be more proud of them,” she has said, describing a group that brings both experience and deep familiarity with HX5’s mission. Visit this page for more information.
Learn more about HX5 on https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2025/11/12/what-will-defense-contracting-look-like-in-10-years/
