People's Choice Award

Lockheed Martin is ‘People’s Choice’ Among Small Business Suppliers

Voted most helpful in transitioning technology

Lockheed Martin has received the U.S. Navy People’s Choice Award for its ongoing efforts to build technology capabilities of small business suppliers and its active support for the Navy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program for technology transition.

The Navy polled 185 small companies that participate in its SBIR program and they voted Lockheed Martin the top prime contractor most helpful in transitioning their technologies. Nafiz Karabudak, Corporate Engineering and Technology (CE&T) senior manager for Corporate Technology Initiatives, accepted the award for Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin’s involvement with the SBIR program offers a more efficient, cost-effective means of sourcing solutions to fill technology gaps. SBIR participants help selected small businesses align their technology development with industry technology investment strategies to better serve defense procurement needs. While Industry receives access to narrowly-targeted small business technology, the participating SBIR businesses rapidly align with prime contractors’ development strategies, and defense programs leverage the outcomes.

Nancy Deskins, director of Supplier Diversity for Lockheed Martin’s Global Supply Chain Operations, noted the significance of the Corporation’s success since initial involvement with the SBIR program just a few years ago. “By teaming the engineering and technical communities with the supplier diversity community to focus on SBIR, we realized we could achieve great advances for our Corporation," she said. "Our team laid a foundation that capitalized on the SBIR efforts present across Lockheed Martin and created a synergy in vision and effort to build the exceptional program in place today.”

The Navy People’s Choice Award, she said, “validates the efforts of this expansive, multi-functional team in Lockheed Martin.”

2012 Awards

Government Agency Recognition

• Lockheed Martin IS&GS named among “Best of the Best” Large Business of the Year Award by FAA
• Lockheed Martin received People’s Choice Award for SBIR by the Navy SBIR Transition Assistance Program
  
• Mershelle Davis named 2012 SBA Veteran Small Business Advocate of the Year for Region VI
  
• Mershelle Davis 2012 Corporate Advocate Award, U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs
  
• Lockheed Martin received People’s Choice Award for SBIR by the Navy SBIR Transition Assistance Program
  
• LM IS&GS Civil honored with NASA 2012 Small Business Industry Award for Stennis Space Center Large Business Prime Contractor of the Year

Industry Affiliations

• Lockheed Martin received CEO of the Year Award by Central North Florida Supplier Development Council
  
• Lockheed Martin named one of the 2012 Best 10 Corporations for Veteran Owned Businesses by the National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA)
  
• Nancy Deskins named Champion of Diversity by diversitybusiness.com
  
• Lockheed Martin listed among top 50 companies for Diversity by Diversity Inc.
  
• Lockheed Martin received 2012 Champions of Veteran’s Enterprise for its IS&GS business area by the National Veteran Small Business Coalition (NVSBC)
  
• Mershelle Davis received 2012 Corporate Advocate Award by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs·     
    
• Robert J. Stevens received HENAAC Chairman’s Award from Great Minds in STEM
  
• Bob Thompson received NCMSDC 2012 Inspiration Award
  
• Ken Hilderbrand of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alliance of Supplier Diversity Professionals for his work with small business suppliers.

Publication Awards

• Mershelle Davis named 2012 Women of Color STEM Special Recognition Award by Women of Color Magazine
• Lockheed Martin named 2012 BEST DIVERSITY COMPANY by Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology
  
• Nancy Deskins named 2012 Top 25 Women in Power Impacting Diversity Award by DiversityPlus Magazine
  
• Mershelle Davis 2012 Women of Color STEM Special Recognition Award, Women of Color Magazine