TheAdvantageProSphere

Volume I Issue 6Fall edItIon 2017

This Issue:CEOReflections

Employee Spotlight

Corporate Corner

Family Picnic

HRPulse

FromThe Field

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ProSphere received the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Influencer Award at the Greater Richmond National Convention Center, Richmond, Va. September 28. The V3 Influencer Award is presented to one V3–Certified Company that promotes Veteran employment and the V3 Program. Specifically, it showcases the ‘best Veteran marketing strategy’ on various public communications platforms.The recognition was presented by Governor Terence McAuliffe and Virginia Department of Veterans Services Commissioner John L. Newby during the Virginia Workforce Conference 5th Annual V3 Award Ceremony. Accepting the award on behalf of ProSphere were CEO Rodger Blevins, Company President Kevin D. Rice, VP of Service Excellence and Oversight James Rodriguez, and Director of Corporate Communications Stephanie Chase.“To receive this award out of more than 400 V3-Certified Companies is quite an honor,” said Stephanie. “This helps to validate our commitment to supporting our Nation’s heroes.”The V3 Program helps employers develop and implement long-term strategies and nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining Veterans. ProSphere became a V3-Certified Company in March of 2017 after receiving training and developing an Organizational Veteran Hiring Plan. Since that time, the company has increased its Veteran hires, developed a Veterans training program and created a Veteran employee resource group.

The Power to InfluenceProSphere awarded for Veteran hiring efforts

From left to right - VP of Service Excellence & Oversight James Rodriguez, Virginia Department of Veterans Services Commissioner John L. Newby, Director of Corporate Communications Stephanie Chase, CEO Rodger Blevins, Virginia Governor Terence McAuliffe, Company President Kevin D. Rice.

Family Picnic Pg 5TheAdvantageProSphere

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CEO ReflectionsWelcome and thank you for all you do. I hope that everyone had a wonderful summer

with an opportunity to take some well-earned time off. It’s been a busy and tumultuous fiscal year; one that began slow but finished strong! As a team, we have pulled out all the stops and delivered – we are on track to submit more than 80 proposals this year. This means that our business development and proposal teams have been working around the clock, including weekends, to position us for bidding and winning new business. In addition, our business operations teams, i.e. Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, and Finance and Accounting have all been working extremely hard and putting in long hours to stand up more than 25 new projects. This translates into recruiting and on-boarding new staff; adding people to the payroll, increased invoicing to customers, and establishing IT services for many new employees.

Now that the proposal frenzy has subsided, the Executive Leadership Team and I now have time to reflect and create our vision for the future. ProSphere is a growing company, which inherently comes with its own set of challenges. As we enjoy our success this year and embrace the future, ProSphere’s leadership is doing our part to ensure the company is operating effectively, providing superior service delivery by exceeding customer expectations – delivering on the promise – and championing employee development. While we’ve certainly been successful in our new business growth – we will welcome more than 100 new employees to the company this year – it is important to note how a successful company measures ‘growth.’ Growth is not merely new contract awards that bring increases in revenue and employees, but also and equally important, the degree of ‘organizational maturity.’

To that end, I have initiated a number of focus groups to assess and make recommendations in the following areas: (1) quality management, (2) business growth, (3) employee development and training, and (4) service delivery. Company President Kevin D. Rice has also established an operations budget focus group. Recommendations and outcomes from each focus group’s efforts will be shared in the following months heading into 2018.

Continuing the theme of organizational maturity, we will establish additional business units and make new strategic hires. We have already established a new business unit called the Office of Small Business Programs that Carleen Jarrett, Director of Marketing/Customer Relationship Management, and Santo LaTores, Chief Strategy Officer, will spearhead. This business unit will fully support ProSphere Incubator Companies and our Mentor Protégé company - Premier Enterprise Solution (PES). ProSphere has established a Joint Venture with PES named Veritium Ingenuity to pursue small business opportunities. Likewise, we have added two new strategic positions, they are: Vice President for Service Delivery Excellence (James Rodriguez) and Oversight and Director of Workforce Management (Michael Quinn).

Again, I want to thank each and every one of you for all your hard work and dedication! I am very proud of our ProSphere Family.

Sincerely,

Rodger Blevins Chief Executive Officer,

ProSphere

Measuring growth – more ways than one

Employee SpotlightVACO

contract staff recognized...

againProSphere (and subcontractor) employees were

presented with Certificates of Appreciation from Veterans Affairs leadership June 12 for their commitment and dedication to Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO) IT Campus. The honored VACO contract employees were dubbed the ‘A’ Team by VA Chief Technology Officer Celeste Matthews.

“We really appreciate everything you (VACO contract staff) do for us (VA) and we thought it was important to tell you in front of our leaders,” said Ms. Matthews.

“We have customers mainly from the private sector, and we’re trying to keep up with their cyber space demands. You all make it happen.”

Performance on this contract includes IT Tier 2 services support to approximately 8500 employees located throughout 30 sites within the National Capital Region (Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia).

The ‘A Team’ delivers Microsoft Exchange/Office Automation Technical/Operational Support and Training; Desk Side Service support for both Windows and Apple Operating Systems; SharePoint Web Collaboration and Application Support, Customer Relation Management System (CRM) and Web Support.

“The VACO contract team’s performance epitomizes the level and quality of support we strive to deliver to all our customers,” said Don Shea, Director of Operations. “We are proud to have a team that proves our mission, to deliver superior IT and professional services to our customers, is not just a sound bite.”

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AWARDEES - ProSphere, OBXtek, Intratek1. Patrick Musaro, Project Manager2. Nathan Ford, Sr. System Administrator3. Michael Stewart, IT Technician4. Hieu Valenzuela, System Administrator5. Stephan Azor, IT Technician6. Brian McCollum, Desktop Support Technician7. Carlton Brown, Sr. Support Technician8. Dwayne Sarden, Desktop Support Technician9. Racqel Massey, Exchange Administrator 10. Tracy Ware, Systems Administrator11. Monique Gasquet, Process Analyst12. Christopher Weill, MAC Support Technician13. Raymond Bedard, Desktop Support Technician14. Nipa Patel, Desktop Technician15. Wilbur Smith, Technical Team Lead16. James Pack, Sr. Support Technician17. Sinesh Patel, Desktop Support Technician18. Jeffrey Williams, Desktop Support Technician19. Byron Thomas, System Administrator20. Marlana Collins, System Administrator 21. Jeremy Reynolds, MAC Technician22. Virenkumar Patel, System Administrator23. Mudassar Malik, Desktop Support Technician

CorporateThe

Corner

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Recent T4NG contract wins

Small business mentorship

Kevin Rice, President, announced that ProSphere has been awarded 14 Task Orders this quarter, under the Veterans Affairs Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation (T4NG) Contract Vehicle. The contract awards include:

1. Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Local Area Network Desktop Support2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Platform Development and O&M-(Sub)3. VA Financial Services Center, Financial Services Office Consolidated Patient Account Center 4. End-Users Operations for Asheville, NC VA Medical Center’s Voice System Maintenance & Operation Services5. Employee Education Systems Information Technical Support Services in St. Louis, Mo.6. VA Center for Innovation, Office of Information & Technology Chemotherapy Ordering Management System7. VBA Insurance Service, Philadelphia, Pa.8. Enterprise Program Management Office for National Configuration Management Support Services-(Sub)9. Technology Strategies Technical and Non-Technical Support ($52 million)10. Construction and Facilities Management (CFM) Database and Web Services11. Email Active Hydration – Email Archiving12. Health Portfolio – Electronic Health Record (HP-EHR) Program Management Office (PMO) Support13. Development Server Management Support (DSM) and Software Quality Assurance (SQA)14. VistA Scheduling Enhancements (VSE) Program Management Support15. HUD OIG Business Operations Support Services (BOSS) for the Distributed Computing Environment

ProSphere and Premier Enterprise Solutions, LLC (PES) have formalized a Mentor-Protégé relationship under the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Mentor-Protégé Program. This program is designed to enable successful firms, such as ProSphere, to provide various forms of assistance to SBA 8(a) Business Development program participants, such as PES.

Premier Enterprise Solutions is woman-owned Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and 8(a) certified company that provides a wide range of IT services to include cyber security, network engineering and operations, telecommunications and acquisition life cycle support. The company is owned and operated by the husband and wife, Mike and Jackie Lopez. Beyond the Mentor-Protégé relationship, ProSphere and PES have also formed a Joint Venture (JV) named Veritium Ingenuity, LLC. This JV brings together the robust experience and infrastructure of ProSphere and the agility and certifications of PES under one umbrella that expands each company’s reach and service delivery across the Federal Government. ProSphere understands that a team atmosphere can bring out the best in everyone. The company values its business and strategic partnerships and believe in the spirit of giving back, not only through platforms such as the formal SBA Mentor-Protégé Program, but also its internal ‘Incubator Program’ that allows small

business partners to operate part-time out of ProSphere headquarters location.

3rd Annual

ProSphere employees and their family members officially

brought 2017 summer to an end with a family picnic at Fairfax Hunt Club, Reston, Va. September 23. Those who attended were treated to plenty of food and games while a disc jockey spun melodies.

“I always refer to ProSphere employees as family,” said Rodger Blevins, CEO. “Events like these are what helps to keep our family strong.”

This year, attendees enjoyed the usual activities of corn hole, horse shoes, and bounce-housing. But competition was fierce during the event challenges of limbo, hula hoop, balloon toss, potato sack race, and three-legged race. Periodically, the DJ interrupted the fun to raffle off a few prizes that included gift certificates, electronics, and sports memorabilia.

“It was quite fun to spend time with my co-workers’ little ones,” said Jenny Armstrong, Graphic Artist. “I was hoping to win at limbo…maybe next year.”

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FamilyPicnic

HR CBT Nuggets Requests now available through SharePoint!We value your growth and development! You can now request access to the CBT Nuggets Online training tool through the SharePoint Employee Resource Page. Training is part of ProSphere’s commitment to the professional development of our employees. You can view a list of available courses on the SharePoint Employee Resource Page under Employee Development. Once you have selected a course, locate the button below and complete the form.

ProSphere is excited to announce our new Wellness Program for 2018. This is a new company initiative to promote healthy choices that could lead to decreased medical claims and increased quality of life. The new Wellness Program is our commitment to supporting you as we work together to cultivate a successful, satisfying, and healthy work environment.We encourage those enrolled in ProSphere’s Health Plan to take advantage of this new feature. You will save $300 in 2018 medical premiums for completing

an annual preventive visit and biometric screening through your Primary Care Physician (PCP) between November 16, 2016 and November 15, 2017, and submitting the completed registration and physician

visit form between September 1, 2017 and November 25, 2017.

Details about the Wellness Program

(including how to submit the required forms) will be available on the SharePoint Insurance Portal and sent via email in the near future. Let’s work together to make 2018 one of our healthiest and most successful years ever!

Missing ProSphere’s emails?Sync them to your smartphone!Easily stay informed of what is happening at ProSphere by setting up your ProSphere email account on the Outlook app or email app on your mobile device.

Detailed instructions on how to set up email on your smartphone can be found in the Manuals section of the SharePoint Employee Resource Page.

If you do not wish to sync your email though an app, you can still access your ProSphere email account with your smartphone by using the direct link in your browser window: https://mail.prosphere.com.

How to access your paystubs:All ProSphere employees have 24/7 access to their Pay Stubs.1. Go to the timesheet portal at

https://time.prosphere.com2. Click on icon for Project Manager Portal3. Login to the PM portal using your timesheet

credentials4. Click on MY EMPLOYEE RECORD to see employee

and contact information5. Click on MY PAY CHECKS to see pay check

informationMore detailed instructions can be found on the SharePoint Employee Resource Page under Payroll Forms, titled ‘Pay Stub Access Instructions.’

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New Wellness Program

Review Personnel Handbookfor updates!Please remember to review the Personnel Handbook regularly for updates, as we continually strive to improve. The Personnel Handbook has detailed information about our policies, such as company-paid holidays, jury duty leave, government shutdowns, and much more! The Personnel Handbook is located on the Employee Resource Page.

Talk to us: We want to hear from you! HR Director: Carola.Ammer@prosphere.com, 703.810.3007.

Moved recently, got married, new bank account?Congratulations! Please email HR@prosphere.com each time your personal information changes.

HRPulse

ProSphere launches Veteran Training ProgramIn keeping with ProSphere’s commitment to hiring Veterans and incorporating Salesforce into the company’s way of doing business, ProSphere launched its Veteran Training Program with Salesforce education June 30 at headquarters in Alexandria, Va. Eleven Veterans from varying military branches attended the session.

The Training Program prepares interested Veterans for certifications in various IT-related capabilities; in this instance, Salesforce Administration. This first group had access to Salesforce experts and certified personnel within the company to guide and prepare them for industry-required qualifications in Salesforce Administration.

“We are building a resource pool,” said Rodger Blevins, CEO. “It is a good investment of our time as well as yours (Veterans). We want nothing more than to be able to reach back to Veterans as openings become available.”

Salesforce is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) tool that allows for creating and managing connections, all in one place. Veteran Affairs, ProSphere’s biggest customer, has also incorporated Salesforce into their operations. Therefore, this first training session combined business strategy with outreach to Veterans.

“There’s a growing need in industry for Salesforce-certified personnel,” said Roger Sam, VP, Practice Management and Marketing. “This program helps to support Veterans and fulfill industry demands. It’s a win-win for all involved.”

ProSphere is Veteran Strong, Veteran Proud. As a V3 participant, a framework is in place to incorporate programs such as the Veteran Training Program, and allows for continual efforts in supporting our Nation’s heroes.

Virginia Values Veterans is a free training and certification program for employers to help them implement nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining highly-skilled and dependable Veterans. This training initiative is a natural fit in creating tangible results influenced by V3.

Beyond the official training program and V3 certification, ProSphere partners with several Veteran Service Organizations, such as Dog Tag Inc., Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and Fisher House. In addition, the company works with many recruiting platforms, such as PVA’s Paving Access for Veterans Employment (PAVE) Program, which extends ProSphere’s reach to qualified Veteran candidates.

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From the field

According to Forbes magazine, a thought leader is an individual or firm that is recognized as an authority in a specialized field, and whose expertise is sought and often rewarded. ProSphere’s team of high-performing employees has the makings of this term. ProSphere staff has been satisfactorily responding to customers, but as the organization grows, both in personnel and industry specialization, ProSphere has a responsibility to step forward and share its findings in order to be considered an industry leader.

Within ProSphere personnel, may lie answers to the IT and professional service industry’s biggest quandaries. Therefore, as a company, we want to tap into the voices of its greatest resource; employees. ProSphere Communications department invites all employees (seasoned leaders to entry-level) to share their experiences, thoughts, and ideas on anything from current events to

specific daily accomplishments to be posted on ProSphere’s Website Blog. At times, each shared topic might seem inconsequential on its own, but as a whole, plants the seeds of

insightful thought leadership.

For example, the Nation’s recent bout with hurricanes is relevant to ProSphere’s Enterprise Operations services, specifically technological disaster recovery. Or the Equifax data breach and what that means to advances in Cyber Security. As an IT service provider, it is critical ProSphere stay one step ahead the rapid pace of technological advancement. Tapping into internal experts’ and innovators’ thoughts lays the foundation for

advancing ProSphere and associated personnel as thought leaders.

To land your insights on ProSphere’s Blog, submit your ideas to communications@prosphere.com with Thought Leadership as the subject line.

Submit your newsletter questions, comments and content ideas to: enewsletter@prosphere.com

Point of Contacts for ProSphere EmployeesHuman Resources:

HR@prosphere.com, 703.810.3017Payroll:

payroll@prosphere.com, 703.810.3403SharePoint Support:

sharepointhelpdesk@prosphere.comIT Support:

helpdesk@prosphere.comCommunications:

communications@prosphere.com

Building a foundation for thought leadership

Diversity, of all kinds, is essential to our organization, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women hold only 27.2 percent of computer and information systems management positions. In efforts to reinforce diversity in the workplace, ProSphere’s leadership created a new employee resource group called Professional Women of ProSphere (PWP). The group was established to bring insights and ideas to employees about various professional topics, and to allow for an organic flow of information to strengthen our interaction and relationships. Although the group’s topics are geared

towards women’s professional growth, general awareness is key. Therefore, all employees are encouraged to participate in the various sessions organized by PWP.