Intelliworx CEO Rob Hankey served as a rotary wing pilot in the Army, a later as a flight test engineer; both experiences had a profound influence on his venture into SaaS and technology
by Intelliworx
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has certified Intelliworx as a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB). This makes the company “eligible to compete for sole-source and set-aside contracts,” according to the SBA.
“At least 5% of all federal contracting dollars each year are set aside specifically for certified SDVOSBs,” the agency says on its website. There are other similar designations that “can also compete for contracts under other qualifying socio-economic programs.”
To qualify for certification, businesses must meet certain requirements for both veteran ownership – and a service-connected disability. Intelliworx has long been accredited as a veteran-owned small business (VOSB) through the same program, however, the service-disabled designation is new.
To be sure, Intelliworx has earned a reputation for developing a secure, high-quality SaaS platform with solutions for workflow, financial disclosure, telework, and application management, among others. For example, prior to the service-disability rating, the company earned more than 40 authorizations to operate (ATO) – which rival the biggest software makers today.
Rob Hankey (RH) is the founder and CEO of Intelliworx. He began his career as a rotary-wing pilot for the U.S. Army. In light of the certification, we sat down with Rob to ask him a bit about his service.
Q: What inspired you to join the Army?
RH: “Money for college. At the time, I had finished my second year of undergraduate education and was running out of money. My then-girlfriend’s father was an active-duty major. He told me about the G.I. Bill and suggested I join. Four days later I began boot camp at Ft. Jackson, SC.”
Q: What was your job in uniform?
RH: “I was assigned as rotary wing pilot. My test scores were high enough that the Army saw fit to make me a warrant officer and sent me to flight school. Later I decided I wanted to be a commissioned officer and attended Officer Candidate School (OCS) at what was then called Fort Benning, Georgia (since renamed Fort Moore).
For the most part, I flew a Huey helicopter and later a Blackhawk. I also served as a flight test engineer working with test pilots. The latter experience would later greatly influence my entrance into software development.”
Q: How did you get into the software business?
RH: “After 12 years of active duty, I switched over to the Army Reserve and served another 10 years before retiring as a major. The move to the Reserve component allowed me to better attend to my growing family obligations and pursue a civilian career. My experience as a test engineer set me up to work with a contractor developing software for flight testing.
I’ve worked in the government space ever since – and eventually started Intelliworx which is now 22 years old.”
Q: What did you learn in the Army that you find applicable today in business?
RH: “The service taught me discipline – the discipline to see tasks through to completion. Before that, I was a disorganized young kid, and the military gave me discipline along with a sense of duty. For example, I make my bed first thing every day and, like Admiral McRaven once said in a famous commencement speech, I’ve already accomplished my first task of the morning.”
Q: Do you think the military is still a good career move for young adults today?
RH: “Yes, absolutely. Certainly, the service will give them discipline like I mentioned above. It also provides valuable training, much of which is technical today, and it exposes you to the rest of the world. So, I encourage young people to consider the military, whether it’s just to earn money for college, or to spend an entire career.
There are other avenues too, if the military isn’t your thing. For example, being a civil servant, working for a non-profit, or volunteering for the Peace Corps can also teach valuable life skills of commensurate value.”
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Intelliworx serves federal agencies big and small with a range of solutions including application management, government workflow and financial disclosure. We’d welcome the opportunity to show you rather than tell you – you are welcome to request a no-obligation demo
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Image credit: WikiCommons
