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Bentco Wins NASA Subcontractor Award
A Chattanooga company housed in the Business Development Center is the winner of the 2004 NASA Kennedy Space Center HUBZone Subcontractor of the Year Award.
The firm, Bentco Office Solutions, was nominated by The Boeing Company for outstanding support to Checkout Assembly and Payload Processing Services through delivery of office supplies.
The company, owned by Edward F. Bentley, will be recognized at the Kennedy Space Center Biannual Awards Ceremony on November 2 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
“We were thrilled to be nominated for the award,” Bentley said, “but to find that we had won, well, we were just overwhelmed.”
The NASA Subcontractor of the Year Award is made for excellence in service and product.
“This award means we are getting recognition for the hard work we do,” Bentley said. “We’re getting exposure, and we’re getting more business.”
By virtue of winning the NASA award, Bentco was allowed to participate, free of charge, in the Business Opportunities Expo 2004 in October at the Kennedy Space Center. More than 120 people attended the event, allowing Bentley to connect with scores of potential clients.
After 25 years in the office supply industry, Bentley decided to open his own systems, furniture and office supplies company in 1995. After a year working out of his home, he moved Bentco Office Solutions, a full-line office supply company, into the BDC, an incubator for fledgling businesses managed by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.
“In this highly competitive industry, Bentco has found success through quality products, an emphasis on customer service and reasonable prices,” says BDC director Angela Glover. “The company has distinguished itself from larger firms by offering reports for clients that detail changes in office supply expenditures from month to month.”
Bentco’s commitment to excellence was rewarded last year with a contract with the U.S. Army. Bentco was the smallest of the 12 companies chosen to participate in a blanket purchasing agreement for office supplies with the Army.
This past spring Bentco was again honored by winning the Tennessee Small Business Administration Federal Procurement Award.
“The Business Development Center has been a great help to Bentco,” Bentley says. “In addition to offering reasonable rent, the BDC staff has helped me obtain certifications and research information.”
Bentley acknowledged his office manager, Mable Mayweather, and his customer service staff, Kristy Penn and Thois Bentley, for their service to the company.
Bentley expects to graduate from the BDC and move into the 28th District Community Development Corporation building, soon to be under construction at Houston Street and M.L. King Boulevard. |
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