The FTC, "Helping the 'Little Guys' Learn How the 'Big Guys' Do Business"

In Her Own Words: Judy Smith, CEO, CrossWind Machining, Inc.

The following article was written by our client, Judy Smith, CEO of CrossWind Machining in Santa Clara, California. Her story is a perfect example of a small business that succeeded with a little help from The FTC.

On August 9, 2000, with the economy in full swing, CrossWind Machining opened its doors and purchased our first CNC Swiss Automatic Machine. Being a startup machine shop, we leased a piece of another machine shop’s floor space, just big enough for our machine and operating space. It didn’t take long before we had so much work that we decided to expand our capabilities, and in February of 2001 the 6-axis CNC machine hit our own shop floor just in time for the end of the dot-com boom. We immediately recognized that we needed to develop a more specific machining niche if we were going to survive, so we decided to focus on the medical device field, which is still our core customer base.

When it was time for CrossWind to look at expanding our business, we attended our first GovLink Conference in 2007, hosted by The Federal Technology Center (The FTC) and began looking into public sector work. Soon afterward, I made an appointment with The FTC’s counselor, Bill Teeple, and began to prepare CrossWind to sell to the U.S. government. At first, I was so intimidated by the government marketplace that I set it aside for almost a year.

In June of 2008, CrossWind Machining became
ISO 9001 and AS 9100 (Aerospace) certified. Shortly thereafter, we began to look into the
Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) certification. Though the process was time consuming and painstaking, we worked through each step of the application. I called The FTC
on multiple occasions for clarification of the certification requirements. I spoke with different counselors, depending on availability, and found each counselor to be well-informed and helpful. I submitted our application for SBA 8(a) in
December of 2008.

In May 2009, I received a rejection letter with reasons for denial. I then sent an e-mail to Carol Bowyer at The FTC to let her know that we had

been rejected. She counseled me in the process of re-submission. When we re-submitted in August 2009, we were at last accepted into the SBA 8(a) program. We fully understand that 8(a) status is not a magic bullet, but being able to add SBA 8(a) to our profile gives us one more plus. This has given us a great sense of accomplishment, and we have proof that tenacity does pay off.

The FTC has been an invaluable resource, assisting us in everything from RFP proposal reviews to guiding us through the 8(a) application process and re-submission and we utilize their services regularly.
Today, CrossWind Machining is thriving. We have had great successes in the past, and now we have a great future path. I can honestly say that we couldn’t have done it without the help of The FTC and its outstanding counselors helping us “little guys” learn how the “big guys” do business.