Sandia’s Small Business team honored again by DOE – News Releases

Rick Arteaga, program lead Royina Lopez, Jason Miller

Sandia National Laboratories: Pioneering Small Business Mentorship in Federal Research

DOE Recognizes Lab's Mentor-Protégé Program as Model for Federal Enterprise

Laboratory's small business initiatives drive record $1.08 billion in contracts to diverse suppliers in 2024

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories has established itself as the premier federal laboratory for small business development, with its Mentor-Protégé Program earning consecutive recognition from the Department of Energy while driving unprecedented economic impact through innovative partnerships with small and disadvantaged businesses.

Record-Breaking Recognition and Impact

The Department of Energy's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization has once again honored Sandia's small business initiatives, with program lead Royina Lopez receiving the prestigious 2024 Director's Excellence Award. This recognition caps a year in which Sandia achieved a record-breaking $5.2 billion economic impact, including $1.08 billion paid directly to small business suppliers—the second consecutive year the laboratory has exceeded the billion-dollar threshold for small business contracting.

Lopez manages Sandia's Mentor-Protégé Program, the largest and most robust in the DOE complex, currently mentoring five small and disadvantaged businesses while helping them navigate the complexities of federal contracting. She was recognized for her leadership in developing a comprehensive Mentor Program Guide now used throughout DOE to establish consistency and enhance mentor-protégé relationships, as well as conceptualizing and organizing the inaugural DOE Mentor-Protégé Program Forum in August 2024.

A Model Program for Federal Contracting

Sandia's Mentor-Protégé Program has been named DOE Mentor of the Year for three consecutive years, supported by more than 150 volunteer mentors and support personnel. The program currently works with five protégés representing diverse capabilities across construction, information technology, and specialized manufacturing:

• Strategic Industry Inc. (Kingsburg, California) - Service-disabled, veteran-owned construction and electrical trades business
• Pluma LLC (Albuquerque, New Mexico) - Service-disabled, veteran-owned general construction company
• CeLeen LLC (Perryville, Missouri) - Small disadvantaged business specializing in information technology
• Dynamic Structures and Materials, LLC (Franklin, Tennessee) - Precision motion systems manufacturer
• Compunetics Inc. (Monroeville, Pennsylvania) - Circuit board and electronics manufacturer

Strategic Industry: From Startup to Success

The program's most recent success story is Strategic Industry Inc., which earned DOE's 2024 Protégé of the Year award. Founded by Jason Miller in 2007 as a family construction business, the company joined Sandia's program in 2020 after struggling to break into federal contracting.

"What I love about the Mentor-Protégé Program is that it taught us how to do business with Sandia," Miller explained. "It made us a better contractor. I think the results show in the amount of work we're now getting through Sandia."

The results speak for themselves: Strategic Industry was awarded several projects on the Sandia California campus in 2024, including lab renovation, electrical services, and security installations worth more than $2 million, plus a $500,000 project at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and work on the Sandia Albuquerque campus. The company opened an Albuquerque office in early 2025 to support its growth and is pursuing projects at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and New Mexico Veterans Affairs facilities.

Comprehensive Development Approach

The DOE Mentor-Protégé Program encourages prime contractors to assist small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, veteran-owned small businesses, HUBZone small businesses, historically black colleges and universities, and other minority institutions to enhance their capabilities and improve their abilities to perform federal contracts.

Protégés receive on-site visits from Sandia experts, gap analysis, workshops, outreach events, and one-on-one guidance. They can also secure noncompetitive subcontracts from Sandia and DOE federal agencies up to $7 million for manufacturing and $4 million for other contracts.

Diverse Success Stories Across Industries

Pluma LLC, the Albuquerque-based construction company owned by disabled veteran Chris Pacheco, exemplifies the program's transformative impact. In fiscal year 2022, just two years after joining the program, Pluma was awarded a $4 million contract purchase agreement by Sandia and additional contracts worth $600,000 through Los Alamos National Laboratory. The company has grown its workforce to 30 employees with annual revenue reaching $13 million—three times higher than previous years.

CeLeen LLC, recognized as DOE Protégé of the Year in 2022, demonstrates success in the technology sector. The small disadvantaged business based in Perryville, Missouri, was awarded noncompetitive contracts to complete data governance work at Sandia and has since received two IT contract purchase agreements with potential value of $8 million. The company has added six employees and now serves as one of Sandia's top eight small-business information technology suppliers.

National Economic Impact and Outreach

Sandia's commitment to small business extends beyond individual mentoring relationships. Out of more than $1.7 billion spent on subcontracts in 2024, $1.08 billion went to small businesses, including woman-owned, veteran-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, small disadvantaged, and HUBZone businesses.

The laboratory's small business team ramped up outreach efforts in 2024, holding two in-person forums and attending 33 local, state, and national virtual small business events, helping bring on 381 new small businesses to support Sandia's mission.

Technology Transfer and Innovation Pipeline

Beyond traditional contracting, Sandia leverages programs like the Technology Readiness Initiative (TRGR) to foster innovation partnerships. A notable success story involves mPower Technology, which licensed Sandia-developed technology to create DragonSCALES photovoltaic arrays—interconnected silicon cells that can be shaped for various applications. Through two TRGR projects, mPower has refined next-generation solar technology now supporting two large satellite constellations in planning stages.

Looking Forward: Expanding Opportunities

Sandia continues to evolve its approach, with current program objectives focusing on mentoring protégés from construction and IT industries while preparing to expand into mission-critical areas like cables and connectors for nuclear deterrence applications.

"For 75 years, Sandia National Laboratories has been a leader in strengthening national security and advancing technology," said Sandia Labs Director James Peery. "Our success relies on strong partnerships with diverse suppliers, particularly small businesses, which bring innovation, agility and expertise to our missions."

"Sandia National Laboratories has a long and distinguished history of partnering with highly qualified, diverse small business suppliers who help us achieve our national security missions," added Louis Griego, director of Integrated Supply Chain Management. "Our commitment to these collaborations makes our supply chain stronger and more versatile, furthering the economic health of our local, state and national communities."

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Sources

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21. Sandia’s Small Business team honored again by DOE – News Releases