President and CEO of Summit Technical Solutions, Kelly Terrien, has been named 2011’s Small Business person of the Year by the Small Business Association.
Summit Technical Solutions, LLC (STS) is an 8(a), women owned, veteran, small disadvantaged business that offers professional technical services to assist other small businesses enhance their own business practices. Kelly Terrien is the President and CEO of Summit Technical Solutions, LLC. After serving in the Army and Air Force for 10 years, Kelly decided to start her own business. In 2001, with only one employee, Kelly started STS, LLC. Today she employs over 350 people.
In additional to being a successful business owner, she continues to remain an active advocate for other women owned businesses. She currently chairs the “Successful Small Business Panel” for Pikes Peak Small Business Outreach. She also is a member in the Women in Defense organization, A National Security Organization, an affiliate of the National Defense Industrial Association, which cultivates and supports the advancement and recognition of women in all aspects of national security. Also, each year STS donates to the Peterson Air Force Base Air Show annually for military members and their families and continues to sponsor local events such as the March of Dimes in Colorado Springs Colorado and in Lee’s Summit Missouri, as well as participates in the local United Way Chapters. They also support the USO in Germany. Lastly, she leads her own in house company effort called “Dress for Success”. This effort is to advance low-income women and encourage self-sufficiency through career development and employment retention.
Ms. Terrien holds a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Telecommunications from Webster University. She received her Bachelor of Schience degree in Mangement Information Systems from the University of Maryland. She also holds an Associate’s in Arts degree from the Community College of the Air Force in Electronics Systems Technology.
“Kelly Terrien embodies what a small business entrepreneur is all about,” said SBA District Director Greg Lopez. “Not only does she run a successful company in a competitive field during difficult times, but she advocates on behalf of her community.”
About Summit Technical Solutions:
The company was initially funded from her own personal savings and credit cards. It took Kelly two years before she had sufficient revenues to generate enough cash flow directly from the business to support operations. STS entered into the SBA 8(a) program on January 10, 2006 with 21 full time employees. Since the start of the company and with the assistance and knowledge gained from the 8a program, STS currently holds 18 contracts and has grown in every direction.
Summit Technical Solutions, LLC (STS) has not only grown in size of employees but also has expanded in sales trends exponentially. STS’s sales trends averaged $5 million in 2006, and grown to an average estimated $30 million in 2010. Kelly’s dependable growth has paid great dividends and has materialized into a thriving company in the face of the current economic trends.
Ms. Terrien and STS continually look for opportunities to increase business and financial stability and also ways to assist their local community. Ms. Terrien takes her role very seriously as a leader by forging new paths for small businesses especially women owned businesses. Her role in the federal government contracting community has clearly demonstrated that women owned businesses can not only do the job, but do it successfully, in any environment.
; ?>/images/icons/follow.png){kind=icon}