Veteran-owned TAPE Places Second in Washington Technology’s Fast 50

By Avery Fellow | November 27, 2009

How do you land second on the Washington Technology Fast 50 list and get listed number 77 on the Inc. 500 fastest-growing private companies all within 5 years of starting a business? Louisa Jaffe, CEO and president of acquisition and project support company Technical and Project Engineering (TAPE) LLC, says it comes down to passion and commitment.

When Jaffe’s workplace, the public affairs office for the Secretary of the Army, was destroyed in the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, she called the Army and asked to be put back on active duty. But a stop-loss order did not go through and Jaffe was forced into retirement. Bemoaning the end of her 28-year military career to friend and now husband Bill Jaffe, he said, "You know, Louisa, it may be there’s just another way for you to serve your country."

Bill and Louisa flew to Vegas, got married, and transformed Bill’s government consulting business into a woman-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned company, TAPE LLC, making Louisa CEO and Bill general manager. They sold their house in McLean, "against the advice of our friends, I might add," says Louisa, and founded the company debt-free. TAPE now employs 86 full-time people and 40 subcontractors, most of whom work onsite at the Kingstowne, Virginia headquarters.

With its major contracts at the Army, Navy, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense, TAPE Director of Technology Solutions Matt Matthews says, "We’re focused on the company theme, ‘Keep the nation safe.’"

TAPE got in early on with the Department of Homeland Security, did some consulting at the FAA, and won their first big contract with veterans’ hospitals doing Certification and Accreditation (C&A). In its 3rd year, TAPE won a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) doing acquisition support for IT systems, weapons systems and transportation.

At least 75 percent of TAPE’s contract work is as a prime contractor. "And we have won 100 percent of our re-competes as a prime," Jaffe says.

"It’s unusual for a company our size to be in as many accounts as we are," Jaffe says. To her, it has a lot to do with personal commitment.

"At a kickoff, I give the customer my personal cell phone number," Jaffe says. "And I have had the clients call me on a Sunday afternoon or a Friday night at 9 o’clock. And they know they’ll get me, the president and CEO of the company."

"By taking care of our employees and our clients, the business will take care of itself," Jaffe said.

As to how the economy is affecting their small business, Jaffe says, "We have bids on a lot of work that has been pushed aside before being announced because Congress hasn’t approved their budget yet." In fact, TAPE is hiring. In 2010, they are looking to increase work with their strategic Navy, FAA and DHS accounts. They are also pursuing work at the Environmental Protection Agency and looking at contracts involving cyber security.

"We’re expanding our IT footprint," Jaffe says. "Every week we get calls about people exploring if we’re for sale. And we’re not," Jaffe laughs. "But we must be doing something right."

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