Cynthia Castillo,President and CEO, CSSI

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Agenda

• Welcome and thank you

• About the SECAF webinar series

• A Conversation with Cindy and Shiv

• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Small and Emerging Government Contractors

• Questions and Answers

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About the SECAF Webinar Series

• SECAF is a small and emerging government contractor-focused organization based in the Washington, DC-metro area

• SECAF has a robust government contractor community membership; has provided education, information for past 10 years

• SECAF Webinar series objective: bring the best of SECAF to ALL small and emerging government contractors throughout the United States

• The SECAF Webinar Series will allow the nationwide small and emerging government contractor community to use SECAF as the “Voice of Small and Emerging Government Contractors.”

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Today’s Speakers

Cynthia CastilloPresident and CEO, CSSI

Shiv KrishnanChairman and CEO, Indus

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CSSI’s Story

• CSSI, Inc. ensures transportation systems move people and materials safely and efficiently

• Leveraging deep roots in aviation, innovative analytics and best practices enhance productivity, decrease costs and improve safety

• Founded in 1990 by Frank Castillo

• Cindy joined CSSI in 1993; company had 10 employees and $250k in revenue

• Today: Revenues over $60M and about 280 employees

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Infrastructure, Growth and Lessons Learned

• Build relationships and value proposition

• Invest in infrastructure early (processes and systems)

• Know your brand and what you stand for

• Be proactive, not reactive

• Let go of distractions

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Overcoming Challenges and Looking Ahead

• Join sounding boards and access resources

• Right-size for efficiency & effectiveness

• Think smarter to survive

• Focus and commitment

• Invest in resources where it makes the most sense

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The Seven Habits: Part One

I. Define yourself

○ Clearly communicate your strengths and what value you offer customers/partners

○ Can’t be all to all

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The Seven Habits: Part One

II. Know/understand your customers

○ First and foremost

○ Intimacy is the MOST important thing

○ Be a trusted and respected partner

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The Seven Habits: Part One

III.Envision your end-game

○ Think of results first and work backward

○ Ask yourself: how does everything you do help you achieve your goals/vision?

○ Execute – walk your talk

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The Seven Habits: Part Two

IV.Always understand “what’s in it for them”

○ Operate in ‘receive’ mode

○ Act/communicate with your audience in mind; make sure there’s value for everyone involved

○ Do your homework

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The Seven Habits: Part Two

V. Build on the strengths of your peers

○ One team – We’re all stronger when we work together

○ Build long-term partnerships

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The Seven Habits: Part Two

VI.Think positively and believe in the “Win-Win”

○ Spirit of abundance

○ In business, as in life, you attract the same type of energy you project

○ Think cooperatively AND competitively

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The Seven Habits: Part Three

VII.Develop yourself and your organization – always work from the inside out

○ Professional development is important for everyone – including you!

○ (Re)assess internal efficiencies throughout growth

○ Development through orgs like SECAF

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Questions and Answers

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Resources

• www.secaf.org• www.vistage.com • www.USASpending.gov: a searchable database of

each Federal award, providing the amount, name and more for each listing

• www.naics.com/search: a resource of the most widely used NAICS and SIC identification tools

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