The Peel

Building Culture at Scale: Nicole Rockett on ERP’s People-First Approach

In this episode of The Peel, David Blackburn sits down with Nicole Rockett, Chief Human Resources Officer at ERP International, to explore how a people-first culture fuels one of GovCon’s top workplaces. Nicole shares her own journey to ERP, what drew her to a high-growth, mission-driven organization, and how the company’s values of courage, trust, innovation, and community continue to shape its success.
From navigating today’s competitive talent market to connecting employees with purpose, Nicole offers candid insights into building and sustaining culture in a rapidly evolving environment. She also discusses ERP’s forward-looking approach to AI and emerging technologies, and how the company balances innovation with its commitment to supporting federal missions across defense, healthcare, and civilian agencies.
To connect with Nicole, follow him on LinkedIn here.Learn more about ERP International by visiting their webpage here.

Mastering the Business Exit Journey with Adam McNair: Stability in GovCon

Welcome to this M&A focused podcast series, Mastering the Business Exit Journey, featuring Adam McNair. Designed for leaders on both the buy-side and sell-side of government contracting, the series offers real-world insights, strategies, and lessons learned for scaling, selling, or acquiring businesses. Whether you’re just beginning to plan or actively navigating a deal, this series meets you where you are with expert guidance.
In the final episode of the series, Dave Blackburn welcomes back Adam to unpack one of the most critical and often underestimated factors in GovCon transactions: stability.
Adam breaks down why stability isn’t just about financial performance, but also about predictability, culture, and the people involved. From forecasting accuracy to win rates, customer relationships, and team continuity, he explains how demonstrating consistency can directly impact deal value, deal structure, and even whether a transaction closes at all.
They also explore the hidden costs of instability, lower valuations, extended earn-outs, delayed closings, and post-transaction headaches that can echo for years. With real-world insights from private equity and strategic acquisitions alike, Adam shares what buyers are really looking for and how sellers can position themselves as a “well-oiled machine” that investors want to own, not overhaul.
To connect with Adam, visit his LinkedIn page here.

The Courage to Start: Growing a GovCon Business from Zero with Ganesh Natarajan

What does it really take to build a thriving federal contracting business from the ground up? In this episode of The Real Deal, Sarah Djamshidi and Cy Alba sit down with Ganesh Natarajan, CEO of Ennoble First, to uncover the realities behind growing a government contracting company.
Ganesh shares his journey from leaving a senior role at Lockheed Martin to bootstrapping his own firm, starting with zero, building trust, and landing that critical first customer. He reveals the five P’s for growth (People, Partners, Process, Performance, and Patience), the importance of staying in your lane, and why chasing shiny objects can sink your business. Along the way, he discusses challenges from finance to legal structure, moving from subcontractor to prime without losing your edge, building IP and valuation strategically, and why resilience, relationships, and advisory boards matter most.
Packed with hard-earned advice, this conversation offers real-world lessons on scaling, strategy, and staying true to your core strengths—plus why courage and preparation are the greatest assets for any business leader.
To connect with Ganesh, follow him on LinkedIn here.Learn more about Ennoble First by visiting their webpage here.
To connect with Sarah, visit her LinkedIn page here.Learn more about Speedshift Ventures by visiting their webpage here.
To connect with Cy, visit his LinkedIn page here.Learn more about PilieroMazza PLLC by visiting their webpage here.

Mastering the Business Exit Journey with Adam McNair: Investments & Sunk Costs in GovCon

Welcome to this M&A focused podcast series, Mastering the Business Exit Journey, featuring Adam McNair. Designed for leaders on both the buy-side and sell-side of government contracting, the series offers real-world insights, strategies, and lessons learned for scaling, selling, or acquiring businesses. Whether you’re just beginning to plan or actively navigating a deal, this series meets you where you are with expert guidance.
Listen to the sixth episode as David Blackburn and Adam tackle a critical question for any business anticipating a transaction: what investments create value, and which ones destroy it? Adam shares lessons from both the buy- and sell-side on how to evaluate spending decisions in people, facilities, platforms, and tools when an exit may be on the horizon. 
From avoiding multi-year commitments that can tank valuation, to negotiating flexibility in leases and subscriptions, to distinguishing between true differentiators and “nice-to-haves,” this conversation offers practical guidance for leaders preparing to scale or sell. They also explore the dangers of vanity projects and commingled side businesses that can complicate or derail a deal, and how to unwind them before diligence begins. This episode helps leaders protect downside risk while positioning their companies for maximum upside.
To connect with Adam, visit his LinkedIn page here.

CDC Powerhouse JMC at the Edge of What’s Next in Health IT and Informatics: A Conversation with Jon Lipsky

On this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire chats with Jon Lipsky, founder and CEO of J Michael Consulting (JMC), to celebrate the company’s 14th anniversary and talk about what it really takes to build a business that can thrive beyond its founder.
Since its founding in 2011, JMC has made a mark on public health informatics, working with APHL, CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and public health laboratories and agencies, while partnering with many leading health information technology firms. The company provides consulting and support in four main areas: Laboratory Informatics, Data Standards & Interoperability, Project and Program Management, and Surveillance Informatics – always with the goal of bringing science and technology together to impact patient and population health.
With over two decades of IT consulting and project management experience – much of it in public health and informatics supporting CDC and the Association of Public Health Laboratories – Jon shares how a long-term mindset, the right hires, and a culture of shared ownership have fueled JMC’s growth. He opens up about lessons learned along the way: the power of hiring rock stars, the value of taking risks over circling the wagons, and why confidence in recovery is just as important as avoiding failure.
Jon also reflects on navigating funding shifts, pivoting into new markets like private healthcare, and seizing today’s talent-rich environment to strengthen JMC for the future.
To connect with Jon, follow him on LinkedIn here.Learn more about J Michael Consulting by visiting their webpage here.
 

Staying Ahead of Change: Cloud, AI, and Thorben’s Vision for Government

Listen in as David Blackburn has a conversation with Katrina and Chris Koomey, CEO and COO of Thorben Consulting, who share the origin story and evolution of their company, a 100% woman-owned small business helping government agencies transform enterprise systems. From Yellowstone family road trips to two decades of federal IT modernization, they dive into Thorben’s early SAP projects, the company’s shift to cloud and AI solutions, and how they’ve stayed ahead in a rapidly changing technology landscape. They also open up about the challenges and opportunities of federal digital transformation, the art of the possible with AI, and why mastering innovation together is more than a tagline - it’s their way of doing business.
To connect with Katrina, follow her on LinkedIn here.To connect with Chris, follow him on LinkedIn here.Learn more about Thorben Consulting by visiting their webpage here.

Mastering the Business Exit Journey with Adam McNair: Compliance and Training in GovCon

Welcome to this M&A focused podcast series, Mastering the Business Exit Journey, featuring Adam McNair. Designed for leaders on both the buy-side and sell-side of government contracting, the series offers real-world insights, strategies, and lessons learned for scaling, selling, or acquiring businesses. Whether you’re just beginning to plan or actively navigating a deal, this series meets you where you are with expert guidance.
The fifth episode in this series features a conversation with David Blackburn and Adam as they dive into one of the least glamorous, but most critical, parts of mergers and acquisitions - compliance. From labor category audits and security clearances to tax exposure, HR policies, and even state-specific benefits laws, Adam shares real-world examples of how overlooked details can derail deals, drain valuation, and rack up legal bills. With practical steps for getting ahead of risks and building trust with buyers, this conversation is a must-listen for leaders preparing to buy, sell, or scale in the GovCon space.
To connect with Adam, visit his LinkedIn page here.

From Startup to Standout: Realm One’s Journey in Federal Contracting with Gary Daigle

In the third episode of The Real Deal: Winning, Growing, and Exiting in GovCon, Sarah Djamshidi, CEO and Managing Partner of SpeedShift Ventures, and David Blackburn sit down with Gary Daigle from RealmOne to unpack the real playbook behind sustained growth, strategic acquisitions, and seamless integrations in the federal contracting space.
Gary shares RealmOne’s journey from a lean startup in 2005 to a thriving middle-market powerhouse backed by Enlightenment Capital, revealing how culture, creativity, and calculated risks fueled their momentum. From breaking into prime contracts, to using M&A for smart—not just big—growth, to building a workplace that attracts top talent, Gary dives deep into the art and science of scaling.
 
Along the way, he offers candid advice for CEOs of $20–$30M GovCon firms: know your why, prioritize intangibles like culture and leadership, and be ready to pivot when mission priorities shift. Whether you’re eyeing your first acquisition or planning your exit, this conversation delivers the unfiltered insights you need to navigate today’s GovCon market with confidence.
To connect with Gary, follow him on LinkedIn here.Learn more about RealmOne by visiting their webpage here.
To connect with Sarah, visit her LinkedIn page here.Learn more about Speedshift Ventures by visiting their webpage here.

Problem Solving, Gratitude, and Getting Paid — The Dee Bowden Way

In this episode of The Peel, Shelley McGuire sits down with Dee Bowden,  author and creator of Collect the Cash, to talk about the often-overlooked world of accounts receivable and government contract closeouts. Dee shares her story of recovering $6 million in 60 days for a small IT firm to building a proven four-step framework that helps small and medium-sized businesses solve cash flow problems, recover outstanding invoices, and preserve client relationships. With humor, relatable stories, and real-world examples, Dee explains why the sale is not complete until the money’s in the bank and how mastering problem-solving, customer service, gratitude, and relationship-building can be the difference between thriving and closing your doors.
Whether you’re in government contracting, managing corporate accounts, or just want to make sure you get paid for your hard work, this episode delivers actionable insights with a dose of personality.
To connect with Dee, follow him on LinkedIn here.Learn more about IntelliDyne by visiting their webpage here.

Mastering the Business Exit Journey with Adam McNair: Delivery Maturity in GovCon

Welcome to this new M&A focused podcast series, Mastering the Business Exit Journey, featuring Adam McNair. Designed for leaders on both the buy-side and sell-side of government contracting, the series offers real-world insights, strategies, and lessons learned for scaling, selling, or acquiring businesses. Whether you’re just beginning to plan or actively navigating a deal, this series meets you where you are with expert guidance.
The fourth episode in this series features a conversation with David Blackburn and Adam to unpack what truly drives value in an acquisition. From the ‘sweet spot’ of delivery maturity to the critical artifacts that prove performance, they explore how leadership structures, resourcing, and customer relationships impact valuation—and why avoiding last-minute ‘coat of paint’ fixes is key. Packed with practical insights, this conversation is a must-listen for any business leader preparing to buy or sell.
To connect with Adam, visit his LinkedIn page here.