User:Hmmiller01/Tony Jimenez

Tony R. Jimenez (born October 1956, Portsmouth, Virginia) is an American entrepreneur, award-winning business leader, and diversity advocate. He is the Founder and President & CEO of MicroTech -- the Fastest Growing Hispanic Owned Business in the U.S. from 2009-2011.

Historic Roots
Tony was born into a U.S. Navy family, raised in the Bronx, and while growing up, traveled all over the U.S. and the world -- Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, California and overseas to Spain and Germany. His father instilled a hard-work-leads-to-success ethos that carried over into adulthood.

Military Career
A retired U.S. Army officer and decorated combat veteran, Tony followed in his father's footsteps, enlisted in the service at eighteen as a Private E-1. After serving two enlisted tours on active duty, he took advantage of the GI Bill and returned to college (St. Mary's University) where he received a bachelor's degree and a commission as a Second Lieutenant, and eventually became a Lieutenant Colonel.

In his 24-year career, he served two tours in the Middle East (Kuwait and Qatar) as well as three tours in Europe. He also served in El Salvador, Haiti, Liberia, Honduras, and Panama, and is a Gulf War veteran.

During his military career, he had several important roles in education training. He served as the Program Director of eArmyU -- at the time, the world's largest educational portal and virtual university.

Education
Tony earned a BS in Business Management at St. Mary's University, in San Antonio; a MA in Computers and Information Systems at Webster University in St. Louis; and a MS in Acquisition Management from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. He is a 2010 graduate of the executive education training course at the Dartmouth Tuck School of Business, Hanover, New Hampshire.

MicroTech
After retiring from the Army, Tony joined Unisys for a short period until he launched MicroTech from his home in 2004. The start-up won its first government contract with the U.S. Army at West Point Military Academy that same year. That first contract led to over 100 prime contracts and 28 procurement vehicles with the government today. MicroTech now totals 450 employees in 30 states and offices in Virginia, Alabama, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. In 2010, the company reported generating more than $331 million in revenue.

Designated by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business and an 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business, MicroTech is a four-time member of the Inc. 500. The company has been named the most successful 8(a) Business by WashingtonTechnology.com for the last three years and the Federal Times listed MicroTech as the No. 2 ranked SDVOSB. Other business forums like the Washington Business Journal, Virginia Chamber of Commerce, CRN Magazine, the Deloitte Tech Fast 500, SmartCEO, and HispanicBusiness.com rank MicroTech among the top fast growth companies in the U.S.

Industry Recognition
Since founding MicroTech, Tony's leadership and business success has been recognized by industry groups, diversity forums, and business associations. His personal awards include the Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce "Entrepreneur of the Year," U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce "Corporate Business Advocate of the Year," U.S. Small Business Administration "Veteran Champion of the Year," LISTA "CEO of the Year," Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce "Entrepreneur of the Year," Maryland Minority Business Enterprise "Business Legend," Hispanic Business Magazine "Entrepreneur of the Year," Veteran Business Journal "Vetrepreneur of the Year," the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce "Executive of the Year," the Minority Enterprise Executive Council "Most Powerful Minority Men in Business," and twice selected for the Federal Computer Week "Federal 100" award.

Philanthropy
His commitment to philanthropic activities and charitable volunteer involvement has brought a number of community-focused awards including the U.S. Hispanic Advocacy Association "Bravo Award" for a commitment to diversity and philanthropy. Tony was presented in 2010 with the Hermes Award by the Hispanic Committee of Virginia as "an accomplished business and community leader."

This year, the Washington Business Journal recognized his philanthropic activities, and SmartCEO Magazine honored him in their "Circle of Excellence" as the Top CEO Philanthropist int he Washington DC area.

Board Appointments
Tony serves in some capacity on the boards of the LivingClassrooms.org Foundation; U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; UBM Channel; Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; U.S. - Mexico Chamber of Commerce; The American Legion; and Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Ties To Government
Tony currently serves as an advisor to the Obama Administration on the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) National Advisory Council on Minority Business Enterprise. He has testified before Congress and the Senate on Veteran Owned Business issues, and also consulted with the Presidential Economic Recovery Advisory Board on Education.

2011 Activity
On February 15, Tony was honored as a member of the SmartCEO "Circle of Excellence" as the Top CEO Philanthropist in Washington DC. He was recognized on February 18 as a "Minority Business Leader of the Year" by the Washington Business Journal.

On March 8, Tony was named as a Top 200 Most Influential Hispanic in Technology by Hispanic Engineer and IT Magazine. On April 6, representing government contractors, Tony was interviewed by CNN about the potential Federal government shutdown. On April 22, he spoke before the 11th National Multicultural Business Conference in a panel discussion featuring "America's Most Successful Entrepreneurs."

On June 1, Tony was interviewed by CNN about the Congressional debt ceiling issue. He met June 7 with former President Bill Clinton at an event in New York City. On June 9, he was recognized with the AFFIRM "Executive Leadership for Industry" Award by the Association for Federal Information Resources Management. On June 14, he met with President Barack Obama in a historic meeting in Puerto Rico, the first time in 50 years that a U.S. President visited the island commonwealth. He was recognized on June 29 by the Fairfax County (VA) Chamber of Commerce as "Executive of the Year".

On August 18, Tony was the keynote speaker at the National Veterans Small Business Conference and Expo in New Orleans, at the 3,000-seat Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

On September 15, he was presented with the Chair's Award by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month.

He hosted a town hall meeting on October 21 for Virginia Senator Mark Warner. On October 13, he was recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America by Hispanic Engineer & IT Magazine.

On December 5, he presided over the NASDAQ closing bell ceremony in New York City, hosted by Deloitte in honor of MicroTech on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500.

Tony is featured in the 2011 book - "Creating a Business You'll Love" by Mark Chimsky-Lustig.