Article that appeared recently in the VoyageMIA Magazine:
Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Johnston.
Scott, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
JohnsTek Inc was initially established in 2003 as a consulting firm, meant only to allow just myself to take on extra information security consulting gigs in addition to my 9-5 job. Eventually, JohnsTek went dormant as I took on more responsibilities with my employers. Then, in 2011 I decided to give JohnsTek a shot at being my only source of work, and growing the company.
JohnsTek was founded as a technology firm, concentrating on providing information security and integration of information systems that support law enforcement and intelligence operations through data collection and processing. We have evolved into a company that provides a full range of cybersecurity services, communications support, and information systems integration. Our staff is made up of military veterans. We have contracts with federal, state, county, and commercial clients. We have remained small, expanding our workforce as required to service projects.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
From the very start of JohnsTek in 2011, it has been a very bumpy road. We began our journey with a US Federal contract to provide system integration support in Colombia, South America. After leaving my full-time job to take a leap of faith that the initial 1-year contract would lead into a follow-on 3-year contract, the second contract did not come through. Money was diverted for other US operations.
It forced us to aggressively pursue work that would pay the bills. We began to pick up paid work in developing proposals for large defense contractors. We really had to stretch every dollar.
Eventually, we began to win small contracts. Lucrative contracts do not come easy to small businesses with little Past Performance experience. Our staff had lots of unique experiences, but as a company, we had very little.
With each contract came new challenges. Insurance requirements, certifications, new registrations, or specialized training. When we traveled to overseas locations we sometimes did not know if we would have enough money in our accounts to pay for travel expenses on the road, such as meals and lodging. We were very dependent on our clients paying their invoices on time…and they almost never did.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about JohnsTek – what should we know?
Our company moniker is Strategic Technology Engineering. We provide Information Security and Systems Integration to very large organizations. We are very comfortable with helping a Federal government organization plan border security, or a State or Federal Agency with establishing their Information Security Program. We will go to very austere environments outside of the US to improve military communications for an ally Nation in South America. And we have been hired by the US Government to help write strategic plans for other countries. We are a very small company with very big offerings. Our work is very exciting, and our projects are critical to whole governments.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There have been mentors from my past. Former bosses, retired military Colonels and Generals who offer advice, and make introductions. There have been advocates in large companies that enjoy giving small companies with big energy opportunities on their contracts. We have a short list of what we call “partner companies”.
Small companies like us, that we have formed a special bond with. They offer complementary services that help us round out our offering to our customers as the need arises. They have been there for us when we needed them, and we have had the opportunities to support them when they needed us.
Contact Info:
- Address: 45 Almeria Ave
- Website: https://johnstek.com
- Phone: 786-375-9020
- Email: admin@johnstek.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/johnstek
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/johnstek
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JOHNSTEK
Link to the Article:
