DynCorp International's mentorship of CenterScope Technologies

¶ … Gregory Reyes, Corporate Director Mentor-Protege Programs at DynCorp International.

Reason selected. With my background in logistics, and particularly LOGCAPIII, I was familiar with the work of ANHAM Prime Vendor LLC. I knew that DynCorp International (DI) was a major competitor of ANHAM, and wondered what the opinion might be at DynCorp of the business case analysis (BCA) that argued a transition from LOGCAPIII to LOGAPIV would be prohibitive, considering that the run out to the exit from Iraq was short. As it turned out, and while I was formulating my questions regarding this topic, a press release called attention to the awarding of the prestigious Nunn-Perry Award to DynCorp International for its outstanding Mentor-Protege team formed with its small business partner, CenterScope Technologies, Inc. (CSTI). The award is given annually by the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP). What really attracted my attention was the growth achieved by CenterScope Technologies following their mentorship by DynCorp. It was an extraordinary gain and I found myself wanting to talk with someone at DynCorp about the mentorship and to what factors they attributed the robust growth.

Background Information

DynCorp International provides services to the government on a global basis in the areas of foreign policy objectives, international development, national security, and the delivery of defense support solutions. The primary emphases of DynCorp are logistics, contingency operations and training, platform support, and mentoring that serves to reinforce community stability, security, and the rule of law. The headquarter of DynCorp International are located in Falls Church, VA.

CenterScope Technologies, Inc. (CSTI) is located in McLean, Virginia. The company provides solutions for customer service in various industries. The emphasis of CSTIs work is generally on international support, logistics, and base operations, engineering and acquisition, knowledge management. The role that DynCorp International took in the coaching and training of CSTI was fundamentally in the areas of international operations, global logistics, and new market development.

One of the strongest indicators of the success of this mentoring relationship was guidance for CSTI to expand internationally -- DynCorp's expertise helped CSTI achieve increased revenue from $5 million to $32 million in only 18 months, and more than 100 jobs were created by the expansion. As a result of DynCorp's mentorship, CSTI substantially broadened their overall participation in the marketplace.

Historically, the first Nunn-Perry award was created in 1995 by the Department of Defense Mentor-Protege program to honor outstanding mentor-protege teams. The eponymous award is associated with Senator Sam Nunn and William Perry, a former Secretary of Defense. The Nunn-Perry award to DynCorp was presented at the 16th annual Nunn-Perry Awards Ceremony at the 2012 Mentor-Protege Conference, Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 7:30 P.M., at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, VA.

Interview Questions

1. Tell me how DynCorp became interested in mentoring a small business.

2. What is the gist of the work that does CSTI with DynCorp?

3. Were there any particular attributes exhibited by CSTI that led to the mentorship relationship?

4. The expertise at DynCorp was certainly showcased by the receipt of the Nunn-Perry Award. How does DynCorp recruit in order to maintain such a deep knowledge base?

5. You mentioned that the mentor-protege program emphasizes technology transfer. The positive impact on CSTI's operational and financial efficiency was substantive following the mentoring. Is the size difference between the DynCorp and CSTI largely the reason that technology solutions could be so effectively leveraged?

6. Were you surprised to have such amazing results and positive job growth in this difficult economy?

7. Certainly the changes at CSTI indirectly benefitted the customer (the U.S. Army), but did those efficiencies translate into fiscal and resources savings for the customer ?

8. Eric Adolphe, who -- as you know -- is president of CSTI, has suggested that DynCorp's mentoring assistance was core to their success during the past year and a half. He claims that the CSTI has become a prosperous global enterprise, and that the company has matured over a period of months into an operation that can responsibly manage the exponential growth that it has experienced. Do you agree with his assessment? Is this hubris, and do you see any problems down the road for CSTI that would be attributable to the speed of this transformation?

9. Logistics have been a large part of DynCorp's future. With the troops out of Iraq and the war in Afghanistan winding down, do you perceive changes to this situation? And if so, how impactful do you believe these changes will be?

10. Your answer is particularly interesting to me because my professional interests are very much in the area of logistics. Do you mind if I share my resume with you?

RE: Procurement Analyst

The purpose of this letter is to express my interest in the position of Procurement Analyst with the Department of Agriculture. I understand that the Department is seeking a high caliber leader to provide authoritative procurement advice to specialists, management, and program officials in the area of major procurements. It is with great interest that I have completed the application process and submit this letter for review and consideration.

My previous accomplishments in logistics administration and operations in complex environments correlate directly with the objectives and qualifications of the Procurement Analyst position. I have developed core competencies in procurement, scheduling, budgeting, and supervision that have direct application to procurement processes and policy positions development. I wish to emphasize that my oversight experience in the military was based on my ability to resolve critical problems and develop new approaches in such areas as transportation management and the exacting standards of LOGCAPIII.

The opportunity to implement the agency's leadership and vision for sound public policy related to the nation's food, agriculture, and natural resources compels me to pursue this position as a significant member of the Department's executive team. My experience with the Department of Defense's best business practices and my varied management expertise, I am confident that I can provide authoritative expert technical advice and guidance and successfully coordinate policy implementation for the Procurement Department.

Thank you in advance for reviewing my credentials.

Sincerely,

Enclosures:

Resume

Answers to Required Questions

Application

Course Reflections

1. I believe that taking this course has dramatically improved my knowledge about effective business communication. As I review my work, I can see how my skills have been enhanced and my overall ability to tackle business writing has risen to a new level. I can honestly say that I am pleased with my participation and engagement in the coursework, and the difference between the quality of my business writing prior to the course and after completing the course is considerable.

2. I believe my work in the class has been quite good, and if improvement is a marker for effort, I have demonstrated that I put in the time needed to truly understand the course content and objectives. I have worked hard to ensure that my learning has been consistent with my expectations. The only thing that I would perhaps have done differently -- as I believe it would have given me even more opportunities to learn -- would be to routinely write several drafts of the assignments from different perspectives. Often, I would find that once I started down a track, I would focus on improving that particular version. While that is an effective strategy, and a necessary one for any writer, it limited my learning opportunities. Unfortunately, time constraints sometimes make this approach the default but, in the future, knowing this about myself will help me to more aggressively schedule time to explore different ways to approach a business communication task.

3. I find writing a cover letter to be the most challenging of all the topics we have covered. Not only is it a message of persuasion, but it must encapsulate all the important things about who a person is as a candidate for employment, while being careful to convey confidence without hubris. I also found the information interview to be something that I would practice -- when it doesn't count or matter -- because this is an excellent opportunity to delve into face-to-face communication with people who very often are highly skilled at just that. I suppose that this is one of the benefits of networking, too, as the informal venue leaves one free to try different ways of approaching people and different ways of talking about themselves and their skills but avoiding any off-putting remarks or mannerisms.

4. From a pragmatic position, I could say that my learning in this course could best be measured by the number of interviews I am invited to, the number of successful meetings I am able to schedule, the number of times I am able to obtain a raise, and the like. But I believe the undergirding measure is that of confidence. Though business communication challenges will always present themselves over the course of my career -- and even in my efforts to be an active community member and citizen -- I now have a menu of ways to approach those challenges and am confident of my ability to successfully do so. Sometimes the measure of improvement is not the outcome, but the quality of the process -- in this present economy, I think that is an important thing to remember.

5. I believe that I have successfully met all the course objectives: I have written each type of message and identified where and how I could strengthen those messages. I have written well-formed (and short!) emails. I have used models of persuasion to help me create my business messages. I have demonstrated that I can identify unethical methods of persuasion -- a skill that has been solidly boosted by my military training. I can create all of the types of business messages that we have studied, including memos, emails, presentations, resumes, and letters, including the elusive cover letter. I have demonstrated my ability to evaluate and improve PowerPoint presentations -- and when to avoid them. I have conducted an information interview and have plans to continue with those. I am now reflecting on and integrating -- in my writing here, and my thinking -- the course concepts. I am very glad that I had the opportunity to take this course.