This week on Amtower Off Center, host Mark Amtower is joined by Neil McDonnell, founder and president of the GovCon Chamber of Commerce, a small contractor SME and advisor.

Topics addressed include:

• Why subcontracting should precede prime contracting for small contractors until they reach a certain income level
• The value of strategic relationships in GovCon
• Why Neil only works Fed, not SLED, and why he encourages newbies and small contractors to focus on a single point of entry (office or operating division)
• The value of LinkedIn for sharing info, building relationships and getting on the radar

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This week on Amtower Off Center, host Mark Amtower is joined by Ross Wilkers, senior staff Reporter for Washington Technology. They discuss the recently released WT Top 100 contractors.

Topics include:

• 11 new companies made the list for 2026
• Many were heavily focused on defense and law enforcement
• The outlier was first timer Lancer Information Solutions, an SDVOSB focused 100% on civilian agencies
• One woman-led company, Intuitive Research and Technology Corp came in at #81
• Despite the OneGov initiative, the VAR/VAD community was well represented with Carahsoft at #25, ThunderCat at #43, DLT at #87 and CDW-G at #90.
• Wilker's article on SBAs Small Biz scorecard.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Amtower Off Center, host Mark Amtower is joined by Shauna Weatherly, president of FedSubK and a former federal acquisition professional.

Topics discussed include:

• The current market climate, especially issues impacting small contractors
• The problems facing companies with various set-aside status
• Focusing on emphasizing your core capabilities, not yout set-aside status
• Compliance issues like the CMMC approaching deadline
• Growth strategies for small contractors
• The power of storytelling and social media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.