Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) cleanup contractor UCOR recognized six small businesses at a ceremony last week for their support of EM’s cleanup mission.
“Small businesses are often the unsung heroes behind our progress. They provide important services that help us complete projects on schedule and on budget,” said OREM Procurement and Contracts Division Director Karen Shears. “UCOR has consistently shown it understands the importance of small business partners by their commitment to subcontract with them.”
Since UCOR began the Oak Ridge Reservation Cleanup Contract last May, it has far exceeded DOE’s small business subcontracting goal of 45%. Its subcontracts amount to $329 million over that span, with 80% of that total going to small businesses.
Partnerships with subcontractors have enabled UCOR to advance cleanup at the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
Together, UCOR and its subcontractors successfully removed the Former Criticality Experiment Lab and finished work on the footprint of the former Biology Complex at Y-12. They also took down the first reactor in ORNL’s central campus as work continues to demolish the Low Intensity Test Reactor.
“We are so proud of these small businesses that we trust to provide reliable support, from helping us procure hard-to-find but critical items and equipment to creatively supporting our ongoing operations,” said Tess Klatt, UCOR’s supply chain manager. “This year’s winners are exceptional performers in their respective areas.”
Turnkey Technical Solutions, which supports UCOR’s waste management operations, is a repeat winner in the woman-owned business category.
“We feel like it is an extreme honor to win something like this,” said Holli Hubbard, president of Turnkey. “As a woman-owned company, to win something like this with as many women as we have in our company, we feel like this is a big shoutout to our team.”
UCOR’s awards for top performance and the small businesses that received them this year are:
- Small Business of the Year: JSH Web Designs, a Knoxville-based, full-service marketing and website design agency that helps clients succeed online.
- Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year: Scientific Sales, an Oak Ridge-based firm with over 35 years of experience distributing supplies and equipment, including safety and industrial supplies.
- HUBZone Small Business of the Year: Premier Contracting & Technical Services, an Oak Ridge-based business that supplies hard-to-find large equipment as well as industrial and office supplies. HUBZone stands for Historically Underutilized Business Zone.
- Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year: Turnkey Technical Services, an Oak Ridge-based, woman-owned transportation services company providing a broad fleet of equipment and driver resources.
- Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year: Advantage Electronics, a family-owned business headquartered in Clinton, Tennessee, that has been distributing electronic products since 2001.
- Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year: Southeast Equipment Sales, an Oak Ridge company that specializes in construction machinery and equipment rentals, including hard-to-find equipment.