Small businesses entering government contracting often lean on the federal 8(a) program, which offers training and contracting opportunities to owners facing social and economic disadvantages. Margarita Howard, founder of HX5, used that program as a launching pad, but she made sure her company was never fully dependent on it. “After becoming an 8(a) company, we…

Margarita Howard did not learn about veteran transition from a textbook. As CEO of HX5, a service-disabled veteran-owned aerospace and defense contractor, she draws on her own path out of the Air Force to shape how the company welcomes former service members into civilian careers. Since 2021, HX5 has hosted eight fellows through the Hiring…

The Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program did not begin with companies like HX5 in mind, but the veteran-owned aerospace and defense firm has become one of its steady participants since 2021. Understanding why the program exists helps explain why CEO Margarita Howard has kept HX5 involved every year since joining. The U.S. Chamber of…