Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Training
    • Class Registration
    • On-demand Training
    • GTPAC COVID-19 Resource Page
    • Cybersecurity Video
    • Veterans Verification Video
    • GTPAC Community
    • Other Training Audio & Video
  • Useful Links
  • Team Directory
    • Albany Counselor
    • Athens Counselor
    • Atlanta Counselors
    • Augusta Counselor
    • Carrollton Counselor
    • Columbus Counselor
    • Gainesville Counselor
    • Savannah Counselor
    • Warner Robins Counselor
  • Directions
    • Athens
    • Atlanta – Training Facility
    • Atlanta – Office
    • Albany
    • Augusta
    • Carrollton
    • Columbus
    • Gainesville
    • Savannah
    • Warner Robins
  • COVID-19
  • New Client Application
  • Contact Us

Military vet scores with government contract

March 23, 2010 By ei2admin

by Henry Unger, AJC-March 23, 2010 – Rumor has it that small business is going to be the engine that will deliver us from this economic mess. Rumor also has it that lots of military vets live here.

This column brings together both rumors with a story about Arthur Salus, a small businessman and disabled vet (cracked his leg during parachute training) who scored big with a government contract.

His company, Duluth Travel, is the prime contractor for the Department of Veterans Affairs. [Editor’s note: Duluth Travel is a GTPAC client.] That means Salus handles the travel needs of 100,000 V.A. employees, patients and family members. It also means his company’s annual revenue skyrocketed to $80 million, from $8 million. That’s a pretty steep climb from when he started the business in 1993 by borrowing $5,000 on his credit card.

While the road to government contracts had plenty of bumps for Salus, now 60, he thinks others will find a smoother path. And he thinks more small business owners should try to tap into this pipeline, especially during these tough times.

“The government pays. It won’t be going out of business,” he said.

Small businesses are supposed to get a 23 percent share of federal contracts. Disabled vets are supposed to get a 3 percent share.

For the V.A. only, which gives out about $12 billion in contracts, vets are supposed to get 8 percent, with service-disabled vets getting another 3 percent.

Before getting involved with the government, Salus was worried about the future of his business, as he watched thousands of other travel agencies close shop during the past decade. The growth of online reservation systems and the loss of commissions from airlines contributed to their demise.

To survive, Salus started climbing into the world of government contracts in 2003, only to discover that some of the government’s stated goals for small businesses and disabled vets were not being met.

“I sent 35 letters to all sorts of government agencies and only got four responses,” he said, adding they were all negative.

A smooth-talking salesman by trade (he sold cars at one point in his career), Salus decided to get to work. He even testified before Congress about how government agencies were not following federal rules.

Over the past few years, Salus said, the situation has improved, although slowly.

Since he did not have previous experience with the government, he could not win a prime contract. He had to hook up with a big travel company and become its subcontractor about six years ago. After doing that for a few years and gaining experience, Salus then bid on a prime contract in 2007.

While waiting for the verdict on which company would become the V.A.’s main travel agency for five years, Salus didn’t twiddle his thumbs in Gwinnett. He traveled to Washington several times, walking the halls of Congress and the V.A. to schmooze with any politician or bureaucrat he could corner.

He won the contract, attributing his success to networking and persistence.

“Face to face is very important. I was pleading my case. If I can do it, you can do it,” Salus said. “The only person that tells me ‘no’ is my wife. … ‘No’ to me means ‘maybe’.”

Filed Under: Contracting News Tagged With: government contracting, service disabled, subcontracting, VA

Recent Posts

  • DoD publishes long awaited interim rule on CMMC
  • GSA Region 4 OSDBU hosting small business webinar
  • GTPAC launches COVID-19 resource page
  • GDEcD seeks GA Manufacturers and Distributors that can help with critical health care supply needs related to COVID-19
  • Georgia DOAS to hold 4th Annual Georgia Procurement Conference April 21-23, 2020

Popular Topics

8(a) abuse Army bid protest budget budget cuts certification construction contract awards contracting opportunities cybersecurity DoD DOJ False Claims Act FAR federal contracting federal contracts fraud GAO Georgia Tech government contracting government contract training government trends GSA GSA Schedule GTPAC HUBZone innovation IT Justice Dept. marketing NDAA OMB SBA SDVOSB set-aside small business small business goals spending subcontracting technology VA veteran owned business VOSB wosb

Contracting News

DoD publishes long awaited interim rule on CMMC

Small business subcontracting for cloud computing gets easier

Long awaited changes to WOSB/EDWOSB regulations expected this summer

The CMMC has arrived: DoD publishes version 1.0 of its new cybersecurity framework

GSA keeping ‘on track’ with schedule consolidation

Read More

Contracting Tips

A guide to labor and employment obligations for federal contractors

Who pays for CMMC certification?

Other transaction agreements: Where does an unsuccessful bidder go?

Knowledge is power, if you know how to use it

EAJA provides relief to construction contractor for government’s bad actions

Read More

GTPAC News

GSA Region 4 OSDBU hosting small business webinar

GTPAC launches COVID-19 resource page

GDEcD seeks GA Manufacturers and Distributors that can help with critical health care supply needs related to COVID-19

Georgia DOAS to hold 4th Annual Georgia Procurement Conference April 21-23, 2020

MICC Fort Stewart hosting acquisition forecast open house on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020

Read More

Georgia Tech News

Dr. Abdallah testifies on U.S. competitiveness, research, STEM pipeline at Congressional hearing

Georgia Tech’s Technology Square Phase III to include George Tower

Student surprises his teacher with Georgia Tech acceptance news

Georgia Tech Applied Research will support DHS information safeguarding effort

$25 million project will advance DNA-based archival data storage

Read More

  • SAM.gov registration is free, and help with SAM is free, too
APTAC RSS Twitter GTPAC - 30th Year of Service

Copyright © 2021 · Georgia Tech - Enterprise Innovation Institute