High Performance Technologies, Inc.
Company: High Performance Technologies, Inc., Reston, VA
Company Description: Founded in 1992, High Performance Technology, Inc., designs IT solutions that help our federal customers protect America’s safety and prosperity. Our experts use applied science, performance-based architecture, and systems engineering to help our customers achieve the results they need. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, HPTi has over 240 employees in sites across the country.
Nomination Category: Support Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Support Staffer of the Year
Nomination Title: Lynn Holgate, Executive Assistant
1. Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since January 1 2009 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
Imagine a company that is growing by almost 20% every year—and then imagine the
support such a company needs. Company functions, executive assistance, office
logistics—Lynn Holgate, HPTi’s premier office manager, is at the center of it
all. She has been with HPTi since 2001, but rarely has she been tested as she
was in 2009. In a single year, she supported the company’s president, senior
vice president of corporate development, and the chief financial officer as
their executive assistant. In addition to these duties, she managed a staff of
four office managers, and she organized strategic events like the company’s
internal trade show, all hands meetings, annual awards banquet, win parties,
St. Patrick’s day party, and leadership off-sites. Also, as chair of the firm’s
community service committee, Lynn organized multiple fundraisers and tracked
all of the firm’s charitable donations. Finally, she successfully organized the
move of the company’s technology center to a space twice as large—a true
testament to her organizational skills and ability to multi-task.
Events: Employee retention is paramount to HPTi’s success. All of the company’s
revenues come from billable labor, and recruiting replacement personnel is
expensive, difficult, and risky to customer relations. Part of HPTi’s retention
strategy is to maintain a strong culture that is fueled by frequent face-to-
face interaction. At the heart of that strategy is Lynn Holgate. She searches
for the best venues and negotiates contracts that enable HPTi to have
meaningful get-togethers. She then works with managers and executives to
determine and set up logistics. For instance, she made arrangements for the
2009 Internal Trade Show, an event that allows all of the business lines in the
company to showcase their projects and see what others are doing. This
logistically challenging event takes months of planning, and Lynn interacts
with all of HPTi’s 350+ employees in some way to make the trade show a success.
She also planned the company’s Annual Awards Banquet, which hosted over 500
people. Thanks to her efforts and seamless event planning, the company stays
connected and informed.
Office Move: Lynn managed the move from our technology center to a space twice
as large. HPTi’s Arlington, VA, office is home to over 20 percent of the
company’s employees. The logistics and planning were a full-time job, but Lynn
handled the move in addition to all of her responsibilities to the company’s
executives. After she supported the move, Lynn launched into the planning of a
ribbon-cutting ceremony—a catered event during which HPTi played host to scores
of employees, clients, and associates.
Community Service: As if supporting the president of HPTi, planning an office
move, and setting up countless events weren’t enough, Lynn also chaired the
firm’s community service committee, appropriately dubbed “HPTi Cares.” She
organized and supported the group’s “adoption” of a local middle school and
arranged for the company to donate hundreds of volunteer hours in programs and
tutoring at the school. Lynn herself had donated hundreds of hours of her own
time to community-service events.
2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
HPTi Community Service Program http://www.hpti.com/community.php
DC Central Kitchen - http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/index.php
Greater DC Cares: Servathon 2010 - http://servathon.org/
3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:
Lynn Holgate joined the HPTi team in the fall of 2001, taking over
responsibility for the executive office and overall office management. With
over 23 years of experience in the administrative and human-resources fields,
Lynn serves in several facets, including the community service committee and
event planning. Her willingness to adjust and to always seek improvement makes
her a valued and respected employee.