EDC, SDMAC unveil 15 companies selected to DIV program to support business growth, diversification

Today, Propel San Diego partners – San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC) and San Diego Regional EDC – unveiled 15 companies selected to participate in the Defense Innovation Voucher program (DIV). DIV is a comprehensive business initiative designed to build resiliency in small, local defense companies and help them find pathways to diversify their revenue.

San Diego is home to the largest concentration of military assets in the world and the largest federal military workforce in the country. When considering the overall ripple effects of the defense cluster in San Diego, about 22 percent of San Diego’s gross regional product (GRP) is the result of defense-related spending. But the breadth and depth of defense activity stretches far beyond military bases and naval ships; from telecomm to robotics, aerospace to cybersecurity, San Diego’s defense cluster is the driving force behind the region’s innovation economy.

According to EDC’s recently released report, Mapping San Diego’s Defense Ecosystem, 40 percent of the companies registered in San Diego County as defense contractors employ five people or less. Propel San Diego’s DIV program serves to help those small defense companies build resiliency and sustainability through times of fluctuation in defense spending.

“Like many local industries, San Diego’s defense supply chain is mostly made up of small businesses, with 89 percent of firms employing less than 50 people. As federal funds continue to fluctuate in defense spending, small business that often rely on one to two large contracts, are at risk,” said Nikia Clarke, VP of economic development, San Diego Regional EDC. “The newly launched DIV program is designed to help these companies diversify their revenue and become more resilient, thus increasing their ability to withstand fluctuations in DoD spending and downturns in our economy.”

This pilot program will offer complimentary consulting services and curriculum to improve the competitiveness of small defense companies, selected through a competitive needs-based selection process. The program will help companies compete for government or defense contracts and/or explore pivoting products and services to commercial markets.

The DIV program will provide services in these three specific areas:

1. Direct Assistance: EDC has identified qualified consultants who will provide $15,000 in complimentary consulting services in one of the following categories: marketing, accounting compliance, certifications (SDVOSB, AS9100, AS5553, ISO 9001, etc.), lean supply chain and additive manufacturing tools, and strategic planning.

2. Boot Camp: Enrollment in a six-month long course designed to provide best practices to company leadership on strategies to improve company competitiveness.

3. DIV Grand Prize Competition: This competition will award a company based off their level of engagement in these activities and progress towards their goals with an additional $25,000 to work with one of the pre-approved contractors to perform new work with the company.

Partnering in the DIV program as the key underwriter is Booz Allen Hamilton, a leader in the defense consulting industry.

Propel San Diego is a partnership of six key organizations: East County Economic Development Council, South County Economic Development Council, San Diego Workforce Partnership, San Diego Military Advisory Council, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, and the City of San Diego. Each of these organizations are also working on specific business support programs to create a more robust defense ecosystem here in San Diego.

For more information about the DIV program please visit SDMAC.org/propelsandiego.

The 2018 DIV companies are as follows:

This project is funded in whole or in part with Community Economic Adjustment Assistance for Reductions in Defense Industry Employment funds provided by the U.S. Department of Defense – Office of Economic Adjustment to the City of San Diego.