(JACKSON, Miss.) – The U.S. Small Business Administration Mississippi District Office recently announced the certification of RedLaser Technology, Inc. into the SBA’s highly sought after 8(a) Business Development Program. The 8(a) program is a nine-year program that assists eligible socially and economically disadvantaged individuals to develop and grow their businesses.
Founded in May 2002, RedLaser is a minority-owned business housed in the technology incubator located at the Mississippi e-Center @ JSU in Jackson. RedLaser’s services include IT staffing support services and augmentation, custom software development, implementation and integration of web design and web-based programming. The company specializes in cloud-based solutions that empower clients with innovative, secure and dynamic applications for software design and deployment, network management and database management.
The 8(a) program includes business development assistance, one-on-one counseling, training, matchmaking opportunities with federal buyers, opportunities for mentor-protégé relationships and joint venture agreements with prime contractors, and other management and technical guidance.
“RedLaser has been moderately successful, but there was always a glass ceiling where we could see the top; however, we could not manage to get there,” said Adrian Jones, CEO/President of RedLaser.
RedLaser has won awards including the Governor’s Cup, Mississippi Small Business Administration’s 2006 Young Entrepreneur, U.S. Small Business Administration Southeastern Region and Micro Enterprise of the Year. The company has served on the transition teams for Gov. Phil Bryant and Mayor Tony Yarber to shape the information technology policies for Mississippi and the City of Jackson.
“We are excited to announce that RedLaser has been certified and joins the Mississippi 8(a) portfolio,” said Janita R. Stewart, Director of the SBA in Mississippi. “Our office has been on a campaign to increase the number of firms and types of businesses certified in this program. Although SBA does not guarantee 8(a) contracts, over the past three federal fiscal years working with a host of in- and out-of-state federal contracting officials, a total of $215,208,399 in contracts were awarded to 8(a) firms in Mississippi. We want to see these contract dollars maintained in our state.”
Jones said “the 8(a) Program will give us the opportunity to attract the world’s largest buyer, which is the United States Federal Government. RedLaser will create high quality jobs for the local population of Mississippi and provide opportunities for people all over the United States. It will give us the chance to prove our worth to a whole new client base.”
To learn more about SBA’s 8(a) Business Development and SBA’s many other programs, contact the Mississippi District Office at (601) 965-4378, the Gulfport Branch Office at (228) 863-4449 or visit the SBA Mississippi homepage at www.sba.gov/ms.