The IT Guy
While working there, Tony was struck by how difficult it was to identify quality small business partners. In 2004, he found himself launching MicroTech to help meet the need.
MicroTech, which had 20 employees in 2005, now boasts 400 employees in 28 states and is a certified 8(a) and verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. It is the prime contractor on more than 100 federal projects, managing technology for more than 500,000 employees of 30 government agencies.
In his testimony before Congress on Dec. 16, 2009, Tony explained his philosophy of hiring veterans. “My small business targets contracting opportunities based not only on our core competencies but also on the opportunity to hire veterans and wounded veterans to perform the work, giving them a chance at a viable second career.”
“When you start a company at your kitchen table, like when I launched MicroTech, you live through each step of the process and can recall each and every person you hire, and why they are an important part of what you are building,” he says.
That’s getting more difficult. The company’s Vienna, Virginia, headquarters has expanded. A new integration and testing facility began operating in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2009. Another office opened in Huntsville, Alabama, in 2010, and an office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is slated to open later this year.
Growing up a Navy brat, Anthony Jiminez attended more than 10 schools in six states, and spent three years in Spain. “Those experiences enabled me to fine-tune my people skills. I learned to make friends fast, pick up new interests quickly and adjust to new environments often,” he says.
Tony credits much of his success to the fundamental principles instilled in him by his father, including a strong belief in the value of education. Tony has a B.A. in Business Management, a master’s degree in Acquisition Management, and a second master’s in Information Systems.
Despite his guiding principles and desire to help other veterans, the decision to start his own business was not one he took lightly. “Once I got over the fear of walking away from a well-paying job and starting from scratch, the rest just fell into place,” he explains.
Tony had always wanted to become a business owner and entrepreneur, but had no experience in starting a company and had never even met anyone who could explain the process. Shortly before retiring from the Army, he met a few business owners, and started to understand the process and the resources needed.
His success still amazes him. “You hear stories about people who do great things with little more than vision, perseverance and a small amount of money, but to think that I would be one of those people is astonishing. To think that less than 10 years ago I was serving in the military and wondering what I was going to do with my life once I retired is even more unbelievable. Couple that with the fact that I did it with very little capital, a limited amount of experience supporting the federal government, and fortunately, enjoyed lots of luck. The pinch-me-is-this-really-happening moments happen frequently,” Tony says.
