Government contractors typically operate as either a prime contractor managing a project directly or a subcontractor supporting someone else’s. HX5 does both, a dual role that Margarita Howard traces back to a single decision made when the company had almost nothing to lose. HX5 has won large prime contracts that are uncommon for firms of […]

Eight fellows. Four years. Two hires annually. Those numbers describe the pace at which HX5, under CEO Margarita Howard, has participated in the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program since 2021, a steady cadence that Howard treats as proof of sustained commitment rather than a hiring convenience. The Corporate Fellowship Program, which began in 2015 […]

Not every civilian job lets veterans keep doing work that resembles their military service. At HX5, CEO Margarita Howard argues that mission alignment is exactly what keeps former service members engaged after they leave the Air Force, Army, Navy, or Marine Corps. HX5’s contracts include advanced weapons research, production readiness reviews for sensor systems, and […]

HX5 carries designations as both a service-disabled veteran-owned and women-owned small business, labels that Margarita Howard’s background as CEO help explain. For veterans considering a move into government contracting, those designations can signal something specific: leadership that understands military culture firsthand rather than secondhand. Howard’s own service in the Air Force, followed by advanced degrees […]

Running a government contractor that serves the Department of Defense and NASA across 90 locations and 34 states demands precision at every level. Margarita Howard, sole owner and CEO/president of HX5, has built and maintained that precision over more than two decades, growing the Fort Walton Beach, Florida company from a startup in 2004 to […]

The choice between substance and appearance is one most startup founders navigate instinctively, often tilting toward whatever signals credibility fastest. In government contracting, that instinct frequently pushes companies toward visible markers: prime office addresses, polished spaces, and the look of an established operation. Margarita Howard founded HX5 in 2004 with a different instinct. She directed […]

In 2004, Margarita Howard started HX5 with a single employee and a clear sense of what the company needed to succeed in the federal contracting marketplace. That clarity drove an early investment in a specialized accounting system one designed, built, and government-approved specifically for companies working on federal contracts. The purchase was unusual for a […]

Defense contractor HX5 has participated in the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program since 2021, hosting eight transitioning service members over four years. Behind that number is a deliberate philosophy shaped in large part by the company’s founder and CEO, Margarita Howard, herself a service-disabled Air Force veteran. The Fellowship as a Structured Pathway The […]