Morayma McKinney was recognized by Tom Todt, district director of the SBA as the Minority Business Person of the Year for the State of Alabama.

Total Solutions is a Madison-based government services contractor specializing in program management, professional services, training, and technical and administrative services for clients such as the Army Corps of Engineers, Centers for Disease Control, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the Redstone Arsenal Garrison.

The honor coincided with Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week. MED Week commemorates the contribution of the nation’s minority entrepreneurs and firms.

Tom Todt, Alabama District director of the SBA, attributed Total Solutions success to the leadership of McKinney.

“For a company to excel and reach the pinnacle of success that Total Solutions has, it all comes from leadership, which is something you obviously have,” he said.

McKinney, who was born in Cuba and later became a U.S. citizen, spent much of her early career as project manager on many NASA programs (she was the first Hispanic female engineer hired by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center) before leaving the government to start her own business in 2001. She joined Total Solutions and shortly after became majority owner and CEO in 2005. Over the past four years, McKinney has grown the company’s employment base by 700 percent (from 35 employees to more than 250).

“This award is not mine; it belongs to all of you. I would like to thank the SBA for recognizing our efforts at serving our federal government with integrity. It is so important for small businesses to have the opportunity to prove ourselves,” she said.

About the selection process

According to Teresa Wilson, Public Information Officer of the Alabama District, companies were judged on their financial growth (sales and profits), employees and satisfactory completion of all contracts. The business must have been in business for three years or more.