AFS wins $65M in deals

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

By BRIAN LAWSON

Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com

Company tapped for logistics work at 3 Army bases

MADISON - Advanced Federal Services has secured $65 million worth of public-works support contracts for work at three Army bases in Virginia.

Alfredo Bonilla, the company's founder, president and CEO, said the new contracts are a logical extension of the logistics and warehousing work that AFS has done since it began 12 years ago.

The new contracts will require the company to help run the public-works operations at Fort Eustis, Fort Story and Fort Lee in Virginia.

Bonilla, 62, a native of Panama, started the company in 1995 in his Madison County basement after being laid off as chief operating officer for a large, Florida-based contractor. He moved to Huntsville in 1981, after working for the Army Corps on Engineers on the Panama Canal and later a California-based contractor.

Today AFS has some 14 federal contracts in several states, with more than 300 employees and a five-year pipeline of work worth more than $90 million.

"I had years of experience in this (government contracting) business," he said. "You're always looking at how to improve services, and do things 'better, faster, cheaper.' You have to do a better job for a lower cost, and you have to know how to motivate people.

"That means good benefits and treating people well."

AFS was named a Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year for 2007. AFS recently received a Better Business Bureau Torch Award for marketplace ethics, and Hispanic Business magazine ranked the company among the top 500 Hispanic-owned companies in the U.S.

In its first year of operation, AFS revenue was $26,000. This year, Bonilla said, the company will generate about $14 million in revenue.

In between there have been some "ungodly" long hours, Bonilla said, estimating that he worked 17- to 18-hour days, seven days a week, for several years.

The drive came from needing a job, he said. His experience of losing a senior position later in life is not uncommon, and he is regularly approached by people in the same boat, curious about starting their own company.

"So many people are in the position I was in," he said. "You have to believe in what you're doing. And you don't 'try to do it' - you either do it or you don't."

Bonilla studied engineering at the University of Missouri, and his desk bears a sign with the slogan of the state's most famous son, Harry Truman: "The buck stops here."

Bonilla said the sign's other side, which faces him every day, also reflects his Missouri roots: "Show me."

These days, if the buck doesn't stop with him, it starts with his first hire, then-19-year-old Elea Bledsoe, who began with Bonilla 10 years ago. She started as his secretary and is now, at age 29, AFS' chief operating officer. She is a whiz at human resources, accounting and contract management, Bonilla said.

"She was working retail for a friend of mine selling cell phones, but from the start you could see she was really sharp, very ethical and had a fire in her belly, which is what it takes," Bonilla said.

Bledsoe is in Virginia this week overseeing the implementation of the company's new contracts.

Bonilla expects AFS to continue to grow, even after he retires.

"I have recruited capable managers," he said. "They say, 'Plant a tree. Write a book.' This is my tree, my book."



AFS wins $65M in deals Tuesday, November 27, 2007 By BRIAN LAWSON Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com Company tapped for logistics work at 3 Army bases MADISON - Advanced Federal Services has secured $65 million worth of public-works support contracts for work at three Army bases in Virginia. Alfredo Bonilla, the company's founder, president and CEO, said the new contracts are a logical extension of the logistics and warehousing work that AFS has done since it began 12 years ago. The new contracts will require the company to help run the public-works operations at Fort Eustis, Fort Story and Fort Lee in Virginia. Bonilla, 62, a native of Panama, started the company in 1995 in his Madison County basement after being laid off as chief operating officer for a large, Florida-based contractor. He moved to Huntsville in 1981, after working for the Army Corps on Engineers on the Panama Canal and later a California-based contractor. Today AFS has some 14 federal contracts in several states, with more than 300 employees and a five-year pipeline of work worth more than $90 million. "I had years of experience in this (government contracting) business," he said. "You're always looking at how to improve services, and do things 'better, faster, cheaper.' You have to do a better job for a lower cost, and you have to know how to motivate people. "That means good benefits and treating people well." AFS was named a Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year for 2007. AFS recently received a Better Business Bureau Torch Award for marketplace ethics, and Hispanic Business magazine ranked the company among the top 500 Hispanic-owned companies in the U.S. In its first year of operation, AFS revenue was $26,000. This year, Bonilla said, the company will generate about $14 million in revenue. In between there have been some "ungodly" long hours, Bonilla said, estimating that he worked 17- to 18-hour days, seven days a week, for several years. The drive came from needing a job, he said. His experience of losing a senior position later in life is not uncommon, and he is regularly approached by people in the same boat, curious about starting their own company. "So many people are in the position I was in," he said. "You have to believe in what you're doing. And you don't 'try to do it' - you either do it or you don't." Bonilla studied engineering at the University of Missouri, and his desk bears a sign with the slogan of the state's most famous son, Harry Truman: "The buck stops here." Bonilla said the sign's other side, which faces him every day, also reflects his Missouri roots: "Show me." These days, if the buck doesn't stop with him, it starts with his first hire, then-19-year-old Elea Bledsoe, who began with Bonilla 10 years ago. She started as his secretary and is now, at age 29, AFS' chief operating officer. She is a whiz at human resources, accounting and contract management, Bonilla said. "She was working retail for a friend of mine selling cell phones, but from the start you could see she was really sharp, very ethical and had a fire in her belly, which is what it takes," Bonilla said. Bledsoe is in Virginia this week overseeing the implementation of the company's new contracts. Bonilla expects AFS to continue to grow, even after he retires. "I have recruited capable managers," he said. "They say, 'Plant a tree. Write a book.' This is my tree, my book." © 2007 The Huntsville Times © 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.