On the heels of being named to the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing privately-owned businesses, we spoke with Tracy Mills, Founder and President of J29 and Nick Vass, Vice President of HHS Programs to learn more about how to succeed and be the nice guy, the value of taking employee focus to the next level, and how deep knowing and an inner circle of trust have led to growth and winning the right way.
Employee Focus
Tipping slightly from firms that are more completely focused on customers, J29 was created with the intent to be a people centric, value driven, quality partner that really focused on its employees. “Focusing on customers is important clearly but your employees are your boots on the ground people so investing in them, taking time to connect with them, doing things for them, ensuring they can have a real work/life balance and really centering on them is so important.”
While many companies speak this in a variety of ways, for J29 life truly comes before work. “When people can get into the mindset that family really is more important than work, it eliminates some of the struggle. And while you may assume that means they ignore work, it’s really the opposite.”
Employees value what they have in the company, value the opportunity to do good things for the benefit of others and see the rollout in J29’s focus on supporting nonprofits and community efforts that are directly tied to efforts important to the team.
Be Nice
In what can be a competitive and fierce space, J29 is focused on working hard and being nice to people; a vision that has led to some disbelievers in the community, and some minor ups and downs along the way.
“Everyone at J29 has the passion to do what we do that’s led by our purpose and we know that it’s all about perseverance. A true champion is getting up when you get knocked down and getting up over and over and over again.”
Being ‘nice’ also comes down to respect, for clients, for partners, for employees, and for themselves. “When it comes to the individual and work/life balance, that means something different for each of us. Respect comes down to understanding and appreciating what it means to the individual, ensuring two-way communication so we understand the line between enough and too much work.”
For J29 it means leaders modelling the behavior they talk about, ensuring PTO is actually time off, that an employee-prioritized culture is lived out by all members of the leadership team for others to follow.
Noting that government contracting is not for the faint of heart, these leaders say they cannot control what others do but they can control their own actions, be mindful of how they move forward, and can set a model for their team in dealing with challenging situations.
An Inner Circle of Trust
As it works to create partnerships with companies, connections with prospective employees, trust is earned, relationships are vetted, and goals are refocused. “It can be challenging as you grow to maintain the values you were based on, to onboard new people quickly so you can deliver for your client while still holding on to your values and mission.”
The business J29 pursues, the companies they work with, the projects they will work on, all come together under that same mission alignment. When the fit is not there from any one of these views, it is not a fit and something they will walk away from.
While many companies are very focal about who they are when it comes to culture, to giving back, J29 tends toward a humbler view. A quick search of their website provides a wide variety of organizations the company supports, but a similar search on social media will not show the same. “We do tend to keep to ourselves a lot of what we do when it comes to philanthropy, community involvement and employee recognition, only because those who need to know, do know.”
Deep Knowing
That focus on relationships, on knowing what the work is, who the client is, is part of J29’s success in landing the kinds of projects it aligns with and can succeed in. While understanding the client, their mission and pain points may seem basic, many teams seem to miss next steps. “Understanding the systems a potential client uses, asking the right questions that will lead to solid suggestions, to solutions we can implement.”
Unlike providers who may come in offering or claiming to be able to do it all, J29 is targeted, focused on its own swim lane and what it can achieve from that lane. “I remember early on speaking with Anita Allen and she tells everyone to go do the work, do the hard work and then come to her. Telling a government official how you can solve their needs, what you offer that is a differentiator may seem obvious but not everyone is doing it.”
That knowledge also applies to conversations with larger potential partners. “Understanding their portfolio, the contracts they have, the statements of work related to opportunities they are pursuing and where we fit into those is important. It isn’t enough to have 8(a) for instance; there are plenty of those. What do you bring to the table beyond that?”
Giving Back
The nonprofits and community organizations J29 supports may, at first glance, have no rhyme or reason, until you realize that every organization represents something important to someone on the team. “When it’s important to them it’s important to us. It’s so important to connect with your employees to see what greater value can you find in your job and the choice you make to get up every single day and do work for someone else.”
Partnering
The two key criteria for the partnerships J29 seeks are focused on needed capabilities and culture. “We do a lot of analysis on different claims and case data, different health care claims in case data to support determinations. When we seek partners we’re looking to fill gaps in areas we are not as strong, looking for synergies in culture and capabilities that will bring more to our clients.”
Holding four active Prime contracts, including one with HRSA and two with CMS, along with 6 subcontracts within CMS, J29 leadership is always open to new conversations, to meeting new potential partners. “For those companies that are interested in reaching out and meeting perspective partners, such as J29, to get the best out of those meetings it is very helpful to approach those conversations with some due diligence and research on where the synergies between the parties may lay.”
About J29
J29 (SBA-certified 8a, EDWOSB, MBE) is a government-focused information technology organization that prides itself on delivering across an array of core competencies. Largely focused on data management, claims analytics, program assurance, and artificial intelligence use-cases, J29 delivers through various performances with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Defense (DoD), and other public sector agencies.
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