Noting a surge in activity from this team over the past year or so that has included adding its own GSA contract and HubZone certification, becoming a member of the Digital Services Coalition, and several notable hires, we caught up with Element Solutions’ Principal Amit Thakkar and recent recruits Jason Cullum, Vice President of Digital Services; Brian Finch, VP of Technology; and Gina Nguyen, Vice President, Strategy to learn more about how this CMS subcontracting partner is preparing to step into the spotlight, the perspective this team brings, and how it will look to fill a void in industry.
Filling the Void
With 14 years of experience and perspective gained from supporting several great Prime contractors and partners on amazing programs, including CMS CCSQ with QPP and EQRS, and CMS CCIIO with Marketplace and healthcare.gov, Element sees an opportunity to bring innovation and an agile mindset to improve performance and customer experience for other government services. A growing demand for digital transformation in government agencies is colliding with a shifting GovCon landscape, where peer companies are either at or near the small business graduation threshold, creating a notable void. Weaving Element’s battle scars with our depth of experience, it is ready to step in.
“Joining the Digital Services Coalition, we are able to stand with this like-minded group of small businesses that are about creating technology solutions for the government and for the constituents that really make a difference, that really make an impact. We’ve always been passionate about the work we do and this helps solidify that position.”
CMS Focus – for Now
With all of this team’s experience supporting CMS, and the passion that comes from being personally connected to the agency’s efforts and needs, a forward focus on bringing its talent to support work going within CMS is a natural path. “When we look around the federal landscape, it’s really interesting to see that CMS was a pioneer in digital services and agile services development and a lot of other agencies are really just starting to consider going down that path and picking up steam.”
That forward motion by other agencies will allow Element to replicate and translate its experience across the federal landscape, when the opportunity presents itself.
Success Driven by People and Culture
Part of the success of Element has been its mission alignment with the agencies it supports, along with a culture of getting things done in order to make a difference. While some companies will shy away from the notion of a company being like family, Element embraces it. “We’ve been very successful in bringing together people who have either worked together in the past or who are very aligned in their mindset. That translates to people who are ready to move forward from a shared language and knowing where we were headed. That feels very much like a family coming back together and it’s the same across the organization.”
Noting that most people spend more time with their work families during a week than they will with their families at home, those strong working relationships and ties, the inherent trust that develops, are important.
The Perfect Unicorn
As it builds its team, Element is looking for those perfect unicorns, the people who have the technical background, but also those willing to come into a small company to wear many hats, to step in as and where needed. “They have to be bought into this idea that they joined this company, that they can help grow this company that is focused on making things better at the end of the day, on impacting government to make things better. They have to want to partner and collaborate within and outside of our own team.”
Internal referrals are a key driver of the talent pipeline. Who would be better at recognizing exceptional peers that will thrive here? Element is working through an incentive program to boost internal referrals. To diversify the team, Element also seeks talent in the open market who shows that passion for CivicTech. “We’re growing and we want that growth to be sustainable, to be impactful, so we really look to get multiple impressions on whether someone is a fit, whether they want to be part of our vision and get excited about really making a difference.”
Some of those perfect unicorns may be driven by a robust internship Element has developed. Putting young people front and center on projects where they can contribute and understand the impact they will drive, Element hopes to inspire a next generation of talent who will be driven by government service and improving citizen experience.
Stepping into the Light
Previously having served primarily as a subcontractor, Element Solutions may not be a name that springs quickly to mind when you think CMS or digital services. With so many new hires and well known names across GovCon, how do they introduce themselves?
Element is a small HubZone business focused on DevOps, FHIR and Interoperability, and Data Science. Able to support health focused agencies from the clinical data analytics view, they are also positioned to support civilian agencies focused on DevOps
and things like data exchanges.
Bringing relationships and perspective gained, the team is mature enough to understand that how it responds to challenges, whether it’s internal, with partners or solutions, is what makes a difference. Building on its core capabilities, the company will
look to assess, and add capabilities as makes sense to best serve emerging client needs.
Why Look Twice?
With so many small businesses across GovCon, the team was asked why partners, potential employees, and clients, should look again at this team.
- Breadth of experience across CMS – While the business name may not be as well known – yet – a look at its leadership and past partners will tell you this team is experienced and brings immense perspective when it comes to supporting CMS. “It isn’t just the technology that’s going to enable the agency to modernize but also what we know about the agency and how to do business there.”
- Small but Determined – While a small business, Element Solutions has been around since 2009 and has succeeded because “we are a scrappy organization and a team that steps up and figures out how to get through tough times, good times, how to work together and collaborate and get to the next stuff.” Some of these components are driven by an amazing employment experience that constantly seeks input, feedback, ways it can improve.
- Knowing Who They Are – Unlike many small businesses, eager to take on anything and everything, to do anything that crosses their path, Element knows who it is, has its foundation and its feet firmly planted. “We have a growth plan, but it is not growth for the sake of growth. We’re focused on keeping an eye on the culture, the people, the partners, and the kinds of work that is important to us. We are passionate about work that significantly impacts consumers of government services, and doing it with a team of employees and partners that feel the same way.. We want to be a good citizen in this
community. All of these will guide our growth.” - Driven by Passion – Looking at its past subcontracting performance, Element is proud to note that oftentimes it has been its team who was a key contributor to solving a problem, to pushing a solution over the finish line. Even when that resolution has been the result of an individual effort, the understanding that they will succeed and flourish as
a village makes the win one for the whole team.
Knowing that Nothing is Given, Element is Ready to Work
When it comes to the aforementioned void that will be created as smaller businesses graduate, Element understands nothing is given in this industry; everything must be earned, and success must be humble. “We know as we move ahead it will not be a straight line, that nothing will be handed to us. We will continue to be who we are, work hard, be good citizens, honor those relationships we have built… We operate on this notion that if you do good things and you’re good in the community, that karma is going to come back to you.”
Element Solutions serves as a consulting partner at the intersection between innovation and our clients’ needs, efficiently crafting meaningful user-experiences for government and commercial customers. Our Core Competencies are focused in the areas of CMS Data Experience; Leadership in DevSecOps; and Enabling Interoperability in Healthcare. Follow us on Linkedin ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/element-solutions ) To learn more, contact us at connect@e14s.com
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