The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce’s GovConNet Council and GovCon CEOs, of which our CEO Linda Houk is a member, met with Larry Stubblefield, SBA’s Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Government Contracting and Business Developoment, and Rosetta Rodwell, Area Director for Region II. The discussion evolved around small businesses and how the SBA can help ensure their success. It included the Council explaining the repercussions of how legislation is impacting small business participation in the Federal Marketplace and suggested remedies.
March 2024: On March 6, in celebration of Women’s Month and the International Women’s Day, Maryland Comptroller, Brooke Lierman, joined a Roundtable discussion with women bussiness owners at the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce regarding the topic “Beyond Pay Equity: Charting a Thriving Future for Women in Maryland’s Workforce”. Ms. Lierman summarized the findings of the Comptroller’s 2023 State of the Economy Report and business representatives, including our CEO Linda Houk, shared C-suite insights and identified key areas for progress in policy. Of notable interest, this is the first ever State of the Economy Report issued by a Maryland comptroller. As part of the report, it addresses how women affect the economy, not only by being part of the workforce, but also through household spending. Additionally it showed Maryland had a disproportionate number of women dropping out of the workforce during the pandemic compared to neighboring states and the significant negative impact it made on Maryland’s economy.
January 2024:
On January 9, 2024, the SBA activated the Veteran’s Certification (VetCert) program, which previously was accomplished by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In honor of the National Veterans Small Business Week, a select group of veteran entrepreneurs, of which our CEO, Linda Houk, was included, met with Administrator Guzman to discuss their experiences with the VetCert and several other programs the SBA offers. Isabel Guzman is the 27th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and serves in President Biden’s Cabinet as the leading advocate for America’s 33 million small businesses and innovative startups.
L-R: Linda Houk, ISS CEO; Timothy Green, Associate Administrator SBA Office of Veterans Business Development; Isabel Guzman, Administrator of the SBA
October 2023:
In celebration of the National Veterans Small Business Week, our CEO, Linda Houk, and Founder & President Emeritis, Bob Buran, both retired Air Force officers, met at USO Hqs with Mary-Elizabeth Gervais, USO Sr. Director of Development. Learn more about the USO.
ISS, being a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned small business, feels a strong commitment to give back to our active military and veterans. Bob initiated a matching donation program when he founded ISS for employees who give to military and veteran support organizations. The USO has been the donation most frequently matched, and it is usually because our veterans have experienced the USO first-hand, either through the entertainment provided to those serving overseas and in hostile environments, to the care packages, to the telephone services allowing them to call home on occasion. On the tour of the USO Headquarters, Linda and Bob were given updates as to the changes and expansion of the USO’s services since the time they served.
October 2023: GovCon Council meets with Mathew Blum, Associate Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Mathew Blum meet with the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce’s GovCon Council and CEOs, of which our CEO Linda Houk is a member. OFPP was established by Congress in 1974 to provide overall direction for government-wide procurement policies, regulations and procedures and to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in acquisition processes.
Mr. Blum gave an update on recent policies and requested feedback on how those policies were affecting small business. In particular, our panel chose to focus on the recent change to how the Joint Ventures are being evaluated for federal procurements and how it affects the small business community. When we met, the OASIS and Polaris IDIQ solicitations had reopened their solicitation to accept modifications by Joint Venture offerors.
October 2023 – ISS continues its support of the Veteran Institute for Procurement (VIP) through sponsorship of the Golf Tournament Fundraiser, and has done so since 2014. This year, our Director of Operations, Ms. Lisa Clem, received acknowledgement for being closest to the pin on one of the two designated holes of the course.
VIP is the nation’s first-ever program to train veteran owned small business owners to succeed in the federal contracting market, and it is accomplished free of charge to the veterans. Veterans come from all over the United States and its territories to attended this 3-day, 27-hour comprehensive program to increase veteran business ability to win and perform on government contracts. As this program has evolved over the years, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has become one of the program’s major sponsors. ISS is a 2010 graduate of the program, and our CEO serves on the Board of the Montgomery County Chamber Community Foundation, which oversees the VIP program.
We are proud to help Veteran-Owned Small Businesses succeed in the federal marketplace. Veteran business leaders can engage, learn and grow through the Veteran Institute for Procurement (VIP) program. Best of all, there is no cost to the Veteran business for this opportunity. Visit NationalVIP.org for more information or to apply.
April 2023 – You’ll find our COO, Brian Buran, at many marathons, and on April 17 he participated in one of his favorites – the Boston Marathon – where he raised $12K for the charity Miles for Miracles, which supports Boston Childrens Hospital.
The marathon raised more than $3 million this year, and since the marathon began in 1996 it has raised more than $40M. According to their website: Team members raise funds for Boston Children’s Hospital’s areas of greatest need through the Every Child Fund—supporting vital care and services for patient families throughout the hospital that are not covered by insurance.
Learn more about Boston Children’s Hospital Marathon:
https://secure.childrenshospital.org/site/TR?fr_id=2270&pg=entry
March 2023: Information Systems Solutions has always been an environmentally conscious company, and when the Montgomery County Chamber Community Foundation (of which our CEO is on the Board of Directors) created a “Green” Certification program that became adopted by Montgomery County, we quickly became certified.
We’re now taking further steps to show our commitment. We contacted a company which specializes in carbon footprint determination and they consolidated key information about our corporate carbon footprint into relevant scopes and categories in line with the GHG Corporate Protocol. This report is our baseline, and our goal is to reduce our overall carbon emissions footprint by 2%.
Ray Kangas, Chairman of Across The Pond Veterans Park, accepts the donation from Robert Buran, President of ISS.
January 2022: In honor of our company’s Founder, Robert Buran, President, whose hometown is Iron River Wisconsin, ISS has chosen to donate the funds needed by the local Veteran’s Park to place benches along the trail that will connect the memorials for each conflict our military have served and sacrificed fighting. Learn more about Across the Pond Veteran’s Park.
Press Release: ACROSS THE POND VETERANS PARK RECEIVES DONATION
An Iron River native, Robert Buran (Bob or Bobby to his friends and family here), through his company, Information Systems Solutions, Inc. (ISS), has donated the funds needed to place benches along the quarter mile pedestrian trail at the park. Bob and Linda Houk, CEO of ISS, are both retired career US Air Force officers. When asked what focus she wants their company to be credited, Linda said that “We support the war-fighter”. ISS is providing real time information and intelligence to military personnel on the ground. This is accomplished through their company having their employees placed strategically around the world and the ability to deploy technical assistance as needed to accomplish their mission.
Veteran initiatives are a priority with ISS and each year, they donate to veteran causes around the country and have some specific organizations that they will match their employees’ donations. Linda is a volunteer instructor with the National Veteran Institute for Procurement (http://nationalvip.org). This program teaches veterans how to be entrepreneurs in the Federal marketplace. Bob and Linda are very successful and their impressive accomplishments can be viewed on the company’s website – www.issits.com.
The project being funded by ISS is the placement of benches along the trail. The trail was funded in part by a grant from the Green Bay Packer Foundation and generally referred to as the “Packer Trail” by the Park Board of Directors. It is for pedestrians and those with personal mobility devices only. The benches will provide stops along the way for those who need a breather or just to sit and enjoy the natural setting. This project will be one of the first on the schedule for 2022. Another funded project for the Spring is the installation of the “Vietnam Memorial” that was designed, made and donated by the artist. The installation for the outdoor sculpture is funded by a grant from the Green Bay Packer Foundation. Plans call for a memorial for each conflict our veterans have served and sacrificed fighting. These will be done as they are donated and/or funded. A spot in the park is already reserved for each one.
February 2020: The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC), of which our CEO Linda Houk is on the Board of Directors, hosted Maryland Governor Larry Hogan for a conversation regarding the Governor’s policy priorities, as well as the current state of Maryland’s business climate.
The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce’s GovConNet Council and GovCon CEOs, of which our CEO Linda Houk is a member, met with Larry Stubblefield, SBA’s Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Government Contracting and Business Developoment, and Rosetta Rodwell, Area Director for Region II. The discussion evolved around small businesses and how the SBA can help ensure their success. It included the Council explaining the repercussions of how legislation is impacting small business participation in the Federal Marketplace and suggested remedies.
On March 6, in celebration of Women’s Month and the International Women’s Day, Maryland Comptroller, Brooke Lierman, joined a Roundtable discussion with women bussiness owners at the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce regarding the topic “Beyond Pay Equity: Charting a Thriving Future for Women in Maryland’s Workforce”. Ms. Lierman summarized the findings of the Comptroller’s 
