TheAdvantageProSphere

Volume I Issue 4WInter edItIon

This Issue:CEOReflections

Employee Spotlight

Corporate Corner

Purchase ofHC Standard®

HRPulse

2016Celebrations

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(From left to right) Randy Rossnan, Vice President of Civilian Agency Services; Kathleen Walker, Office Manager; Justine Leitner, former Project Control-Financial Analyst; Stephanie Chase, Communications Manager; Lisa Mattison, Proposal Coordinator; Amanda Meglathery, Dir. of Business Process Improvement; Carleen Jarrett, Dir.of Marketing/Customer Relationship Management; Roger Sam, Dir. of Business Development Health IT; Mary Lynn Brown, Sr. Proposal Coordinator; Emily Appleby, Executive Assistant; Pamela Hensel, Director of Quality Programs; Rodger Blevins, Owner/CEO.

TheAdvantageProSphere

On a rainy day this past spring, a group of ProSphere employees boarded a bus and headed to The Children’s Inn at National Institute of Health (NIH) Bethesda, Md. The group spent a few hours making treats and snacks for patients and their

families as part of NIH’s mission beyond medical needs – to tend to the child’s heart, soul, and spirit. The Inn is a residential ‘Place Like Home’ for families with children participating in leading-edge research studies at NIH.

As a company that is vocal and proactive in supporting our nation’s Veterans, in 2016, CEO Rodger Blevins wanted to extend ProSphere’s community outreach to our nation’s children. This resulted in a wonderful new partnership with The Inn. Once the treats were complete and ready for the children to eat, Rodger presented a check to The Inn for $2,500. For more information, visit www.childrensinn.org.

ProSphere donates time to bring smiles to children

Celebrating Family Pg 7

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CEO ReflectionsI am very grateful for all of the things we have accomplished in 2016, and I’m looking forward

to ProSphere’s future. All of our hard work and dedication have positioned us in a way that’s creating quite the buzz among the government contracting industry.

It’s an exciting time to be a part of this organization. We are on the cusp of making a big entrance into the mid-tier business arena, which is reflected by several accolades for business growth. In 2016, we jumped from number 41 to number 6 on Washington Technology’s Fast 50 list, and landed at number 222 on Inc. 500’s America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies. We’ve also received recognition for our business style with a SmartCEO Best Run Company acknowledgment.

Talking to others about ProSphere’s growth has been such a joy – answering questions about what ProSphere does and who it serves comes naturally, and is a great opportunity for me to speak to the exciting things happening. One such event includes the purchase of a software product called HC Standard – emergency management and logistics software that is a commercial-off-the-shelf product with customizable capabilities. ProSphere is now able to not only offer services, but also this product to its current client base. With this purchase, came a team of added staff located in Augusta, Georgia who continue to work with current-user clients of HC Standard. This team also helps us expose the software to new clients and markets. Most notably, HC Standard was used for the Presidential Inaugurations of 2013 and 2017, making its mark as a product capable of helping to keep American citizens safe during high profile events. For more information about this, please visit www.prosphere.com under Solutions.

A few other highlights from this year include quality and business process improvement. For more than two months, a team of employees worked to secure our new ISO standards (20000-1:2011 & 27001:2013). In addition, we were appraised at CMMI Level 2, which is a capability improvement framework that provides ProSphere with the essential elements of effective processes. We are also looking forward to moving ahead to CMMI Level 3 in 2017. These are important and much needed processes for a rapidly expanding company like ours.

Finally, to close out 2016, one of the most important things that we have accomplished is focus on our community outreach. I had the pleasure of sharing my business experience with the associates of Dog Tag Inc., a program that allows Veterans to learn business through running a bakery while obtaining a degree from Georgetown University. It is inspiring to see program participants make their way to becoming tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and corporate executives.

We also had the pleasure of spending time with the wonderful people at The Children’s Inn at NIH. A small group of ProSphere representatives spent the afternoon in the Children’s Inn kitchen making treats for the families and children staying at the Inn. The Children’s Inn at NIH is a residential “Place Like Home’’ for families with children participating in leading-edge research studies at the NIH.

It’s been a wonderful year let’s keep it going!

Sincerely,

Rodger Blevins Chief Executive OfficerPro-Sphere Tek, Inc.

A year to be grateful

Employee SpotlightGoing the Extra Mile

The purpose of the GEM Award is to recognize and encourage excellence and significant contributions to ProSphere. All nominees are judged equally by a review panel. There were five awards presented 2016. The GEM recipients are Office Manager Kathleen Walker, Scrum Master Ganesh Panneer, Development Lead Donald Perrett, Release Manager Darrell Dorman, and MAC Support Technician Christopher Weill (Round Rock office).In addition to the GEM award presentation, Letters of Appreciation were presented to several other employees for specific above-and-beyond performance in their daily operational duties. Letters of Appreciations went to Sr. Technical Writer/Graphic Artist Michael Knight, Project Manager Rebecca Garcia De Jesus, and IT Specialist Michael Placke. Special Recognition also went to Director of Quality Programs Pamela Hensel for leading the efforts in ProSphere new ISO and CMMI certifications.“All employees are important to the success of ProSphere,” said Rodger Blevins, CEO. “Therefore, it’s critical that we continually recognize stand-out employees. Their can-do attitude and spirit are what keeps the company moving forward.”

To nominate a deserving employee, visit the Employee Resource Page and click on the GEM Award Nomination Form icon. Nominations will be reviewed and approved by your manager before being presented to the review panel. Eligible nominees must meet one of the following areas of achievement including supporting evidence: • Outstanding achievement • Situations where an employee consistently goes above and beyond what is expected

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From left to right - Michael Knight (Letter of Appreciation), Sr. Technical Writer/Graphic Artist; Kathleen Walker (GEM Award), Office Manager; Ganesh Panneer (GEM Award), Scrum Master; LaShonda Matthews, Project Manager (Accepted GEM Award for Donald Perrett, Development Lead); Darrell Dorman (GEM Award), Release Manager; Rebecca Garcia De Jesus (Letter of Appreciation), Project Manager; Michael Placke (Letter of Appreciation), IT Specialist; Pamela Hensel (Special Recognition), Director of Quality Programs.

CorporateThe

Corner

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Kevin Rice, President, announced that ProSphere has been awarded three Task Orders as a prime and two as a sub under the Veterans Affairs Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation (T4NG) Contract Vehicle. The contract awards include:

1. Digital Transformation Center Support (SalesForce)2. Capital Planning & Investment Control (CPIC)3. VA Central Offices IT Operations Support Services 4. Appeals Modernization – Caseflow Development Support (Sub)5. Information Technology Operations, Sustainment & Infrastructure Support –James A. Lovell

Federal Health Care Center (Sub)

ProSphere has achieved two additional ISO/IEC certifications for Information Security Management and Information Technology Services Management. The company has also been appraised at level 2 of the CMMI Institute’s Capability Mature Model for Health IT.

ISO 20000-1:2011 is the industry recognized standard for enhanced efficiency and cost effectiveness for IT service management; it is the quality benchmark that ensures we offer customers clear criteria to assess service levels, measure performance, and implement continuous improvement.ISO 27001:2013 is designed to ensure the implementation of adequate and proportionate security controls for information security management systems. It enables ProSphere to maintain security controls customized to the needs of our

customers and helps avoid interruption of service, ensures data integrity, and promotes customer satisfaction.

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) maturity level 2 indicates the organization is performing at a ‘managed’ level. At this level, projects have ensured that processes are

planned and executed in accordance with policy; the projects employ skilled people who have adequate resources to produce controlled outputs; involve relevant stakeholders; are monitored, controlled, and reviewed; and are evaluated for adherence to their process descriptions.

Recent T4NG contract wins

ProSphere Recognitions for 2016 Include #6 on Washington Technology Fast 50, #222 on Inc. 5000, #3 on Washington Business Journal, #10 on FCW’s Top 20 SDVO Businesses, one of Smart CEO’s best run companies.

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ProSphere enhances COTS capabilities through purchase of HC Standard®

ProSphere recently purchased Global Emergency Resources (GER) and their award-winning software platform called the HC Standard®

Product Suite. Whether it is for everyday use or during an emergency, HC Standard® simplifies the complexities of tracking and managing critical resources – providing situational awareness that can save time, money, and lives. This commercial-of-the-shelf (COTS) software offers an array of flexible logistical and emergency response capabilities, with the ability to be customized for specific agency needs.For the past 13 years, GER has been operating in Augusta, Ga. with about 10 employees. ProSphere was introduced to owner, Stan Kuzia, and president, Erika Bobbitt through our very own Roger Stull, Director of Business Development/Capture Civilian Agency Services.HC Standard® is supporting daily patient tracking for hospitals and public health organizations as well as important situational needs for events such as the 2013 and 2017 Presidential Inaugurations, the Marine Corps Marathon, and natural disasters as recently as Hurricane Matthew. The company is also serving customers such as D.C. Public Health, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Defense Health Agency (DHA), and the U.S. Agency for International Health (USAID). Capturing the attention of leaders from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as well as other agencies, GER was a winner of the 2016 Federal Health IT Challenge. To learn more about HC Standard®, please visit our website at www.prosphere.com under Solutions, or contact them directly at HCStandard@prosphere.com.

About Global Emergency Resources (GER) & HC Standard®

Product Suite

A new space for RecruitingHave you been looking for the recruiting team? The team – Desirea “Desi” Hughes, Jasmine Guy, and Erika

Radley – have a new home in a newly renovated, glass-enclosed corner of the King Street Headquarters Office. The new space allows for the recruiters to work in a private setting while offering additional space to meet with clients, potential candidates, and hiring managers.

ProSphere values VeteransProSphere’s Recruiting and Communications departments are proud to announce they have teamed up with the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) program - a program that offers free training and certification for employers to help implement nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining high-skilled and dependable Veterans.

HRPulseNew: Supplemental Life Insurance, AD&D, & Accident Insurance Benefits

All benefit-eligible ProSphere employees receive $50K Life/AD&D

Insurance, Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability Insurance - 100% company paid! For a complete list of health benefits offered, please visit the SharePoint Insurance Portal on the SharePoint Employee Resource Page. If you have any questions or would like us to assist you, please contact your Human Resources Team atHR@prosphere.com.

TALK TO US! We want to hear from you! HR Director: Carola.Ammer@prosphere.com, 703.810.3007.

Form 1095-C has been mailed!Form 1095-C is provided to you as proof of health coverage for your 2016 federal tax return. For more information go to https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/individuals-and-families/hereswhat-you-need-to-do-with-your-form-1095c

Employee Survey 2017We have taken your opinions

seriously and have worked on benefits and other topics identified as improvable. In 2017, we will

continue to send out surveys (including anonymous surveys) to get your input. We

encourage you to take the opportunity to tell us what you are thinking. At any time, you are welcome to submit suggestions through the SharePoint Suggestion Box, which can be found on the SharePoint Employee Resource Page.

New: CBT Nuggets Online IT Training Tool CBT Nuggets is a comprehensive Online IT video training tool for system administrators, network engineers, developers, and more. You can expand your existing skill set or prepare for industry recognized certifications. You can watch videos on your desktop, tablet or smart phone. Popular courses they offer are Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Certification, Cisco Training, CompTIA, Linux Training, Network+, SQL Training, Azure Training, Project Management Courses, and much more.A list of courses is on the SharePoint Employee Resource Page in the Employee Development Section. If you are interested in CBT Nuggets, please contact your manager to discuss your development and what courses may be beneficial to you. Your manager can reach out to HR@prosphere.com to request CBT Nuggets access for you. For any HR-related questions contact us at: HR@prosphere.com or 703.810.3017.

ProSphere Email AddressProSphere often sends important updates, information and reminders to your ProSphere email address. To comply with the guidelines for

government issued email accounts, please use your ProSphere email address

for correspondence with HR and Payroll instead of your government issued email address. Your government issued email address is for project related correspondence only. Please check your ProSphere email account daily for any information sent by us. If you do not know how to access your ProSphere email, please contact helpdesk@prosphere.com.

Health & Welfare Benefits for 2017We have made a lot of positive changes to the health and welfare

benefits for 2017. Notably, a DECREASE in health care premiums and 50% contribution

by ProSphere to your dental plan premiums. We have also added the following options for 2017:• Flexible Spending Account• Health Savings Account• Commuter Transit Benefit• Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance up to $500k• Voluntary Accident Insurance

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ProSphere celebrated its employees with two major annual events in 2016 – the Annual Family

Picnics and the Annual Holiday Parties. The Alexandria, Va. office picnic took place at The Fairfax Hunt Club, Reston August 20, and the Round Rock, Texas office picnic took place at Gilleland Creek Park in Pflugerville, Texas. Both locals were treated to lots of food and games. Food included barbecue-prepared meats with all the fixings, completed with iced tea and lemonade.Alexandria’s location included a Moon Bounce for the children and many in attendance took their turn at volleyball and corn hole. Beyond casual play, friendly competition was had through tug-o-war between business units, a hula-hoop relay, balloon toss, and an old-fashioned foot race among the children. Round Rock’s location enjoyed an inflatable basketball hoop and giant jenga made of 2” x 4” wood beams.From summer to winter ushered in ProSphere’s annual Holiday Parties. Round Rock office party was held at the Omni Hotel Austin, December 10, and Alexandria office party was held at the Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C. December 17. Both events embraced the spirit of giving by raffling off lots of gifts. The Alexandria party kicked things off with a year-in review-video and kept the atmosphere humorous with the performance of a local comedian. “Both picnics and Holiday Parties were very enjoyable,” said Kevin Rice, president. “These events allows the company to show how much we appreciate each and every employee and the support of their families. Without them ProSphere would not be where it is today.”

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2016 Celebrations

Meet ProSphere’s new logo and slogan. Not only are we committed to providing superior services to our customers, but we

are devoted to presenting a uniformed professional brand that reinforces that ideal. Soon to follow will be a ProSphere website with optimized functionality, advanced styling, and professional aesthetics that represent our commitment to moving IT forward.

We also now have a new web domain:www.pro-spheretek.com is now www.prosphere.com.

This is also your new email domain, for examplejohn.doe@pro-spheretek.com is now john.doe@prosphere.com.

However, both domains still work interchangeably to allowfor this transition.

Submit your newsletter questions, comments and content ideas to: enewsletter@prosphere.com

Point of Contacts for ProSphere EmployeesHuman Resources:

HR@prosphere.com, 703.810.3017Payroll:

payroll@prosphere.com, 703.810.3403SharePoint Support:

sharepointhelpdesk@prosphere.comIT Support:

helpdesk@prosphere.com

The Power to Influence