CONSTANT Associates is an award-winning disaster and crisis management consulting firm based in Los Angeles. Founded by Michelle Constant in 2004, CONSTANT’s first contract involved the delivery of biological terrorism exercises for the government. Their project portfolio has grown steadily and now has four main areas of focus: Health Security, Healthcare Preparedness, Emergency Management, and Counterterrorism.

Challenges and Solutions

Michelle initially contacted the SBDC at El Camino College for assistance with business operations and a growth plan. Business Advisor Lawrence Johnson helped Michelle identify her competitive advantage and create a strategic plan, and reviewed cash flow statements and loan documentation so Michelle could raise capital to grow her business. Lawrence made introductions to help Michelle extend her network, leading to partnerships that resulted in new contract opportunities. He also guided her through the process of becoming 8a certified, which CONSTANT Associates received in the fall of 2019.

Results

Today, the company services both private and public sector clients on local, State, and Federal level. Their diverse client list includes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the State of California, the County of Los Angeles, and numerous large production companies. Michelle Constant attributes her company’s rapid, sustainable growth to the guidance she received from the SBDC.

Heres what Michelle COnstant had to say about the SBDC: “Since I have had the pleasure of interfacing with the SBDC, my company’s topline has nearly doubled, our profit margins have more than doubled, the number of employees we have has grown by 30%, and we have formed two SBA -approved Joint Venture/Mentor Protégé relationships with amazing firms – and these are just the highlights! The crowning achievement thus far is the recent notification that my company has been certified as an 8(a) business, which will provide tremendous positioning for us with Federal clients.”