Last month the US Department of State held a press conference to discuss the production and use of the new U.S. passport card. The wallet sized document is to be used for re-entry to the U.S. The card can only be used at land border crossings and sea ports of entry when arriving from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

GA1 was commissioned by the US Department of State to create a marketing and PR campaign to promote the New Passport Card. The goal is to raise awareness of the new passport cards. (More info: US Passport Card)

This recent news is the latest in a long string of successes GA1 has had since they arrived on the scene 5 years ago. They have proven that even the smallest of companies can succeed at selling to the federal government.

Jacquannette Lewis, the majority owner of Global Advertising 1st (GA1) in MD, was recently chosen by Congresswoman Donna E. Edwards to speak to a group of small business owners on “Why should the Federal Government do Business with You?”

She was selected because she has not only navigated the roads to becoming a federal contractor, she has actually “won” federal contracts. She shared her experiences of bootstrapping her full-service marketing business from startup five years ago operating from the basement of her home, through the process of completing the daunting onslaught of paperwork, to taking advantage of online tutorials on how to win federal contracts, and through the steps required to obtain federal government certifications and GSA Schedules, and finally to successfully marketing your firm to the federal government.

Five years ago, she and her husband left the comfortable and affordable basement of their home to open their first office with a staff of one. Today they serve their clients with a staff of 15. The sort of success story that makes all of the hoops and hurdles seem trivial to wannabe government contractors.

GA1 is still very small, but they continue to grow by focusing on delivering clients what they ask for. Word-of-mouth and press is helping to further fuel their growth. In 2008, they were honored as on of the Top 500 African American Businesses in the country by DiversityInc.com. Mrs. Lewis was a Top 100 MBE recipient in 2007 and was recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the Top 50 Fastest Women-Led Companies in 2007.

To learn more about GA1 visit their listing on the GovCon Directory: Global Advertising 1st