New Hall of Famer Believes Collaboration Breeds Success
San Antonio Business Journal - April 6, 2007
BY CATHERINE DOMINGUEZ
Bob Sanchez believes the key to success is collaboration.
As one of the San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative's (SATAI) newest inductees to its Technology Hall of Fame, Sanchez says collaboration will be what will grow the city's tech sector.
My philosophy has always been "together we can open doors we can all walk through," Sanchez says. "I think what has been established with all these initiatives, which is the underlying foundation for the future growth, is we have developed a culture of collaboration."
Sanchez, who is chairman and COO of Frontline Systems, has been involved with many key projects over the years. However, Sanchez says he doesn't see the SATAI award honoring just him but the many people he has worked with and says he will accept it in their behalf.
"I'm still trying to figure out why they gave me the award," Sanchez says. "I've worked with a lot of great people, none of this I've done alone."
Sanchez credits his success to having great business partners, being a part of initiatives that make a difference, and having the support of his wife Kim.
"Bob has demonstrated over and over again his ability to build and grow companies and to collaborate," says Jim Poage, SATAI president and CEO. "Bob is just a model of collaboration. It is important for Bob to get the award and show others this is the model"
Laundry list
As a native to San Antonio, Sanchez is completely committed to the Alamo City
Among his many accomplishments, Sanchez organized and chaired the first Kelly Small Business Industry Day for San Antonio with more than 600 small-business owners attending to bring together the city's military bases, government agencies and the private sector. The now-annual event is in its seventh year and helps small businesses adjust to the many changes brought on by Base Realignment and Closure action (BRAC).
Sanchez helped organize and chaired the first Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Partnership in the U.S. which is now a national model with over $100 million of contract awards to local business in 2001
The program is designed to bring job opportunities and capital investment to underutilized area by providing federal contracting opportunities to small businesses located in those eligible areas.
Sanchez also co-wrote the Brooks City-Base Concept and chaired the Brooks City-Base Task Force. Brooks City-Base's Transfer and Leaseback Authority has now been adopted by Congress and the Department of Defense as a national model for improving the efficiency of operations of military bases while providing a vehicle for the creation of public/public and public/private partnerships in technology and research and development
Sanchez helped organize the first Mentor-Protege Program in the United States focused on information infrastructure and assurance. This program brought together the universities, the Air Force, and the large and small-business sectors
"This partnership is considered a national model for harnessing all of the resources to advance technology and help our country to meet our great need to defend its information systems," Sanchez says.
To help connect local companies with the government, Sanchez led the efforts to bring the National Sustainment Technology Center to San Antonio (NSTC).
The NSTC was created by the U.S. Navy to be the executing arm to fill contract needs identified by the Defense Sustainment Consortium (DSC) board of directors. The DSC is a group of industry, government and academic leaders focused on improving defense technology and reducing the cost of sustaining existing weapons systems.
On the frontline
Sanchez has continued to foster collaboration through his company, Frontline Systems. Frontline provides advanced technologies, information systems and program management to government and commercial customers.
Through a partnership with BroadRamp Inc., which specializes in content delivery service that brings instant delivery of all types of interactive content without a third party media player, regardless of the size of the file, Sanchez helped create NoWaitMedia, LLC.
NoWaitMedia was designed to fill government contracts using BroadRamp's content delivery system.
Sanchez says he will continue to help foster partnerships and collaboration between business, academia, city and county leadership and the military.
"(Collaboration) is the main area that will make us successful as a community," Sanchez says. "In (San Antonio) it's a win-win-win, you have government, universities and business. It's all about understanding each other's needs."