Pentagon officials in March designated which contractor roles are critical to maintaining U.S. defense operations. (Photo by Thomas Hawk, Flickr Creative Commons)
A global small business leader in technology and aerospace, S&K Technologies Inc. is pivoting amid the novel coronavirus pandemic to focus on safety, while continuing to meet its 69 contractual obligations — 45 of which are priority-related as they pertain to the delivery of components and materials to the U.S. Military. Most recently, the Tribally owned 8(a) corporation garnered a $22 million federal contract.
S&K Technologies Inc. (SKT), owned by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, has won a $22 million contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management.
The Office of Environmental Management (EM) works to “address the nation’s Cold War environmental legacy resulting from five decades of nuclear weapons production and government-sponsored nuclear energy research.”
The contract is to support the Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC) and EM Small Sites across the DOE Complex. EM manages 107 sites around the country; S&K employees will work at approximately seven of these locations, reported Char-Koosta News, the official news publication of the Flathead Indian Reservation.
“We are excited at the opportunity to provide S&K-Level expertise in quality assurance, safety, and waste management to their mission,” said Ken Gray, VP of Operations at S&K Federal Services — an enterprise within S&K Technologies’ family of companies. “This continues our more than 12 years supporting DOE in the area of environmental remediation. We are eager to start on this important work.”
The St. Ignatius, Montana-based 8(a) corporation SKT operates in aerospace maintenance, engineering services, logistics and aircraft sustainment. SKT additionally owns Montana-based Adelos Inc., focused on fiber-optic sensor systems.
READ MORE: S&K Technologies Acquires International Towers, Expanding Presence in Broadband & Security
S&K Pivots Amid COVID-19
Counting more than 1,000 employees at operational locations around the United States and Saudi Arabia, SKT has found ways to strategically pivot amid the novel coronavirus pandemic to focus on safety while continuing to meet its 69 contractual obligations — 45 of which are priority-related as they pertain to the delivery of components and materials to the U.S. Military.
The majority of SKT’s workforce, 600 of its employees located around the globe, have shifted to telework until the COVID-19 curve flattens and restrictions are lifted.
“This expansion in telework has been a massive project for the IT, HR, and SKT leaders across the corporation and they have done an outstanding job making sure employees have the equipment and resources needed to continue providing uninterrupted service and support,” SKT CEO Chad Cottet told Char-Koosta News.
Meanwhile, the number of employees on site at once has been reduced to adhere to social distancing measures. Cleaning regimens have been increased, outside visits prohibited, and work-related travel halted, postponed, rescheduled virtually or cancelled altogether.
CSKT’s Diversified Economy
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) of Montana have maintained a vigorous economic development pace over the years, with such companies as S&K Technologies, S&K Electronics, a Tribal college, an internal mortgage loan department, Eagle Bank, and the KwaTakNuk Casino and Resort on the shores of Flathead Lake.
In 2015, the CSKT-owned Energy Keepers Inc. purchased a major hydroelectric power plant, fueld by Seliš Ksanka Qĺispe Dam (formerly known as Kerr Dam) in Montana. Energy Keepers Inc. recently began selling hydroelectric power to Washington state utility Puget Sound Energy under a 15-year agreement.
READ MORE: Energy Keepers Inc. Starts Selling Hydroelectric Power to Washington Utility
