Carl Seastrand and Bobby Mullins, friends and former shipmates, started Quality Innovative Solutions, Inc.®, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Concern (SDVO SBC), a California corporation in the office of Watkins Firm in San Diego, CA on July 9th, 2004. dba QI-Solutions® was born with a swearing in of the Board of Directors, drafting our Articles of Incorporation, bylaws, meeting minutes, getting into Central Contractor Registration (now SAM), identifying NAICS codes, and completing other documentation that we had no clue even existed.
We started toying with the idea in March of 2004. We would spend our nights dreaming and drinking beer at the Texas Cattle Company in Camarillo, CA. We would sit and weigh the risks of striking out on our own, mapping out a plan on any available napkin. We spent a week just trying to come up with a company name. We spent even longer developing our logo and outsourcing our first product. From that time, even until now, we concentrated on making this business work.
Bobby quit his well-paying job with a respected government contractor on Tuesday 31 August 2004 with little fanfare and started the following day as the President and CEO, and the single employee in our new office at 1300 West Gonzales Rd. Suite 203, Oxnard CA 93036, just down the street from his previous company.
When Bobby opened the front door to his new office that day, there sitting on the desk was a bottle of champagne with a balloon flying above it saying "CONGRATULATIONS". Besides it was a black plastic lunch pail with a note attached that said, “Here’s a little something for lunch and dinner just in case Marcia cuts off your allowance! I Applaud your strength in stepping out on this journey with me. Here’s to a new beginning and a bright future. Your friend, Carl Seastrand”.
The weight of Bobby’s decision sunk in and at that very moment and he said a prayer that he would never have to use Carl’s gift, but if he did to remember this was a journey he chose.
Our entry as entrepreneurs was the start of what we hoped would be a long line of military contracts to come across our threshold. We found out quickly thereafter that we were not as smart as we thought we were, but we still did a lot of “firsts” that year. We hired our financial analyst, Teresa Carpenter, who through thick and thin is still with us today. We were able to receive the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) agreement letter proving our ability to manage and execute cost plus contracts. We received our facility clearance, and we won a multiple award Navy contract called Seaport Enhanced (Seaport-e). We were approved through the IRS to set up our S-Corporation structure from 30 June to 1 July. We found a local CPA to help us complete and understand our tax obligation. We hired consultants, advisors and attended SBA, PTAC, courses of instruction and private seminars to shorten our learning curve and ensure our legal and regulatory compliance. We chose our bank and banker. We prostrated ourselves and our families’ personal assets feeling confident that we were capable of dealing with the unknowns that lay just beyond the horizon. We never looked back.
In 2006 we opened our second office in Virginia Beach. We flew out Les Wood, who was instrumental in developing, installing, and testing our collaborative network in both locations. However, this one was special because it represented tangible growth in the company. We quickly landed another subcontract with a very established company at our new office location. We still cherish that relationship today.
Over the years we have learned how to compete aggressively and not only win new work, but also win existing work back. Our customers believe in us and we strive to conduct ourselves in a value-added manner ensuring that our 130+ employees appreciate the perseverance it takes to live up to our tag line “Anticipating Needs… Exceeding Expectations.”
With growth comes changes, and in 2011 we had outgrown our corporate office we started this journey in. We moved to 1741 Ives Ave, Suite B, Oxnard, CA 93033. We have a tested facility clearance, and have had multiple government audits from DCAA, DCMA, and IRS, because according to them "it was just our turn". Each audit resulting in determining that our processes are solid and accurate.We spent nine years in that location before relocating to 5777 Olivas Park Drive, Suite A, Ventura, CA 93003 at the start of 2020.
Our retention rate has never dropped below 86% even during times when our employees were in-sourced by the Government, sequestration, or when the work was redistributed from contract re-competes. We have weathered many storms during our tenure in business only because we were and remain prepared. Our infrastructure knowledge is key to our success and our ability to hold our own with our large and small business partners have proven itself time and again. We are getting stronger and it shows in our ability to win even bigger contracts than in the past.
QI-Solutions has earned many recognitions and awards from DiversityBusiness.com, Inc. 5000, Inner City 100, the ESGR Patriotic Employer award, the US Navy Reserve Outstanding Employer Support award, and many others. We continue to receive increased visits, phone calls, and invitations to join in new business ventures with our industry partners and support our Government customers. As we continue to grow we can remember where we started and find gratitude in the journey, the customers, and the team members who make us who we are today.
