President and CEO of Spartan Business and Technology Services, Inc. (Spartan), Mr. Lorenzo Downing, has been selected as the First Minority Vetrepreneur of the Year®for his superb leadership in building a flourishing business, achieving sustained business growth, and being an advocate for veteran entrepreneurship.
The National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA), publisher of Vetrepreneur® Magazine, has selected Lorenzo Downing, out of more than 3 million veteran business owners, for this prestigious honor. Downingwill also grace the cover and have a feature article inside of the October issue of Vetrepreneur®magazine, a national publication dedicated exclusively to covering and supporting the veteran-owned business movement.
Lorenzo Downing served in the United States Air Force (USAF) for 20 plus years across several stations of duty, during which time he earned a Masters degree from Harvard University. Most notably, he served as Commander of the USAF Honor Guard, at Bolling Air Force Base. He retired as a Commissioned Officer, ranked Lieutenant Colonel. His military tenure undoubtedly provided the invaluable experience that has made him the successful business owner he is today. After serving in the Air Force for more than 24 combined years, Mr. Downing teamed his financial management and savvy leadership skills with powerhouse professional services firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG LLP, where he was eventually appointed as a partner.
In 2010, Downing channeled his energy into making his dream a reality, and launched Spartan, a professional services firm that would provide proven solutions to government and commercial organizations. From one employee, to now over 100 Spartan team members across the country, Mr. Downing’s leadership and integrity remains the reason that Spartan continues to be a rising business and IT solutions firm, able to successfully compete with large industry organizations.Aside from his undeniable accomplishments, Mr. Downing’s character as a visionary leader is the reason former colleagues, friends and fellow Spartan’s feel he is well deserving of this distinguished award.
NaVOBA, Allstate Insurance and Heroes Vodka will honor Downing at a special reception on November 2 at the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s Conference and Business Opportunity Fair at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.
SPARTAN BUSINESS + TECHNOLOGY
Spartan Business + Technology is a business management and IT solutions company that supports institutions whose core mission is serving people. Spartan partners with government, non-profit, and service organizations to consistently deliver quality, value-added services and provisions that improve client’s efficiency and productivity. In addition to the corporate headquarters office in National Harbor, Maryland, Spartan has offices in Alexandria, Virginia and Fayetteville, North Carolina, with plans to expand nationwide and internationally. Spartan’s CEO, Lorenzo Downing, is a former KPMG LLP partner, retired United States Air Force Officer, and graduate of Harvard University.
