Green Room Communications, a specialty health care communications agency, announced Monday it has been named the Regional Subcontractor of the Year for Region II by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Green Room competed against several other firms from Region II, which includes New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to Steve Bulger, SBA regional administrator.
Bulger said the Parsippany-based firm was nominated by Kathleen Castore, head of supplier diversity and sustainability at Bridgewater-based Sanofi.
“Our work with Green Room spans 10 years,” Castore said. “This is a tribute to how they continue to innovate and evolve with us, providing us with services that bring value to our business. At Sanofi, we consider our Small Business Program to be a business imperative that drives innovation, job creation and creates economic growth with small and diverse businesses.”
Green Room was selected for the award based on criteria that measure a firm’s technical and management capability; financial strength; customer interface and support; innovativeness of products or services offered; and the ability to deliver quality services and products on time at a competitive cost to the U.S. government.
“To be nominated for this award by a global pharmaceutical company recognizing our hard work and innovation in communications is an incredible honor,” Deborah Fowler, managing partner, Green Room, said. “We have a unique relationship with our clients; in fact, we call them partners because they do not see us or treat us as vendors. We are an extension of their teams.”
“Many small businesses are unaware of the supplier diversity programs that major prime contractors like Sanofi have in place today,” Bulger said. “Sanofi is consistently in the Top 100 of prime contractors that provide hundreds of millions of dollars in subcontracts each year. They are to be commended for their commitment to giving small businesses like Green Room Communications the opportunity to obtain subcontracting work that is so vital to the U.S. Government.”
Both Fowler and Karen Carolonza, managing partner, were presented with the award at SBA’s New Jersey district office in Newark.
“Niche businesses like Green Room Communications prove that there is space to compete for subcontracts from major prime contractors,” Al Titone, SBA New Jersey district director, said. “The certification that Green Room Communications received from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council was essential to opening the doors to these contracting opportunities.”
“Our partners realize a small business like Green Room can deliver big agency impact,” Carolonza said. “We are like a biotech: nimble, efficient and with access to the top communications strategists in the industry.”
