Johnny McCray

The GT APEX Accelerator is an organization affiliated with the Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Small Business Programs. It operates as a member program of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²), Georgia Tech’s economic development arm. The GT APEX Accelerator assists Georgia-based businesses get procurement-ready so that they can identify, compete for, and win government contracts at no cost to them.

1 / 1 Connect and Serve: Growing Underrepresented Companies in Manufacturing, Logistics, Warehousing and Transportation proposes to identify small to midsize businesses in these four sectors located in Georgia’s 13th congressional district, develop a database of these companies, and launch an aggressive outreach, educational and technical assistance program to connect and serve the companies. Activities will include providing these companies with procurement opportunities to expand by connecting them with major corporations and governmental entities as well as connecting them to technical assistance programs and services to help them improve their operations and workforce.

In my work with the Georgia Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center, I traveled throughout the Southeast to support small to mid-sized businesses and help them gain access to federal government contracting. I played an instrumental role in developing a new online platform—the U.S. Business Growth Hub (usbusinessgrowthhub.com), which enabled smaller businesses to collaborate with larger, prime contractors. My accomplishments include: · Through constant outreach, I built client relationships with the Georgia MBDA and educated business leaders about the services MBDA provided, which included guidance on submitting bids and proposals, assistance in setting up billing systems, and advice on executing contracted work. · I conducted Zoom and in-person meetings and “matchmaking” events that linked small to mid-sized businesses with potential partners. While the MBDA aimed to support minority-owned businesses, the outreach encompassed a broad range of clients and the services were available to the small business community as a whole. · I connected clients with assistance in obtaining certifications, capability statements, proposal preparation, teaming agreements, joint ventures, and more. Through matchmaking events, bid opportunities, one-on-one meetings, and conversations about business development, I was able to assist clients in winning millions of dollars in government contracts.

Through my robust network of contacts, I negotiated contracts and connected investors (athletes, entertainers, entrepreneurs) to investment and philanthropic opportunities, including: · Negotiating a contract for an Atlanta musical artist that resulted in $10 million in tour revenue. · Raising $750,000 for a capital campaign for Florida A&M University through the support of an investment group led by Ted Turner. · Enabling a mid-sized construction company to obtain a $75,000 contract with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by linking the company with a prime contractor.

I led a complex facility with sales volume of $140 million, managing over 200 hourly employees. I cultivated a safe work environment and strategized ways to effectively leverage expenses while increasing productivity and minimizing waste. Designate ad hoc special (Truckload) project, prioritizing and handling the account management for B2B sales structure ➢ Star Importers & Wholesalers (Tucker, GA) $3MM ➢ Big Box Wholesale (Accra, Ghana) $2MM ➢ Procter & Gamble (USA) $8MM ➢ Flowers Bakery (USA) $1MM ➢ Frito Lay (USA) $2MM ➢ Georgia Pacific (USA) $7MM ➢ Coca- Cola Company (USA) $10MM ➢ Pepsi- Cola (USA) $10MM Other accomplishments include: · Led the company in safety performance metrics by bringing customer and employee accidents to zero. Attained the top one percent of the company for asset management and shrink performance, with positive reductions year over year. $40k in shrink on $122M in sales in 2019. · Organizing 100-plus volunteers for Children’s Miracle Network, which also resulted in a company donation of over $200,000 to the cause. · Boosting employee engagement, scoring an 89/100 and 98% participation, which placed the store in the top 10% of the company. · Improving fresh sales by $3 million in 2020, which exceeded the annual goal (110% of goal). · Designing and hosting a formal VIP Breakfast networking series event.

I was responsible for the first urban market branch of Regions Bank in Atlanta. I managed over $25 million of branch client assets and analyzed and maintained the organization’s monthly, quarterly, and annual reports. I carried out human resource tasks, including coaching staff and training and mentoring new associates. I also counseled high-level clients on the financial structure of grants and investments.