Connect International Inc., headquartered in Rockville of Maryland, is a small business providing Information Technology services to the federal and Maryland state government, and to clients from the top fortune 100.
Danny Lee, the president of Connect International Inc., was the winner of Maryland and Mid-Atlantic top 100 Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) in 2006, 2008 and 2010. In May 2012, Mr. Lee was one of the 10 to be inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame of top 100 MBE. In an interview with The Epoch Times, Danny Lee shared his experiences of fulfilling his American dream.
Hong Kong Fortune Teller Advice
Back in 1982, a reputable fortune teller at the most famous temple in Hong Kong told Mr. Lee’s mom that her son would have a better future if he studied and lived a life overseas. The fortune teller was so popular that his word was considered like a message from God. Next thing, he packed and landed in Kansas for college with only enough money for one semester. That little sum of money was the entire life savings from his working-class parents.
Mr. Lee worked fulltime to be able to pay for college. It took him six years to finish his Electrical Engineering degree. That was not the worst. Upon graduation, almost everyone in the entire class was offered a job by Boeing except Mr. Lee who didn’t have U.S. citizenship. After graduating, Mr. Lee was broke, jobless, and with an expiring student visa.
He had only two options: Go back to Hong Kong or continue to pursue the American Dream despite the chance of becoming an illegal immigrant. Mr. Lee came to Washington, D.C., landed a job as an electrical engineer, and became a permanent resident. Not long after that, he met a new friend who was a computer programmer. With his friends’ encouragement, Mr. Lee started to explore computer technology and found it fascinating. Mr. Lee loved computers so much that he decided to switch careers.
During the next five years, Mr. Lee developed many skills in IT, met an amazing woman Blanca Chou and had a family. Just as he thought the fortune teller in Hong Kong might have been right about his life, he got laid off with a 2?week notice. It was very tough for a young couple with a big mortgage and a new?born baby.
Starts IT Company
Instead of getting a new job, Mr. Lee decided “that the only person who can reject me, fire me or lay off me would be me.” Blanca Chou and Danny Lee founded their own company—Connect International Inc. in 1996. Their IT consulting business had begun.
During the first five years, Connect operated as a federal government subcontractor for FAA, Department of Treasury, Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). Connect also provided IT consulting services to private industry, including the Universal Studios from 1999 to 2002. Mr. Lee worked till morning 2 a.m. almost every night to write proposals and finish contracting task. But the hard work paid off.
Connect was certified as a 8(a) company by SBA in 2002 and a MBE/DBE (Minority Business Enterprise/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) firm by Maryland Department of Transportation in 2003. Recognized for its strong technical skills and innovation, rich IT knowledge and superb quality of service, Connect went from subcontractor to prime.
In order to meet the needs of a constantly changing market, Connect adjusted its marketing strategy. Connect started to expand its business in the federal government sector. In 2004, Connect was awarded its first prime contract at the U.S. Bureau of Census and another prime contract at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2005. The business had grown to 20 plus skilled professionals.
As a reputable small business with low operating costs, Connect thrived even in the economic down time because a lot of government projects were looking for ways to cut costs. Consequently, many government projects turned to small businesses. Connect grew to a company with 50 plus IT professionals by 2008.
2009 Best Small Business of the Year
In 2009, the National Small Commerce Association awarded Connect the Best Small Business of the Year. In the same year, Connect started to expand its business area into state government. The state of Maryland’s Department of Information Technology (DoIT) awarded Connect a master contract of Consulting and Technical Services (CATS II). During the next two years period, Connect participated in seven “Open Bid” processes in Maryland. In 2011, Connect was one of 10 finalists out of 135 participants to be awarded Maryland State Government contractor.
Connect was featured in “Daily Record,” Maryland state government’s annual publication in 2011. Connect was ranked as top performer based on quality of work and customer satisfaction.
Asked what made Connect a successful small business, Mr. Lee replied, “Connect attracts the best in the IT field and treasures them.”
Connect has a ‘flat operation structure,’ everyone can talk to anyone, Lee explained. Any employee can call Mr. Lee’s cell phone to communicate about company’s vision, project proposals, technical issues or other concerns. Mr. Lee meets with his employees at different locations on a monthly basis for lunch and open discussion.
He also emphasized that people working hard and providing unique and high quality solutions or services made a difference.
Mr. Lee offered his advice for future IT entrepreneurs, “It is tough for new IT entrepreneurs to strive in today’s economic environment, yet there are more opportunities in the fields of Information Mobility, Data Mining, Cloud and Mobile Applications. Future entrepreneurs need to prepare themselves from their time in college in what classes they take and finding an internship, and then networking and marketing later on. If you can add your unique contribution to innovative solutions, you will succeed.”
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