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When Vikki Hawthorne, Matt Slavik and Karen Wivell were announced as the National Apex Accelerator Alliance People’s Choice Award winners, a mixture of shock and gratitude washed over them. 

Hawthorne, Slavik and Wivell work for the at ºìÐÓÊÓƵ's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service.

The three work together as one of the hundreds of APEX Accelerator teams who serve as a "front door" for American businesses navigating government contracting. They were honored with the prestigious award at the, which was held in Orlando, Florida, on Aug. 16- 20, 2026.

The project by Hawthorne, Slavik and Wivell implemented a training series for APEX clients to strengthen an existing gap between a small businesses' interest in defense contracting and ability to "successfully enter and compete within the Defense Industrial Base."

Hawthorne is a procurement specialist based in Franklin County, ºìÐÓÊÓƵ, Wivell works as the Central ºìÐÓÊÓƵ associate director, and Slavik is a procurement specialist in the Pickerington, ºìÐÓÊÓƵ office. 

The ºìÐÓÊÓƵ APEX Accelerator helps ºìÐÓÊÓƵ small businesses effectively compete in the government marketplace, guiding clients through federal, state and local government contracts. 

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Through a partnership with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the project training series included specific instruction regarding Joint Certification Program registration and approval and how to accurately quote within the DLA Internet Bid Board System. 

"We worked with DLA to have their representatives present at our training and be there to hear directly from our clients about the problems they are having to help them get past those hurdles," Wivell said. 

JCP certification allows U.S. and Canadian businesses access to unclassified military technical data. DIBBS is an online application providing businesses with the capability to search for, view and submit secure quotes for DLA items of supply. 

Clients undergoing training sessions reported they were "highly informative," as they learned how to better identify government opportunities that aligned with the businesses' capabilities, understood requirements within DIBBS and navigated challenges in the JCP registration process. 

Additional outcomes of the team's project included elevating NAPEX's national visibility, increasing small businesses' abilities to enter the defense supply chain and turning a Central ºìÐÓÊÓƵ training series into a national supported model. 

"I feel this award shows the impact our ºìÐÓÊÓƵ APEX team has not only had in our ºìÐÓÊÓƵ region, but across the country in helping our business community," Wivell said. "It shows the dedication to true public service that the Voinovich School represents." 

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