Terry DavidThe government contracting sector has historically been challenging territory for women-owned businesses. Margarita Howard entered it anyway, founding HX5 in 2004 with a plan to compete and grow on her own terms. Twenty years later, the company serves as evidence that women-owned firms can build genuine scale in federal markets when they invest in the right foundations.
Building Credibility From the Start
Howard came to entrepreneurship with a significant advantage: she understood how government programs work. Margarita Howard experience on the Tricare implementation team and her subsequent rise to regional director gave her operational credibility that translated directly into business credibility. When HX5 entered the 8(a) program early in its history, the company was awarded four contracts within a single year. That kind of early performance does not happen by accident. Howard had invested in the infrastructure and knowledge needed to execute before most competitors would have bothered.
Recognition That Still Comes with Caveats
Margarita Howard is proud of what she has seen change in the contracting world. “It’s rewarding to see that women are making significant strides in the government contracting industry, over the years, breaking barriers and more often assuming leadership roles in this industry and within government agencies that we work with,” she said. Yet she also knows the work is unfinished. Some biases, she acknowledges, remain. HX5 has addressed that reality internally by building a leadership team where women hold many of the senior positions. The company’s 1,000-plus employees across 34 states and 90 government locations work within an organization whose structure reflects Howard’s conviction that diverse, experienced leadership is the right approach, not just a policy preference. Refer to this page to learn more.
Learn more about Margarita Howard HX5 on https://dataconomy.com/2026/02/23/infrastructure-as-competitive-advantage-margarita-howards-early-investment-philosophy-at-hx5/
