Mark VII Enterprises Contracting Firm Adapts to an Ever-Changing Environment

Omaha, NE – Being adaptable in a state of uncertainty – from the Covid-19 pandemic to awaiting government contracts delayed by Congress’s approval this year of a federal budget bill – has enabled Mark VII Enterprises contracting firm to remain viable and sustainable, says owner Mark Santo.

“Our first real test was Covid, and because we were able to pivot our business we came out stronger,” Santo says. “The reality today is that we have been able to adjust, improvise and overcome many of the challenges we’ve faced.”

Mark VII Enterprises is a City of Omaha Tier-I Small Business, Economically Disadvantaged Total Small Business, and Center of Veteran Enterprise verified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business. A veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, Santo has built a solid reputation by leveraging his past experience on government and military projects.

Santo began working with the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) and its APEX Accelerator program (formerly the Procurement Technical Assistance Center program) in 2010, the year he founded his contracting firm.

Over the years, Santo has partnered with the APEX Accelerator program and its Director, Veronica Doga, and consultants including Harold Sargus, to obtain federal certifications for his business, including the 8(a) Business Development program of the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) certification, which helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities.

Through the 8(a) Business Development program, the SBA works to level the playing field for small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged people by limiting competition for certain contracts to those businesses.

Businesses in the 8(a) program can:

• Compete for set-aside and sole-source contracts in the program,
• Get a Business Opportunity Specialist to help navigate federal contracting,
• Form joint ventures with established businesses through the SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program,
• Receive management and technical assistance, including business training, counseling, marketing assistance and high-level executive development.

Santo and Mark VII Enterprises continue adjusting to meet new challenges. In 2024, the company created a joint venture with a janitorial and lawn service in Michigan to partner on a contract for a Naval air station in Florida. Joint ventures in construction allow companies to combine their expertise and resources for specific projects, enabling them to pursue larger and more complex opportunities.

“We’ve embraced joint venturing,” Santo says. “Joint ventures open doors to new opportunities, allowing both companies to expand their reach and take on more ambitious projects.”

This year, Mark VII Enterprises was approved by the SBA for the Mentor-Protégé Program with MCL Construction in Omaha. Santo says the two companies are pursuing projects together, including a contract at Offutt Air Force Base that could yield construction projects for the next five years.

Santo says his company’s long-term relationship with the NBDC and the APEX Accelerator program, for which he serves on the advisory board, has been valuable in navigating the fluid government contracting environment and maintaining necessary certifications.

“The paperwork and regulations put forth by government agencies get more complex all the time,” he says. “The devil is truly in the details, and our friends at APEX and the NBDC have been instrumental in helping guide us through some very complicated processes.”