Geeks and Nerds (GaN) Corporation started by Jonn Kim (Ph.D.’99) has been chosen as one of 100 award winners representing the best in American small business.
GaN Corporation, whose headquarters is in Huntsville, Ala., will receive a 2013 Blue Ribbon Small Business of the Year Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“The Blue Ribbon Award winners show that, even facing uncertainty and economic challenges, small businesses can grow and succeed,” said Thomas J. Donohue, U.S. Chamber president and CEO. “They are America’s economic engine, driving growth and job creation all across this country.”
GaN will be recognized at a gala luncheon April 30 in Washington, D.C. at America’s Small Business Summit where an overall winner will be announced.
Kim, who earned a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering at Vanderbilt, said the award wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of GaN employees and the support of our customers. “We could not have accomplished this success without their belief in Geeks and Nerds. I appreciate their support and dedication, and I am privileged to be sharing this honor with them.”
Kim, president and CEO of GaN, has more than 20 years of experience in engineering and management for the federal government, commercial industries and academia. He holds multiple patents. Kim is a member of the Industry Advisory Committee of Vanderbilt’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department.
GaN was incorporated in 2004 in Huntsville and now has employees in Ft. Hood, Texas, and Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. The company has grown to more than 120 employees in nine years. In 2009, the Inc. 500® Annual Report listed GaN as the 59th fastest-growing government services company nationwide. In 2011, GaN won the Torch Ethics award from BBB for marketplace ethics, and won the 2012 Technical Company of the Year award from the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce.
GaN provides technical and management services to government and commercial customers in the areas testing, evaluation, system analysis, distributed computing, information technologies, architecture, hardware and software development, modeling, simulation and more. Kim said GaN’s near-term plans include design and productization of devices for medical, automotive, security, and energy industry. GaN’s customers include NASA, Redstone Test Center, Space and Missile Defense Command, Missile Defense Agency, Army Test and Evaluation Command and others.