This week on Amtower Off Center, host Mark Amtower is joined by Karl Feldman, managing partner of Hinge Marketing, to discuss the findings of the annual Hinge High Growth Study.

Topics discussed include tactics used by high growth companies such as:

• Research to determine best marketing & BD tools and tactics
• Conferences and other live networking venues
• The role of social networking and LinkedIn
• Developing SMEs and thought leadership
• Why smaller firms need to pay attention to marketing metrics

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Martin Reeves of the BCG Henderson Institute returns to Amtower Off Center to discuss his latest book. "Like: The Button That Changed the World".

Topics include:

• The evolution of the Like button
• What the creation and adoption of the button reveals about technical innovation
• Why the button is addictive
• The rise of the "Like" economy
• How Like transformed advertising and marketing
• Like-facilitated influencer marketing

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Laura Ries, chairwoman of Reis Consulting and author of multiple business strategy books, joins host Mark Amtower on this week's Amtower Off Center to discuss her latest book: The Strategic Enemy.

Topics include:

• Building your brand with an "enemy" in mind
• Branding mistakes entrepreneurs make
• The power of saying NO to maintain focus
• Why brand extension does not work
• Creating a category where you can be first

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This week on Amtower Off Center, host Mark Amtower is joined by Evan Weisel, principal and co-founder of W2 Communications for a discussion on thought leadership in GovCon.

Topics discussed include:

• What constitutes thought leadership for our market
• Thought leadership examples including white papers, case studies, data-based research and more
• How to consistently leverage thought leadership
• Developing a thought leadership playbook for company SMEs and execs

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This week on Amtower Off Center, host Mark Amtower is joined by Kaamil Khan, president of Makpar Corporation, a small IT services firm.

Topics discussed include:

• Khan's journey to become president of the family owned business, leveraging his law degree and a natural talent for BD
• Makpar's experience with my LinkedIn training and the benefits thereof
• Kahn's experience in the ACT-IAC Voyager program and the benefits of the program
• How Makpar is navigating the current GovCon environment
• -Kahn's use of AI in his role as president

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This week on Amtower Off Center, Kevin Plexico, SVP of Deltek, joins host Mark Amtower for a deep discussion on the current state of government contracting.

Topics include:

• YTD contract activity vs FY 24, and how it has impacted spending
• The impact on SIs, VARs, small contractors and others
• Regulatory changes and the future of GWACs
• The new Deltek Clarity study (available free) which deals with many aspects on BD, capture and bidding
• What the "big beautiful budget bill" could mean to contracting

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This week on Amtower Off Center, Nick Wakeman, editor in chief of Washington Technology, joins host Mark Amtower for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of the GovCon market as reflected by the WashTech 2025 Top 100 contractors.

Topics discussed include:

• First year-over-year decline in prime contracts since 2016 sequestration
• A recap of CGI's Stephanie Mango's interview with Nick on the state of GovCon
• How SERCO has used strategic acquisitions to move up
• The growing gap between DOD and civilian contracting
• Candid comments of where the market may be heading

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Shauna Weatherly, former govie and now founder and president of FebSubK,joins host MarkAmtower for an in-depth discussion on the current state of the SmartPay (government charge card) program.

Topics include:

• The charge card program background from inception in the late 1980s
• How it works and why it is so successful at what it does
• What is happening now with the program, including consolidated buying at GSA
• The "pilot" program RFI that went out the Thursday evening before Good Friday with responses due in seven days
• A candid discussion of why the pilot the pilot may be happening and why it is totally unnecessary

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