The Brevard Technical Journal

Solid business practices and experience parlay into growth
Capitalistic edge, integrity and exceptional quality spell success for All Points Logistics

by Anne Straub
Brevard Technical Journal

Truck brokering, sanitation chemicals and technical services would seem to have little to do with one another at first blush. To Sam McGee, they're related by entrepreneurial drive.

McGee has operated companies in the first two industries, and continues to work in the third. He's the founding owner of All Points Logistics, which employs 73 people at Kennedy Space Center.

McGee splits his time between the company's base in Gainesville, Ga., and the Titusville office that oversees the company's four contracts at Kennedy Space Center. It's largely for that work that Boeing Co. named APL its 2003 Supplier of the Year for small minority and disadvantaged businesses. Boeing also nominated the company as KSC's Small Minority Business of the Year, an honor that APL won.

"This is a company that's very small but just has done an exceptional job," said Debbie Melvin, Boeing small business administrator. APL maintains $450 million in inventory for Boeing's work on the Checkout Assembly and Payload Processing Services contract. That involves maintaining a chain of custody on equipment, tracking who has what and monitoring the equipment's condition. The company's inventory accuracy rate is 99.7 percent, she said.

The two companies have forged a working relationship in other areas, as well. APL also operates Boeing's technical documents center for the space station contract and is installing new software to improve access to files that contain drawings for equipment. In Huntsville, Ala., APL provides technology hardware for Boeing.

Boeing recently selected APL to work with in the NASA Mentor-Protégé program, which encourages prime contractors to adopt a small business and help it develop. Boeing is NASA's first prime contractor to participate at KSC, and APL will be its first protégé. Boeing plans to help APL gain ISO 9000 certification, and APL managers will participate in Boeing executive management training programs.

Melvin credits McGee with hiring the right people, setting direction and cutting them loose to do their jobs.

McGee has a more self-deprecating way of putting it. "I get a lot of credit for stuff. I'm just the guy at the top who doesn't do a lot," he said.

"You get the feeling that he's a very gentle man but also a very intelligent man," Melvin said, also noting McGee's commitment to integrity. "He would never do anything he didn't think was right."

McGee himself is no stranger to awards. McGee, who has Cherokee heritage, has been named 2004 Indian Business Owner of the Year by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.

The son of a milkman and a homemaker, McGee nurtured his capitalistic edge from an early edge. He cut grass, raked leaves and helped on the milk truck. Still unsure of his direction but sure that he enjoyed sports, he earned an associate's degree in physical education from the community college in Gainesville. McGee played catcher for the college baseball team and quarterbacked the football team.

After graduation, he pursued business. He worked for a company that sold sanitation chemicals to the food industry, then left and started his own company that made and sold sanitation products.

He sold that company in 1995, and planned to enjoy plenty of golf and early retirement with his wife of 20 years, Debbie. McGee, 53, has three children.

Then he was approached while cooking a Wednesday night church supper and was asked if he'd be interested in backing a venture in truck brokering. His competitive nature got the best of him, and he jumped in.

He ended up buying out his partner in 1997, selling the assets of the company and morphing APL into a new venture.

Instead of early retirement, his golf game is suffering - though he maintains a single-digit handicap - as the company thrives. Begun with eight people in 1997, APL has grown to employ 130.

Four years ago, the company entered the 8(a) program for small, disadvantaged businesses. Status as a minority business jump-started revenues about two years ago, when the company made $21 million. Last year, that figure rose to $29 million, and this year promises even better results: APL brought in $10 million in April alone.

The company is in a hiring mode to accommodate the growth. In addition to its Titusville and Gainesville, Ga., locations, the company operates an office near Huntsville, Ala., and is opening one in Nags Head, N.C., to handle its contracts maintaining government buildings.

"We do what we say we will do, and we do it on time," McGee said. "Evidently, we do it for less cost."

Looking ahead, APL plans to develop its relationship with NASA and parlay that experience into more contracts, particularly with the U.S. Army and Air Force. "Our focus is on continuing to provide stellar services to NASA. NASA is an extremely important customer to us and always will be," said Cathy Shields, APL vice president of business development.

She recounts a comment made by a lieutenant colonel after APL won its first Army contract. The officer was impressed that APL had experience in the rigorous environment of human space, Shields said, and she uses that perspective to promote APL to potential customers. "We cut our teeth on the nation's human space program," she said.

The company's services include:

Logistics and transportation. The company considers this the core of its business. APL will design and manage product transportation, storage and distribution.
Information technology. Acquisition support services has proven a high-revenue area. The company also provides programming services, proprietary software, computer processing, facilities management and information retrieval services.
Management services. APL consults on human resources, infrastructure and technology issues.
Construction and facilities maintenance. This was a focus of the company's from the beginning and All Points Construction has almost doubled its work volume every year. The company works in various building types, including correctional facilities, laboratories, National Parks Service and other government structures.
Chemicals services. APL helps companies comply with environmental and safety standards.
Electronic equipment and parts. This newer division resells and ships a variety of electronic parts.