WIPP National Partner of the Month – August 2016

Faye Coleman, Principal of FEC Enterprises, LLC.

We sat down with Faye to hear a little bit more about her business and her relationship with WIPP.

Tell us a little about your company and its mission.
After selling my former government contracting company of 31 years in March of 2015, I started my current consulting practice, FEC Enterprises, LLC., a multifaceted executive coaching, diversity training and leadership development organization that helps owners/executives of small-to-mid-size businesses and non-profit organizations achieve the success they seek through intuitive problem solving and focused action planning.

Our mission is to inspire business executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals in transition to unlock their full potential, and realize the success they seek.  Along with executive and transition coaching, we offer our clients a range of additional human capital enhancement services, such as leadership and diversity training, organizational change management and retreat facilitation.

Have you always been an entrepreneur? If not, what inspired you to take the leap?
I started my first company, Westover Consultants, Inc., in 1984, after several years of working in senior management positions in various government contracting firms in the Washington DC area.  Over time, I realized that working for myself was the only way that I could truly ensure that the projects I spent my time on would always reflect my personal values.  Over the course of 3 decades, Westover Consultants grew to become one of the most highly regarded professional services firms of its size in the DC metropolitan area, and developed a reputation for improving the human condition with each undertaking.

What is your biggest lesson learned working with the Federal Government?
In government contracting, there are certain attributes that every business owner must master in order to be successful in this unpredictable and often politically volatile field. Chief among them are (1) integrity, (2) flexibility, and (3) resilience.

Do you have a success story that you are particularly proud of? Tell us about it!
High on my list of success stories is the work Westover Consultants did providing emergency, disaster mental health counseling services to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina who were scattered throughout the Gulf States.  After identifying and screening over 1,600 counselor applicants within a 2-week turn-around time, we staffed nearly 1,245 two-week deployments of clinicians to shelters, clinics, hospitals, and outreach facilities across the Gulf Coast over an 18-month period, in 2005 and 2006. Our teams were comprised of licensed psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers; substance abuse and pastoral counselors, nurses and other mental health professionals with expertise across multiple, complementary disciplines. Our government client, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), acknowledged the life-saving work of our staff and clinicians with the “Spirit of Recovery Award”, which they presented to Westover Consultants at the conclusion of the contract.

Tell us about your experience as a WIPP member? What resources/value has WIPP provided that has been helpful to you and your company?
I have been an active member of WIPP since 2005, and in 2007, I was the recipient of WIPP’s Diversity Leadership Award”.  As a current WIPP board member, I can personally attest to the difference that WIPP makes for women business owners. Through WIPP’s unparalleled advocacy on behalf of women business owners, my company, and countless others, continue to benefit from expanded federal procurement opportunities, training and technical assistance in business development, increased knowledge about and access to business capital resources, and enhanced credibility with congressional leaders and decision makers of both parties.