FAST 25: Professional Management Enterprises Inc.

Revenue Growth FY 2014 to 2016: 65%

Danny Portee noticed while serving in the Army that the government does a surprising amount of outsourcing—which led him to launch his staffing business. (IBJ photo/Eric Learned)

Military retired: During the 10 years that Danny Portee spent in Army recruiting, he noted a few things about how the government works—including that it does a surprising amount of outsourcing. So after he retired in 2003 as a sergeant first class, he put his experience to work in a staffing business.

About the company: Professional Management Enterprises specializes in staff augmentation support services, providing administrative support, human resources, call centers and customer service. The company works nationwide for federal agencies such as Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security, the Patent and Trademark Office and the Department of Defense. It also provides IT staffing support (to firms including Humana and Hewlett-Packard) and health care staffing (for federal agencies including the U.S. Army Medical Command and NASA).

At home: PME’s work in Indiana includes being a partner with Anthem to help get eligible residents signed up for Medicaid and providing IT staffing, call center and administrative support for managed health services.

Helping veterans: Portee said Indiana’s Veteran Business Enterprise program, which promotes procurement of state contracts for veteran-owned businesses, has helped PME grow. “Although we do nationwide staffing, typically my revenues were smaller in the state of Indiana that anywhere else we did business,” he said. “But with the Veteran Business Enterprise program, we get a chance to showcase who we are and show that we can add value.” Portee said many staffing companies in town can provide temporary labor or contract-to-hire. PME does that too, “but we specialize in going after our own work and showing the government we have the talent you’re looking for that can become security-cleared.”

Anticipating substantial growth: Portee said he expects the company to finish 2017 with revenue of $17.3 million and grow to $42 million in five years. “The federal government is still outsourcing, and with the diversity goals in the state of Indiana and our relevant experience, it’s easy to show clients that you’ve done this as a small business and you’re capable of doing it at a higher level. I don’t anticipate us slowing down.”•

Check out more of IBJ’s ranking of central Indiana's fastest-growing private companies.