Linchpin Solutions Inc. is an SBA 8(a) Certified and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) firm that provides tactical C5ISR services and solutions for federal government and commercial clients. Founded in 2014, the company has over a decade of experience working as the ‘linchpin’
between their industry clients and the federal government, providing Professional Services, Curriculum Training and Development, Integrated Product Support, and Help Desk Solutions for defense customers.

The Greater Fayetteville Business Journal sat down with Kathryn Cox, the Vice President of Learning Solutions at Linchpin Solutions to discuss her role supporting comprehensive training and curriculum development, one of the core services that Linchpin offers.
“As technology advances, military members in the field receive extremely advanced and updated equipment, without the proper training manuals on how to use the equipment. That’s where Linchpin Solutions comes in,” shared Cox.

Linchpin Solutions provides subject matter experts who help with equipment training, technical documentation, and the full lifecycle management of equipment, from implementation to maintenance and eventual de-obligation.

“We hire a huge percentage of Veterans who have just left the military. They can use their experience from being in the field with this advanced equipment,” added Cox.

Linchpin also supports professional services, placing skilled personnel alongside government teams, and adapts to new technologies to keep their training and support services current. Their work ensures that government investments in new technology are effectively used and maintained in the field.

“Engineers are extremely knowledgeable in the complex work that they do and products they build. However, we take those complex engineering specs and put them into a training program or a user support program that makes it easier for the user to be able to implement the product,” explained Cox.
Linchpin Solutions functions as the bridge between industry and government.

“Big companies know how to build equipment. We know how to convert it using the military standard language, right? So we’re able to translate it, put it in the right form, so that when somebody’s looking at it, it’s like, oh, yeah, that looks like all of the other army training that we do, or Marine Corps training that we do, because there’s a template kind of process that the military wants you to implement,” added Cox.

Linchpin Solutions acquires new contracts through both direct and indirect requests.
“Relationships are really important in our industry. Reputation is incredibly important in our industry,” stated Cox.

Equipment manufacturers may approach Linchpin to help fulfill government contract requirements, especially for training and documentation. Government agencies themselves also reach out to Linchpin for their expertise. Additionally, Linchpin responds to government requests for proposals (RFPs) and leverages its reputation and network, often receiving referrals from past clients or industry contacts.

Linchpin Solutions employs about 100 people and has about 25 to 30 active contracts at a time.
The company conducts business at multiple locations across the United States. They have facilities or people on site in programs in Fayetteville, Charleston, Tampa, Camp Pendleton, Aberdeen Proving Ground, the Pentagon and more. Linchpin Solutions supports all military service branches and also works with various federal government agencies. In addition to their government work, they have begun to offer more commercial support where they are working directly with other companies to help develop their training products for them.

Linchpin Solutions keeps up with evolving technology by fostering a culture of continuous learning and collaboration among its team members. Employees pursue professional development, such as earning certificates in areas like artificial intelligence (AI) and its application in business and training. The company actively collaborates with individuals and organizations at the forefront of technological innovation, working on projects that integrate AI—such as intelligent tutoring systems and help bots—into training programs.

Not only is the technology evolving, the expectations of the contracting industry are shifting as well.

The Small Business Administration recently announced that beginning Oct. 1, 8(a) contractors will once again be required to have a physical office within the geographic area in which they are bidding on federal construction contracts.
“The return to work is something that is really being dealt with contract by contract,” remarked Cox. “Linchpin is not impacted by that tremendously, because most of the work that we’re doing under 8(a) contracts requires that we provide a presence on the government site in the first place.”

While not a major cause for concern, this return to in person work will likely have an impact on the labor pool companies like Linchpin Solutions have access to.

“Having the selection of people with the right skill set that you need is a lot easier when people are working remotely, because you can pull them in, and we can collaborate like this [virtually]. So is that going to be a challenge? It can be a challenge, because it might mean that my costs are going to be higher because I’m going to have to pay people to move from one place to another if I want to have the right skill set.”

Linchpin Solutions remains adaptable and prepared to navigate this new chapter in the industry. As a company centered on finding solutions, they are confident in their ability to successfully embrace this change.
“We like to consider ourselves partners with our customers. We want to make sure that we’re doing the job that we were hired to do. Repeat business is always a good thing. But referrals are also really good. When somebody talks about Linchpin, I want them to talk about the fact that we’re professional, we’re efficient and that they would recommend us to other people to fulfill the needs that they have, that if you give us a job, we’re going to do it right. And I think that that for me is success. When one of my customers makes a referral for me to another customer, then I know I’ve done a good job” shared Cox.

Learn more about Linchpin Solutions by visiting their website: www.linchpinsolutions.com.