Hooah, LLC

Having a Hooah of a day.

Jorge Suria had a strong entrepreneurial drive that evolved into a compelling desire to start his own company. In 2003, Jorge formed Hooah, LLC, a full-service advertising, marketing and technology firm which provides excellent creative and strategic marketing and production services. Shortly after Hooah opened its doors, the Army National Guard recognized their expertise in production and commissioned them to develop a national recruitment video. Jorge continued to established strong relationships with government agencies building a solid foundation for his company. In fact, the company name Hooah was chosen because of these relationships and because he felt that it would set his company apart from the competition when it came to pursuing government work. Hooah is an expression of motivation, positive reinforcement, and success being used by some of the military’s elite forces. Jorge’s objective was to create a service-oriented company based on the principles that make our military strong, unwavering, and elite, as his company is now becoming.

Facing many challenges, as many start-up companies do, his largest obstacle was the ability to obtain sufficient operating capital causing him to operate on a “project-by-project” basis. Through dedication, persistence, and taking advantage of the services provided by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UCF, PTAC office he recently won several government contracts which made it possible for him to expand his team to five employees. The government contracts are filling the gap of a slowing economy where marketing budgets are typically the first to be cut. Hooah became a client of the SBDC at UCF PTAC program on June 25, 2007. Tanya Zeiher, client relations & advertising manager, had attended the “Doing Business with Local Entities” workshop and received post government procurement and 8(a) counseling. In February, 2008, Hooah was certified as a Small Disadvantaged Business 8(a) firm by the Small Business Administration (SBA). The 8(a) program is a federally funded nine (9) year program that provides business development assistance to qualified small disadvantaged businesses. Tony Espinosa, PTAC counselor, assisted the client by making valuable recommendations which ensured thorough and accurate completion of the 8(a) package. Subsequently, the client responded to a proposal issued by the Army National Guard for an Officer Campaign and once again sought Tony’s expertise for direction in responding to the solicitation. His assistance helped clarify elements of the procurement process and guided the client in the right direction; the response to the RFP resulted in a contract award of $195,000.00. 

Tanya Zeiher states, “It [SBDC at UCF] is an excellent resource that can ensure you’re on the right path. The counselors have years of experience in something you may not know much about. It is simply a smart business decision to take the time to meet with them and get their input. They can help you avoid common pitfalls.” Hooah’s road to success includes establishing strong relationships with their current and potential clients as well as achieving the Small Disadvantaged Business 8(a) certification through the SBA.

 Hooah employees will always wish you a HOOAH DAY!

www.hooah.cc

 “It is simply a smart business decision to take the time to meet with them [SBDC at UCF]."

Tanya Zeiher
Hooah, LLC