The Divine Cup Runneth Over

Divine Imaging Commodities, a woman-owned small California company, was awarded a multi-million dollar, five year Blanket Purchase Award by the General Services Administration (GSA) to supply soup cups to U.S. troops stationed in Iraq. The award was the second BPA (Blanket Purchase Award) won by Divine in 2006, continuing the remarkable growth trend of the three year old company.

Divine Imaging owner Kimberly Devane attended the United States General Services Administration’s “Opening Doors” Small Business Utilization Conference in Palm Springs, CA December 13 with uncle, actor William Devane (“24,” “The West Wing,” “The Missiles of October,” “Knots Landing”), and Divine CEO Larry Abbott, to thank the GSA for the award and to acknowledge the Government’s commitment to federally contracted women’s and veteran’s owned small businesses. CEO Abbott remarked, “The success of Divine Imaging is the quintessential example the GSA’s commitment to helping small business succeed. GSA Office of Small Business Utilization Associate Administrator Felipe Mendoza in his speech at the event reaffirmed that the GSA is committed to creating a level playing field enabling small businesses to compete for hundreds of millions of dollars in products and services, purchased by the government each year. Divine Imaging, a small business, was given the opportunity to realize the American Dream by combining a tireless work ethic, a bit of Yankee ingenuity, and the resources provided by the GSA’s Office of Small Business Utilization.” Mendoza, a presidential appointee and staunch Divine Imaging supporter, restated the government’s vendor diversity motives, assuring the audience of the GSA’s desire to exceed its goal to direct a minimum 24% of the GSA’s $500 billion budget to the small, women and veteran-owned and disadvantaged businesses. He emphasized that the 24% goal is “…a floor and not a ceiling…” echoing the Bush administration’s belief that “…small business is the backbone of the American economy.” Ms. Devane concluded, “I am honored by the faith and trust that my clients and the GSA have placed in our firm. Our plan for the future is to leverage our recent success, by investing in infrastructure and hiring talented individuals that will help Divine continue to grow and succeed.”