HX5 carries two designations that matter to many prospective employees: service-disabled veteran-owned and women-owned small business. For CEO Margarita Howard, those labels are not just paperwork sitting in a filing cabinet somewhere.

Margarita Howard, herself a service-disabled Air Force veteran, leads a company of approximately 1,000 employees operating in more than 20 states and across over 70 government locations. HX5 supports Department of Defense and NASA missions in research, engineering, information technology, and mission operations, work that frequently requires security clearances and familiarity with government processes.

WHAT THE DESIGNATION MEANS FOR HIRING

For veterans weighing job offers, a company’s ownership status can signal whether leadership genuinely understands military culture or simply markets toward it. Howard’s position as both veteran and CEO gives HX5 a credibility that few competitors can claim in quite the same way.

“My background was influenced by military service,” she says, describing how her own path continues to shape decisions across the company, including its steady involvement in the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program.

Since 2021, HX5 has hosted eight fellows through that program, keeping a consistent pace of two per year. The fellowship gives transitioning service members hands-on exposure to government contracting alongside professional development sessions covering communication and workplace skills not always taught during active duty.

Howard’s demonstrated career trajectory, from Air Force service to leading a defense and aerospace contractor, offers transitioning troops a concrete example of where a veteran-owned company can take a career. For many candidates weighing where to land after service, that example carries more weight than a job posting ever could on its own.

Howard has also said she prioritizes candidates with prior Department of Defense or NASA experience, noting that such backgrounds differ from commercial sector work in ways that matter once someone begins supporting a federal contract. Paired with HX5’s ownership designations, that hiring preference reinforces a company identity built around genuine familiarity with military and government life rather than a marketing label attached after the fact. Refer to this article for related information.

Find more information about Howard on https://www.finsmes.com/2026/01/margarita-howard-on-how-hx5s-defense-origins-launched-its-expansion-into-nasa-contracting.html