Local IT firm expands into government realm

DGR Systems of Pinellas County

After dedicating 20 years in the technology world, Jason Dugger decided to take his experience and passion for IT and start his own business, DGR Systems.

DGR Systems is a technology-focused professional services organization that assists technology departments at the mid-market and enterprise-level.

Now a decade later, Dugger and his team, including Director of Business Development Phillip Tobolski, are excited to expand DGR Systems into the local and state government space.

In order to accomplish this fete, Tobolski turned to the Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) for guidance.

“We were trying to figure out how to get traction in the government space,” Tobolski said. “We weren’t sure where to begin, because there are so many programs and so many contractors. It’s really such a wide space.

“That’s where the SBDC of Pinellas County helped us out. They really opened up opportunities by providing training and programs, introducing us to the right people and helping us understand the government contracts.”

Tobolski said he saw success immediately. One of the first programs the Florida SBDC at PCED introduced the company to was Small Business Enterprise (SBE). “Within a month of completing our SBE registration, we started hearing from Pinellas County directly about some contracts and opportunities they had that we were able to engage on immediately,” he said.

DGR Systems has begun working with the Florida PTAC of Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) as well. With the help of the Florida PTAC of PCED, Tobolski will begin building a statement of capabilities and learned how to submit the proper paperwork for Request for Proposals (RFP) and Request for Quotations (RFQ).

“The biggest success so far for DGR systems and working with the SBDC of Pinellas County has been the opportunity to meet other people in the county and local governments space and winning the first few contracts,” he said. “That was great to be able to get traction into the county. However, really being able to get these face-to-face meetings and taking it to the next step that was the best part of it.”

He said that the Florida SBDC and Florida PTAC of PCED are untapped resources and encourages other business owners to seek out the services. “They are at your fingertips and are immensely helpful in providing a great amount of training and resources. I don’t think they’re utilized enough and folks should take advantage of the services.”