Oak Ridge National Laboratory recognized five small business subcontractors and one internal staff member at its annual Small Business of the Year Awards ceremony, held Tuesday, May 19, at the ORNL Conference Center. The recipients were honored for contributions to the laboratory’s science and operations during fiscal year 2025.
ORNL Holds Annual Small Business Awards Ceremony
On May 19, laboratory staff and business partners gathered at the ORNL Conference Center for the Small Business of the Year Awards ceremony. Six honorees were recognized in total — five small business subcontractors and one ORNL procurement officer — in an event hosted by the lab’s Small Business Programs Office within the Contracts Division.
Ann Weaver, deputy for operations at ORNL, addressed attendees during the ceremony. “Small businesses are vital partners in delivering ORNL’s mission, bringing specialized expertise that help our teams succeed,” Weaver said. “We’re proud to recognize this year’s award winners and their impactful contributions to U.S. science and innovation.”
The annual event underscores how much outside partners matter to keeping a major national laboratory running — from precision fabrication to computing infrastructure to staffing support.
Why Small Businesses Are Recognized: Meeting Federal Goals and Mission Needs
The Small Business Programs Office exists to help ORNL meet federal small business subcontracting requirements, but its work extends well beyond compliance. The office actively cultivates partnerships with small, diverse, and local suppliers whose capabilities align with the lab’s scientific and operational demands. This year’s standout nominees demonstrated strengths in engineering, fabrication, staffing, and laboratory equipment supply.
Nominees are put forward by ORNL staff, not by the businesses themselves. That internal process means honorees reflect real, observed performance — not self-promotion.
The office also provides training and tools to help ORNL staff identify and connect with qualified small business suppliers. That internal support function keeps the lab’s procurement pipeline accessible to smaller vendors across a broad range of needs.
Full List of 2025 Award Recipients and Their Contributions
Six honorees received awards across four categories. Here is a breakdown of each recipient and what earned them the recognition.
Small Business of the Year — Alloy Fabrication (Clinton, TN): The company was recognized for versatility and technical expertise in aluminum welding in support of the High Flux Isotope Reactor, known as HFIR — one of the most powerful research reactors in the United States.
Women-Owned Small Business of the Year — Manhattan Legacy Service (Oak Ridge, TN): The firm received its award for outstanding staffing support on the BRIAR Biometrics Project, demonstrating reliable delivery on a specialized research initiative.
Women-Owned Small Business of the Year — Schmiede Corporation (Tullahoma, TN): Schmiede was honored for quality machining and fabrication work supporting the HFIR Beryllium Reflector Replacement project, a technically demanding effort tied to the reactor’s long-term operation.
Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year — HOLMANS USA (Albuquerque, NM): The company supplied critical high-performance computing components and helped enable efficient procurements. HOLMANS USA also worked to expand small business participation in HPC procurement more broadly — a contribution that reached well beyond the scope of its own contract.
Small Business of the Year — Lyme Technology Solutions (Lebanon, NH): Recognized as a catalog supplier, Lyme Technology Solutions stood out for quick response times and proactive customer support, setting a benchmark for how catalog suppliers can serve a large research institution.
Small Business Advocate of the Year — Taurus Hinton, ORNL Procurement Officer: Hinton was recognized for his commitment to small business engagement, including active participation in outreach events and a willingness to take on small business responsibilities beyond his core role.
Background: ORNL’s Procurement Structure and Broader Mission
ORNL’s procurement operations are led by Tim Cannella, director of contracts. Cassandra McGee Stuart serves as manager of small business and supplier enablement. Their teams oversee the systems and relationships connecting the laboratory with its supplier base.
The Small Business Programs Office continues to offer resources that help ORNL staff identify and work with qualified small business suppliers — infrastructure supporting both the lab’s day-to-day operations and its longer-term scientific projects.
ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle on behalf of the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, which makes the supply chain and operational partnerships behind ORNL’s work consequential well beyond the laboratory itself. Staff or businesses seeking more information can visit smallbusiness.ornl.gov.
The 2025 Small Business Awards recognized six honorees across four categories: Small Business of the Year, Women-Owned Small Business of the Year, Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year, and Small Business Advocate of the Year. Winners were nominated by ORNL staff for demonstrated performance in engineering, fabrication, staffing, computing supply, and procurement advocacy during fiscal year 2025. The awards are organized annually by ORNL’s Small Business Programs Office and reflect the laboratory’s ongoing effort to meet federal subcontracting goals while building partnerships with small, diverse, and local suppliers.
Carlos is an engineer with strong expertise in technical and industrial topics. He previously worked at international companies such as Siemens and speaks Spanish, German, English, and Italian.
