Posted Date: August 24, 2023 by:
Ben Marglin

Leadership & Perspective. My Story of the Fairfax County I-66 Transfer Station

Last year we moved (locally), and as everyone knows, it’s usually a stressful and generally not very fun activity, even when it goes well. Doesn’t everyone generally try to avoid moving if they can? (Sidenote: This appears to apply to everyone except my daughter, who briefly considered moving this summer ‘just for something new!’)
For us, the process of moving out of our old home and moving into another home provided an opportunity for us to clean up and get rid of unneeded stuff. I made countless trips to Goodwill and sold many items on Craigslist. But I made the most trips to the Fairfax County I-66 Transfer Station, or ‘The Dump.’
Before, during, and after our move, I probably made 50 runs to the Dump – getting rid of stuff from our old house and throwing things away once we got to our new house. Some was our old stuff, and some was yard cleanup at the new house. I used my car or trucks from U-Haul and Home Depot for the big stuff. I got very familiar with the route (13 miles from my house) and what truck to use for what. (FYSA, U-Haul charges by mileage, and Home Depot charges for time). I also learned where different stuff goes in the dump and how it’s different on Sundays than on other days (only residential vehicles allowed). But I’m getting off topic . . .
The main reason I thought to write this piece is an interesting phenomenon I experienced during all those runs to the Dump. No matter the day, time, or vehicle I was using to drop stuff off, the employees at the Dump were always friendly, helpful, and appeared to be genuinely enjoying their work. I was continuously struck and surprised at how nice they were to all the folks dropping off their trash.
This made me think that there had to be something larger at play – the organization and the leadership had created a working environment (culture) that folks clearly enjoyed, and it showed in how all the folks acted. There was no way this was a coincidence, and this wasn’t some bunch of teenagers at a fast-food restaurant giving you a company spiel. I don’t know how it came to be that way, but I must believe it has something to do with how the organization’s leadership sets an example and trains its employees. These folks clearly have some great perspective. In an environment that is not always pleasant (who wants to be around trash all day?), this organization has succeeded in making what could be a negative experience into a pretty positive one. Kudos to Fairfax County for getting this right.

Some Takeaways from this Experience:
• Leadership sets the tone at any organization, and we have a choice as to what kind of tone we want the organization to embody on a day-to-day basis. Having the right perspective and being positive about whatever we have in front of us can move an organization forward. (Or hold it back if the opposite is true).

• Despite the ease at which you can acquire material possessions these days, with Amazon stopping at my house very regularly, you can generally get by with less stuff than you think. As a leader in a small business, we need to make smart choices and look to maximize our investments where we can. As a people (professional services) business, the biggest and most important investments are in our people.

• Try to focus on (and put effort towards) things you can control and try not to worry about the things you can’t. At a small business, we’ve got to focus on our strategy and the things that we believe will make us successful. Don’t waste time on things that will distract us from our goals.

• Relationships are probably the most important asset you have. Focus time on building and maintaining them – with colleagues, clients, and partners. As a wise CEO once told me, your relationship with the program office is the most important piece of the deal.

• Finally, one last note about perspective. If you ever feel stuck, try changing your perspective – by going to a new location or stepping away to do something else for a while. I’ve had the chance to do some traveling this summer – to new client work locations in Raleigh, NC, Cincinnati, OH, and to visit family in Boston, MA. I always find that some of the biggest benefits of traveling are the perspective you gain and the appreciation you get for home.

About the Author, Ben Marglin


Ben Marglin is Vice President of Business Development at Centennial Technologies, focused on developing and leading the growth strategy for Centennial. With over 25 years of experience in public sector management and technology consulting, Ben’s strengths include building strong client relationships with both existing and prospective clients, and serving as a people leader across the organization. He helps promote a strong and healthy company culture. Ben leads the growth team to identify and capture new opportunities across the business development lifecycle, working to expand Centennial’s business in the Federal and commercial space.
Ben’s areas of expertise include digital strategy and transformation, acquisition, change management, and IT program management. He has a master’s degree in public policy from Duke University, a bachelor’s degree from Colby College, and has professional certifications in Program Management (PMP), AWS Cloud, Agile (SAFe and ICAgile), Change Management (CMAP), ITIL, and Technology Business Management (TBM). Ben lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, son, and goldendoodle Sophie, and when he’s not doing yard work, he enjoys golf, running and biking, and following his native Boston sports teams. You can connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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Sunitha Ravi

Vice President of Operations and Delivery

Sunitha Ravi is the Vice President of Operations and Delivery at Centennial Technologies Inc. In her role, she focuses on building trusted relationships with senior federal clients while driving innovative and customer-centric solutions. Using over 26 years of experience supporting both the public and private sectors, Sunitha aligns technology with strategic business and operational goals while managing operations and technology teams to deliver excellent customer service.

Before Centennial, Sunitha was a Director at VMWare public sector and led various programs for federal clients through agile and scrum practices while meeting growth and profitability goals. Before VMWare, Sunitha held various leadership positions at Verizon, Terramark, and Tetra Tech. She managed the delivery of financial and technology solutions and served as a trusted advisor to executive and management stakeholders. She successfully led teams of over 200 staff and agency portfolios with ~$100M in annual revenue. She supported financial teams and improved the finance function by driving more efficient processes and streamlining financial reporting.

She holds a Master’s degree in environmental engineering and is an Earned Value Practitioner (EVP), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) certified. She lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with her husband and two daughters and enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and cooking.

Ben Marglin

Vice President of Business Development

Ben Marglin is Vice President of Business Development at Centennial Technologies, focused on developing and leading the growth strategy for Centennial. With over 25 years of experience in public sector management and technology consulting, Ben’s strengths include building strong client relationships with both existing and prospective clients, and serving as a people leader across the organization, helping to promote a strong and healthy company culture. Ben leads the growth team to identify and capture new opportunities across the business development lifecycle, working to expand Centennial’s business in the Federal and commercial space. 

Before Centennial, Ben was a Senior Vice President at Karsun Solutions, where he led client delivery for a ~$130M portfolio across several Federal civilian agencies and led a team of over 500 folks providing support to Federal clients. He spent 17 years with Booz Allen Hamilton, mainly in Federal Civilian market leadership roles where he had full P&L responsibility for a portfolio of Federal agencies, and he also spent two years in BAH’s Strategic Innovation Group (SIG) helping to lead the Digital Solutions practice area. Earlier, Ben worked for American Management Systems (AMS) providing IT and management solutions to state and local clients, and he spent three years on Capitol Hill working in the U.S. Senate.

Ben’s areas of expertise include digital strategy and transformation, acquisition, change management, and IT program management. He has a master’s degree in public policy from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree from Colby College and has professional certifications in Program Management (PMP), AWS Cloud, Agile (SAFe and ICAgile), Change Management (CMAP), ITIL, and Technology Business Management (TBM). Ben lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, son, and goldendoodle Sophie, and when he’s not doing yard work, he enjoys golf, running and biking, and following his native Boston sports teams. You can connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter.

ned

Ned Blackburn

Director of Growth and Client Success

Ned Blackburn is the Director of Sales and Business Development at Centennial Technologies Inc. In his role, he focuses on exceeding clients’ expectations through delivering innovative solutions, advising customers, and working with solution partners. Ned brings 25 years of experience in strategic account management, program management, and business development in the federal and commercial sectors to Centennial.

Before Centennial, Ned was a Director at Grant Thornton, providing subject matter expertise on IT modernization, financial management, and business transformation initiatives. He focused on building resilient and agile teams to support various federal agencies. Prior to Grant Thornton, Ned held several leadership positions in small and large businesses where he led business development, capture management, and vendor partnerships. He built and managed large teams specializing in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Business Intelligence, and Data Warehousing solutions.

Ned earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio University, is a Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), and ITIL4 certified. He lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife and three children. He enjoys coaching little league baseball, playing golf, and cheering for Cleveland sports teams.

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Antonio "Tony" Hylton

Cheif Strategy Officer​

Antonio “Tony” Hylton is Chief Strategy Officer for federal and state sectors at Centennial Technologies Inc. In this role, he develops service offerings, establishes strategic partnerships, and supports acquisitions. Tony brings over 30 years of public and private sector experience with business transformation, organizational change management, and innovative solutions to Centennial.

Before Centennial, Tony held various leadership positions at Verizon and managed over $100 million per quarter in sales. He guided the relationships with the National Association of State CIOs, National Association of State Technology Directors, US Conference of Mayors, and numerous state, local, and public safety agencies. Before Verizon, Tony served as Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Cook County, IL, where he led budget planning and execution, process optimizations, and technology innovation. Before Cook County, Tony held a variety of leadership positions with the Center for Digital Government (CDG), Dell-EMC, AT&T, and MCI.

Tony earned his bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University, is an accomplished Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and Certified Scrum Master. He loves golf and watersport activities. He is a home chef with a specialty in Asian-Fusion and Japanese Cuisines.

mani

Mani Allu

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Mani Allu is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Centennial Technologies Inc. With over 25 years of experience providing financial and technical solutions, Mani provides overall direction to the corporate growth strategies, differentiated capabilities, and company culture. He works directly with customers, employees, and partners daily and fosters the work environment to develop and deliver highly innovative solutions.

Before founding Centennial, Mani held leadership positions at Verizon, where he led operations and delivery of enterprise services for public and commercial sectors, supporting $240M in revenue. He focused on solutions that drove efficiency and effectiveness, including financial transformation, organizational development, business intelligence, data analytics, application and system modernization, cloud enablement, and cybersecurity. Before Verizon, Mani served as the Vice President at ADS Inc. and supported the telecommunications, financial, retail, and media sectors. He orchestrated the creation and management of service offerings, supervised partnerships, and supported mergers and acquisitions.

He earned his Master’s degree from West Virginia University and lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife and kids. He enjoys tennis and supporting his home sports teams.