Inspired Solutions has received the 2026 HIRE Vets Gold Medallion Award from the U.S. Department of Labor. It is the only federal award that recognizes an employer for recruiting, hiring, and keeping veterans. This is the fourth year in a row Inspired Solutions has earned the HIRE Vets Medallion.
The news came the week of Veterans Day, and we are celebrating all week. Inspired Solutions gives every team member Veterans Day off. This Wednesday, November 11, our team will spend the day honoring those who served, being with family, and thanking the veterans in their own lives.
What the HIRE Vets Medallion Is
Congress created the HIRE Vets Medallion Program in the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act of 2017. The Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service runs it. Employers apply each year. The Department measures each one against fixed standards for veteran hiring and retention.
For a small employer like us (50 or fewer employees), the Gold award asks for three things:
At least 7% of new hires are veterans, or at least 7% of the workforce is veterans.
At least 75% of the veterans hired are still with the company a year later.
No violations of veterans' employment law.
The award is not a pledge. You do not get it for good intentions. You get it for the people on your payroll and the people who stay. A congratulatory letter and certificate signed by the Secretary of Labor confirm it.
The Veterans Behind Inspired Solutions
This award is about people, so let me introduce a few of them.
Isabella Piña, CEO and Founder. I grew up in a village in Dominica with no running water and no electricity. I came to the United States at 20 and enlisted in the U.S. Army before I was a citizen. I was naturalized in uniform. I spent nine years as an enlisted logistician and made Sergeant in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Then the Army selected me for its Enlisted Commissioning Program and sent me to nursing school, and I served 12 more years as an Army Nurse Corps officer. My last assignment was coordinating one of the most advanced robotic surgery departments in the Army. That is 21 years of service. When I retired in 2015, I started Inspired Solutions at my kitchen table.
Rick Piña, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Revenue Officer. My husband served 25 years in the U.S. Army. He finished his career at the Pentagon as the Army's first Chief Technology Officer, working for the Army Chief Information Officer. After the Army, he spent eight years at World Wide Technology as Chief Technology Officer for Public Sector. Today he leads our operations and growth.
Eric Erickson, Program Manager. Eric is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He runs our vendor-managed inventory program, where getting the right part to the right place on time is the whole job.
Karen McCleary, Client Services Executive Coordinator. Karen served 25 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a Sergeant Major, the Army's highest enlisted rank. She keeps our certifications, compliance, and partner relationships in order, and she serves as Secretary of our Board.
They are not the only ones. Veterans work across our company, in our engineering, logistics, and program teams. Between Rick and me alone, that is 46 years in uniform. Add Karen, and it is more than 70.
We all brought one lesson out of the Army: mission success starts with taking care of your team. We hire veterans because we know what they bring. They show up. They take care of people. They finish the mission.
Hiring is the easy part. Keeping people is the real test. That is why we are proudest of the retention standard. It measures whether the veterans who join us choose to stay.
What It Means for Our Customers
Our customers are federal agencies, defense organizations, and the primes and enterprises that support them. When you work with Inspired Solutions, veterans lead and staff your project. They understand the mission because they lived it. They know what a deadline means when a unit depends on it. Our team includes cleared engineers.
That shows up across all three things we do:
IT procurement. As a value-added reseller, we source and deliver hardware, software, and licenses from the manufacturers federal teams already use.
Professional services. Our engineers and technicians design, install, and support networks, video conferencing, and mass notification systems.
Supply chain and logistics. We manage the parts, the shipping, and the inventory so equipment arrives on time and stays accounted for.
One veteran-owned partner covers equipment, services, and logistics. You get one point of accountability.
How to Work With a Veteran-Owned Team
Inspired Solutions is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB). We also hold 8(a), WOSB, EDWOSB, MBE, and WBE certifications. That gives federal buyers several direct paths to us:
SDVOSB set-asides and sole-source awards under the Veterans First program at the Department of Veterans Affairs and under FAR Part 19 government-wide.
8(a) direct awards through the Small Business Administration.
GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract 47QTCA22D00DQ.
NASA SEWP VI, where we hold both a products contract and a services contract.
You can see our full list of certifications and awards on our Certifications and Awards page, read how to buy through NASA SEWP VI, or contact our team to talk about your next requirement.
Thank You
To every veteran on the Inspired Solutions team: this award belongs to you. You earned it in uniform, and you keep earning it here.
To every veteran who owns a business, works in one, or is starting one: thank you for your service. And to every buyer reading this: buy from veteran-owned businesses this week and every week.
You can view all HIRE Vets Medallion recipients at HIREVets.gov/awardees.
With gratitude,
Isabella Piña
CEO and Founder, Inspired Solutions, Inc.