Kimberly deCastro is the president and CEO of Wildflower International, a woman-owned federal contractor and HUBZone-certified small business that provides technology solutions to the US Department of Energy. The HUBZone certification program supports small businesses located in economically disadvantaged areas and aims to allocate 3% of federal contracts to HUBZone companies, which must meet requirements around ownership, location, and employee residence to qualify.

1. Kimberly deCastro

2. Kimberly deCastro serves as the president and CEO of Wildflower
International. Kimberly deCastro established Wildflower as a woman-owned
federal contractor providing technology solutions to the US Department of
Energy. The company is a HUBZone-certified small business.

3. The Historically Underutilized Business Zones, or HUBZone,
certification program supports small businesses located in economically
disadvantaged geographic areas. The program aims to allocate a
minimum of 3 percent of federal contracts to HUBZone companies.

4. The HUBZone program has four key requirements that must be met for
certification:
Small Businesses Only: To be eligible for HUBZone certification, a
company must be considered a small business by the US Small Business
Administration. The SBA determines a company’s status as a small
business based on the North American Industry Classification System,
which categorizes companies according to their economic activity.

5. Ownership: At least 51 percent of the company’s ownership must belong
to one of the following groups: American citizens, a Native American
tribe, or an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian corporation.
Location: The company’s headquarters must be located in a HUBZone.
Employee Residence: At least 35 percent of the company’s employees
must reside in a HUBZone.