Tony Jimenez is Free Enterprise
American Legion Small Business Task Force member Tony Jimenez built MicroTech from scratch in 2004.

Tony Jimenez is Free Enterprise

Anthony Jimenez is an example of America at its finest. The son of working-class parents, he rose from a youth of wearing hand-me-downs and not being able to eat school-cafeteria lunch to become one of the most successful small-business entrepreneurs in America. He joined the Army as a young man and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. He used determination, hard work and his service-learned skills to forge a path toward success, which led him to create MicroTech - a highly successful information-technologies and network services company that has cleared millions in profits.

A member of The American Legion's Small Business Task Force and lifetime Legionnaire, Jimenez firmly believes that military experience can go a long way in the workplace. Veterans make up about three-fourths of MicroTech's workforce. About half of them are service-disabled.

"Veterans bring so many tangible and intangible skills to the table," Jimenez said. "The Department of Defense prides itself on its ability to take young people straight out of high school and turn them into productive members of the workforce, and I think they do a better job than anyone else in the world. To be able to take all those skills and being proud that you served, I think that can create very successful people."

Jimenez gathered up $250,000 and drafted a business plan for MicroTech in 2004. The company has blossomed since. It now employs 350 skilled professionals and supports more than 100 prime contracts with the federal government. Jimenez has been named one of the 25 Most Powerful Minority Men in Business by the Minority Enterprise Executive Council. MicroTech has also garnered its share of recognition, being named one of the top 100 Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned businesses by Diversity magazine.

Jimenez is truly an example of Free Enterprise: