Contractor Profiles

Mike Vogel | 12/1/2010

LUKE & ASSOCIATES
Healing Hands

Jim Barfield’s Luke & Associates supplies the military with medical and dental specialists at least six times faster than the military can on its own. [Photo: Gregg Matthews]

When the Bush administration adjusted procurement rules to make it easier for small contractors to win bids for work, Jim Barfield and his partners jumped. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would take off like it has," he says. Their Luke & Associates has grown to 1,300 employees in just five years and is projected to have $100 million in revenue this year. It supplies military bases with medical and dental specialists ranging from neurosurgeons to medical technicians. They treat troops and their families for ailments ranging from children's ear infections to combat veterans' post-traumatic stress disorder.

Barfield, 56, says a base in need of a pharmacy tech can spend six months to a year trying to get one through an individual request for proposals. Luke can deliver a tech in less than 30 days. He says the company's advantage is automating, especially the cumbersome credentialing required for medical specialists. "It's worse than going for a security clearance," Barfield says.

So far, he has seen only minimal cutbacks from the military but expects further cuts as the wars end, which is fine with Barfield. "Believe me. I have a son in the military, and I will be very happy to see him home."

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