While many companies battle high turnover, HX5 has built a workforce known for long tenure. Margarita Howard, the sole owner, CEO and president of the Florida-based defense contractor, points to employees who have stayed with the company for 15 years or longer. That kind of loyalty is notable given the fast turnover common among younger workers entering the labor market today.
HX5 provides science, technology, engineering and mathematics support services to NASA and the Department of Defense, operating across 34 states and roughly 90 government sites with more than 1,000 employees on staff. The company marked its 20th anniversary in 2024, a milestone that underscores how unusual its retention record is within an industry known for constant staffing churn.
Mission Over Money
Howard credits much of that loyalty to the sense of purpose tied to government work. Employees who support NASA missions or national defense programs often describe feeling connected to outcomes that matter beyond a paycheck. That framing helps HX5 compete against commercial technology firms that can often pay more but rarely offer the same mission-driven appeal.
Defense contractors nationwide report growing difficulty filling STEM roles, according to trade group surveys, and HX5 is no exception. Still, Howard’s approach treats retention as a recruiting tool of its own, since workers considering a move to HX5 can point to colleagues who never left.
A Model Built on Experience
Most HX5 staff hold college degrees, and members of its management team, many of them women, frequently carry advanced degrees as well. That depth of experience, paired with long-serving employees, gives Margarita Howard a workforce that blends institutional knowledge with technical expertise, a combination increasingly rare as competition for skilled labor grows across the defense sector.
That mix of tenure and technical background also shapes how HX5 trains newer hires. Veteran employees mentor engineers and analysts joining the company from both military and civilian backgrounds, passing along institutional knowledge that would otherwise take years to rebuild. Howard has framed this internal pipeline as central to keeping HX5 staffed as older employees eventually retire and younger workers move into more senior positions across its federal support programs. Visit this page, for related information.
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