Russell Frutiger is the pioneering CEO of Client First Technologies, a company based in Fairfax, Virginia. He leads the company in delivering high-quality solutions and supporting mission success. His commitment to excellence ensures that Client First Technologies continues to drive innovation and help customers achieve their desired outcomes.
Strong leaders don’t just motivate their team but also create a positive and supportive environment. This encourages open communication, trust, and collaboration. With everyone’s input being valued, it can lead to better decision-making and problem-solving, fostering innovation and progress. Russell is one such leader who believes in people. He surrounds himself with highly qualified employees.
Secondly, he lays out a vision or strategy and allows his people to do their work. He empowers the people to accomplish the task at hand and go beyond their expectations in their own way. He elevates people by not just seeing their work but admiring their expertise in understanding and execution of the task. He guides his company through the example of heart (taking care of people), mind (understanding the capabilities of the team), and spirit (making sure that they have everything they need to accomplish the task at hand).
Exceptional Accomplishments
Russell believes in the people of Client First Technologies, which is the catalyst that makes the company thrive in a tough environment. Owing to this brilliant mindset, Russell has taken the company to new heights.
An example of this is that Client First Technologies has been appraised at Level 3 of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) for Development and Services. A Level 3 rating indicates that Client First Technologies' processes for developing solutions and delivering services are well-defined, mature, and effectively tailored to customer needs.
CMMI is a framework designed to equip organizations with performance-boosting best practices and solutions for evaluating, optimizing, and maturing current capabilities. Flexible and scalable, the CMMI model works with other continuous improvement methodologies, including Agile, DevOps, and Veteran-focused Integration Processes (VIP) to ensure consistent, quality delivery. CMMI is associated with minimized defects, improved development productivity, accelerated delivery timelines, increased customer satisfaction, and reduced costs.
“Delivering high-quality solutions and supporting mission success is Client First Technologies top priority,” says Russell. “With this appraisal, Client First Technologies will continue to drive excellence help customers achieve their desired states.” In addition to the recent CMMI appraisal, Client First Technologies has also achieved International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 (Quality Management), 20000 (IT Service Management), and 27001 (Information Security Management) certifications.
Becoming A Leader
Russell’s role model is Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt was known for championing fairness for citizens. He was a Soldier, a statesman, and a conservationist who was not afraid to rock the boat. His determination of spirit, patriotism, and service to the country was exemplary. Russell has tried to model his own actions and career in this way, serving the country as a Soldier and as a patriot, continuing to serve, helping the veterans, and gaining success.
It took just about six months to realize Client First Technologies' first success. It was a significant game changer for the company, winning a large IDIQ contract that allowed it to compete with a smaller pool of qualified bidders. “As a leader, you must have a clear goal in mind and stick to it. Narrow your focus as you start, as you cannot compete across a large spectrum, and you will be stretched too thin to compete in a meaningful and successful way,” he says. “Ensure that you have financial backing as you start to ensure you can take care of your people. Believe in people, and they will take care of the company and our clients. Our company motto says it well, Clients First, People Always.”
Building A Great Company
Client First Technologies provides Strategic Consulting, Technology, and Managed Services to commercial, non-profit, and government organizations. Our expertise lies in mobilizing the right people, skills, and technologies to help organizations with their most pressing challenges. As a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Client First Technologies is committed to excellence and creating innovative and flexible solutions for our clients. Client First Technologies' mission is twofold: take care of the clients and take care of the people to ensure mission success. “We have clients across the Federal government. Our entire focus is to provide a quality product to our government and ultimately to our people that provides the service requested at the best possible price,” explains Russell. “Stewardship of our scarce government resources is a consideration in all that we do. Our focus is on our clients. Winning competitive contracts early in our history made us competitive six months into being a company and has catapulted us to great success early in our history.” Russell understands the competitive landscape of government contracting and has used this expertise to guide Client First Technologies to early success and stability. Client First Technologies was recently awarded a 4-year contract to provide the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with IT oversight and program management support. Under this award, the company will collaborate closely with the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions Office (EISO) to streamline, standardize, and effectively manage critical programs, including Enterprise Agreements.
This project, awarded through the Transformation Twenty One Total Technology-Next Generation (T4NG) vehicle, aims to enhance access control, reduce the risk of unauthorized procurements, and ensure compliance with federal regulations while optimizing technical efficiency. Client First Technologies will implement a robust quality program bolstered by Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 3 and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) processes to achieve entitlement visibility, thorough license tracking, and compliance with Federal regulations. In addition, Client First Technologies will provide strategic planning, analysis, and administrative support services.
“Our top priority is to ensure compliance, efficient processes, and valuable services for VA's mission to serve Veterans,” says Executive Vice President Sean Kelly in a press release. “We look forward to managing these aspects for over 500,000 users and providing operational excellence, stringent oversight protocols, and heightened technical efficiency.” In the coming days, Client First Technologies will continue to work hard for its clients. “Their needs and services drive us. Besides our people, this is our focus and will remain so. This is not about my success but the success of a highly competent and experienced team that believes in our work and the clients we serve,” concludes Russell.
