Computer Systems Management, Inc., A Virginia-based Small Business, Opens an Office in Detroit to Launch its Automotive Systems Group.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 15, 1998-- Computer Systems Management, Inc. (CSMI) of Alexandria, Virginia, recently opened an office in Detroit, Michigan.

This launches an expansion of CSMI's transportation technology capabilities to include automotive systems engineering. The Detroit office is located at 4967 Crooks Road, Suite 120, Troy, Michigan 48007-7040, telephone [phone].

For CSMI, the Detroit office represents a milestone in its strategic plan to develop private-sector business that will sustain the company beyond its remaining seven-year tenure in the U.S. Small Business Administration's 8(a) Program. "I believe the Detroit office will generate private-sector contracting opportunities, particularly with the "Big Three" U.S. automakers," stated Shankar Pillai, CSMI's president.

The company hopes that an agreement between the U.S. Small Business Administration, Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors will boost its efforts to develop private-sector business. The agreement, recently announced by Vice President Al Gore and U.S. SBA Administrator Aida Alvarez, is designed to increase subcontracting awards to minority businesses by nearly $3 billion over the next three years. Stated Pillai, "We are pretty well positioned to market to the "Big Three," especially in light of this agreement."

CSMI is no stranger to the automotive industry and has provided technical, program and technology transfer support for the Department of Energy's Advanced Automotive Technologies Program since 1995. CSMI is currently supporting the Department of Energy's involvement in the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) program, a collaborative effort between the "Big Three" U.S. automakers and seven Federal agencies. The goal of PNGV is to develop an 80-mpg vehicle by 2004. Likewise, the Detroit office, with headquarters support, will soon be tasked with supporting a new $2.1 million, three-year contract with the Department of Energy's Nevada Operations Office to provide vehicle systems analysis, engineering, and program research support to the Advanced Automotive Technologies Program.

About CSMI

Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, CSMI is an information technology, engineering analysis and management-consulting firm. Incorporated in 1991, CSMI is projecting revenues of $3.5 million for 1998, up from just over $1 million in 1997. CSMI, a minority-owned, small disadvantaged business, is certified under the U.S. SBA's 8(a) Program. Information on CSMI and its services can be found on the World Wide Web at www.csmi.com.

SOURCE: DigitalWork http://www.digitalwork.com