Carey alum and CEO of ITegrity wins Maryland’s Small Business Person of the Year

Johns Hopkins Carey Business School alum, Tarandeep Bawa (MS in Information Systems ’03) was recognized by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as Maryland’s Small Business Person of the Year for his role as president and CEO at ITegrity.

While working as an independent consultant, Bawa dreamed of creating a company that not only operated with integrity but was centered on compassion. And in 2009, he acted upon his dream and founded ITegrity.

ITegrity is an SBA 8(a) certified small business that provides innovative and cost-effective technical, engineering, and management support solutions to the federal government and mid to large organizations.

The SBA’s Small Business Person of the Year award is given to top entrepreneurs and their small businesses from states across the country. The award recognizes entrepreneurs and small business owners whose resiliency, ingenuity, and creativity have advanced the economy and global competitiveness.

Bawa was first recognized as the Small Business Person of the Year for Suburban Maryland. As a district winner, he was entered into a larger category competing for the state award. Competing against business owners from different districts in Maryland, Bawa won the Small Business Person of the Year award for the entire state of Maryland.

“Receiving the Small Business Person of the Year award for the state of Maryland was quite humbling,” he said. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude to receive these awards and so honored to have been recognized by the SBA and my peers.”

In addition to his recognition from the SBA, Bawa’s company also received the Mid-Atlantic Region Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year award.

ITegrity is one of the thousands of small business prime contractors in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Yet ITegrity made a lasting impression with the SBA through its unique business approach and innovative services. The Prime Contractor of the Year award is given to small businesses that have provided outstanding contributions through goods or services to the government.

This recognition confirms there is a way to combine business and compassion to gain success. And ITegrity has flourished under Bawa’s leadership and morals of maintaining a quality employee culture, providing excellent service to clients, and giving back to surrounding underserved communities. 

“Giving back to underserved communities is so important to the ITegrity team and is at the core of everything we do. When we help and uplift others, we all win. There is room for us all to succeed. For instance, ITegrity was given the opportunity to sponsor a local elementary school that needed backpacks filled with school supplies. I found out that it was the same elementary school I had attended when I came to this country,” he said. “I lived in that underserved community and understand how important it is to give back and help others achieve their dreams with a little help. This moment was so impactful to me and encourages me to do more.”

Looking ahead, Bawa says ITegrity is continuing to expand its footprint into various agencies while increasing the capabilities and services they provide. As they continue to grow, Bawa says ITegrity will continue to honor its commitment to give back to the community.

“Just because ITegrity is growing doesn’t mean we are going to forget our roots,” he said.

Choosing Carey

Bawa began his career in program management and business development, working with networking infrastructure and telecommunications. Due to his demanding schedule, he chose Carey Business School’s Master of Science program because of the flexibility and coursework.

“I came across the program and thought it was a great fit for where I was at in my career,” he said. “The coursework gave me insight on how to run programs from a project management perspective and a deeper understanding of telecommunications.”

Bawa credits Johns Hopkins Carey Business School with the opportunity to hone his approach to solving business problems including the strategy behind breaking a problem apart and tackling it in a variety of different ways.

To watch Tarandeep Bawa’s Small Business Person of the Year acceptance speech, click here.