Posted on 09/15/2016 5:22:56 AM PDT by simpson96
A fashionista from Beverly Hills, Calif., collected millions in interior design contracts from federal agencies by claiming to be disadvantaged, while simultaneously working at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) sending work to design companies.
Ronda C. Jackson was a no-show at her VA job, colleagues said. Records show she instead spent her time running a design company that got $7 million in contracts from the VA and other government agencies since 2008, reselling them marked-up goods like five-seat tables for $17,000.
Since 1997, Jackson has run Décor Interior Design, which seeks preference on government contracts by claiming to be disadvantaged because she is black, a woman and based out of a supposedly downtrodden Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone). The reduced-competition contracting program is known as 8(a).
Jackson worked as a full-time federal employee at the Los Angeles VA center in fiscal years 2010 and 2011, which ran from Oct. 1, 2009 to Sept. 30, 2011. Pay records show she worked as a GS-12 level interior designer and made $80,000 each year. Colleagues said they never saw Jackson in the office.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
I just googled her....she’s Black, obviously a Democrat, so she’s UNTOUCHABLE!!! The “JUST US” Dept is CORRUPT!
So that explains the VA spending tens of millions on “art,” no doubt contracted for by this crook and her cronies, while sick veterans languished on waiting lists to see doctors. This woman should be sent to prison for the rest of her life but of course, so should Cheryl Mills, Huma and Hillary and those crooks are still running for president.
Décor Interior Design Inc. is a Los Angeles-based, SBA 8(a), HUBZone certified, woman-owned facility resource company specializing in tenant improvements, design, furnishings, and maintenance. Décors services and products seamlessly transition from design specification to installation and upkeep. Décor Interior Design’s clients include the US Air Force, General Services Administration, and Fortune 500 companies; and has completed projects in eight states.
Ronda was awarded the 2014 Minority Small Business Champion, 2013 Outstanding Entrepreneur, a 2014 Women Making a Difference nominee, and her company was listed in the Top 100 Minority Firms in Los Angeles. She is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program.
This charismatic and dynamic entrepreneur has hurdled obstacles throughout her career. Her business model has evolved over the years but one thing has not changed: her firm belief in helping clients, employees, and colleagues achieve their best. She has always focused on listening and working closely to realize the balance of what they want, when they need it, and how she can be of service.
Experience Principal Designer/Owner
Decor Interior Design Inc.
1997 Present (19 years)Greater Los Angeles Area
Over the course of the ten years we have been in practice, Décor has developed a portfolio that illustrates our considerable experience in designing commercial offices and conference rooms, health care space planning and design, government agency facility space planning and design, residential interior design, way finding, and signage. Our skills in planning, sourcing, and purchasing, supported by our project management and CAD technology, are as important to the execution of our projects as our creative vision.
July 2015
Decor Interior Design, has made the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America.
This achievement puts us in rarefied company. The elite group we’ve now joined has, over the years, included companies such as Microsoft, Timberland, Vizio, Intuit, Chobani, Oracle, and Zappos.com
2015 Blue Ribbon Small Business Award
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s annual Blue Ribbon Small Business Awards®, is a program that recognizes companies for their success and innovation and for their contributions to
economic growth and free enterprise. Décor Interior Design was selected from a record number of applicants from communities across the nation for demonstrating exceptional business practices in areas including strategic planning, employee development, community involvement, and customer service.
2015 Top Minority Firms
Los Angeles Business Journal
Décor Interior Design, Inc. was ranked by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the Top 100 Minority Firms in Los Angeles. Décor Interior Design, Inc. also ranks in the Top 10 of Fastest Growing Minority Firms with 71% year-over-year revenue growth.
2014 Inner City 100
Initiative for a Competitive Inner City
Decor Interior Design, Inc. has been identified as one of the 100 of the fastest-growing businesses located in America’s inner cities.
2014 Supplier of the Year Winners Circle
Southern California Minority Development Council
MBEs are nominated by member corporations and compete in the local competition for the “Supplier of the Year” award in four major categories, determined by MBEs’ gross annual revenues.
2014 Top 100 Minority Firms in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Business Journal
Décor Interior Design, Inc. was ranked by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the Top 100 Minority Firms in Los Angeles. Décor Interior Design, Inc. also ranks in the Top 10 of Fastest Growing Minority Firms with 59% year-over-year revenue growth.
2014 Women Making a Difference Nominee
Los Angeles Business Journal
Honoring L.A.s most successful women business leaders. This annual awards luncheon will recognize women making a difference in the Los Angeles community.
2014 Minority Small Business Champion
Small Business Administration
Ms. Jackson’s commitment to the advancement of small business opportunities for minority business owners.
2013 Outstanding Entrepreneur Award
Black Business Association
Ms. Jackson received the BBAs Outstanding Entrepreneur Award in recognition of her success in founding and growing Décor Interior Design Inc., a Los Angeles based, SBA 8(a) certified women-owned facility resource company specializing in interior design support, furniture procurement and tenant improvements.
2013 Women Making a Difference Nominee
Los Angeles Business Journal
Honoring L.A.s most successful women business leaders. This annual awards luncheon will recognize women making a difference in the Los Angeles community.
Completely outrageous. Trump needs to highlight this scandal. Lots of scandals and corruption are complicated and hard for the public to follow, but not this one. Most people will be shocked and angered by this malfeasance and misuse of taxpayer funds at the VA.
If the House Committee On Veteran’s Affairs doesn’t investigate this they are no better than the corrupt VA they are supposed to oversee.
rhonda hates Veterans. This criminal should be arrested, imprisoned and then exiled after having her assets seized. What an unpatriotic piece of s***. Typical asshat LIB degenerate.
“This charismatic”
Says it all..
I was once in court case and the opposition presented an expert witness. She had received lots of awards, but I had done my homework. Ends up I was able to perform a good google search and find articles and documents showing that she was chair of the awards committees in the organizations that gave her the awards. Kind of blew her credibility!!!
There’s no waste, fraud or abuse in government contracts! /s
I can just see her high five’ing and fist bumping with Maxine Waters.
Another example of the rampant waste and fraud in our government. It’s at all levels - city, township, county, state and national. It’s big in medical, pharma, Medicare and Medicaid. It’s big in military procurement. And it’s big in Social Security Disability. And it’s big in U.S. alphabet departments.
A real fraud and waste busting effort across the board would save untold billions of gov spending overall. It would reduce gov spending in a yuuuuuuuuuuuge way.
But, a bunch of very fat cats would lose their take of our taxed money, and will do whatever it takes to protect their graft...
No, you don’t want a gig like that. Justice will come whether it’s in this life or the next...
Aside from the egregious double dipping issue, when contracts are given on a non-competitive basis the government is supposed to do a price reasonableness determination to keep the government from getting ripped off. It appears that the VA contracting officer who awarded these contracts was either negligent, incompetent or told to “just sign it”.
Most contracting offices in the government are usually pretty good about seeking competition (from at least three bidders) and performing price checks to weed out bids that exceed what is known as an Independent Government Cost Estimate (an estimate that establishes a reasonable price range for the goods or services being acquired). Its standard procedure to do this.
Contracting officers generally do some due diligence and document the results to cover themselves. This is a complete breakdown of the contracting system in VA.
There is tremendous duplication and redundancy in the government. The potential savings of eliminating this would save an enormous amount of money. That would be the easy part. The hard part would be trying to find jobs for the army of useless ex-bureaucrats. Who would want them? lol
Another big problem is the complete lack of accountability. This article reveals an outrageous scandal but it again illustrates that nobody is ever responsible for anything in the government. Until that changes the government will never become efficient.
Or deport them all to Venezuela.
not to mention the millions spent on VA artwork...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/report-va-spent-millions-costly-art-veterans-waited/story?id=40970667
You didn't need Google to figure that out.
Minority set asides and preferences should be ended, but it won’t happen under a Rat or GOPe President. Congress might even prevent it with Trump. We need to try. Every time you see a woman or minority getting awards that involve govt business...there probably is corruption involved.
The VA will fight a Veteran to the death over a nickel.
If they fight enough Veterans for nickels, then they can steal dollars for themselves.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.