When newly minted officers of the U.S. Border Patrol arrive for their basic training at Charleston, S.C., representatives of The Cube Corp. pick them up at the airport. Cube people drive the aspiring guards to their dormitory rooms at a nearby U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service training facility. For the next six weeks, Cube employees feed the rookies, clean their laundry and provide armed guards to protect the new guards. When they graduate, Cube arranges for rides back to the airport.

Jack A. Mencia uses his own Redskins tickets to reward good employees. Photo by Mark Rhodes

Such attention to detail, along with inspiring its employees to do well, has made Cube a strong player in the hotly competitive area of facilities management for the U.S. government. Since its founding in 1994, the privately held company based in Sterling has seen its revenues grow from $100,000 the first year to $42 million last year. It may reach $100 million in 2002. "The reason for our fast growth is that we take care of our employees. That’s critically important when you are in a mature market," says CEO and co-founder Jack A. Mencia.

The $8 million Border Patrol contract, which Cube shares with OMNIPLEX World Services Corp., is a case in point. When Cube got the job, a number of workers who worked previously with other companies were hired by the firm. Mencia says he tries to make sure there’s always an extra incentive to bring out the best in workers, such as offering better benefits or extra perks. To engage senior Cube managers working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mencia rewards them with such personal perks as tickets to Washington Redskins football games, free parking and $50 in cash each for hot dogs and beer.

All in all, Cube has grown to handle 25 government contracts. Some, such as a $2 million job to handle support and physical security for the EPA’s National Security Emergency Preparedness Center near Raleigh, N.C., can require employees to have top-secret security clearances. Cube has contracts for other sensitive facilities, such as the Department of Energy’s Albuquerque operations and various NASA sites. Cube likewise does work for the Army and the Air Force, the Department of Agriculture and other agencies.

Mencia first got involved with facilities management work after he graduated from George Mason University in 1983 and went to work with System Planning Inc., an Arlington facilities management company. His unit was sold to a West Coast firm and then he and two partners, who have since left, bought out the division and took it private. Mencia named the new entity "Cube," the nickname of his older brother. Mencia’s parents fled Castro in 1961 and settled briefly in Florida before relocating to Northern Virginia. The older brother was called "Cube" for "Cuban."

Mencia says Cube is likely to grow more. While privatizing the management of government facilities isn’t new, the country is seeing a new round of privatization. With each new contract, Cube usually acquires the employees of the previous facility manager. They are given extra attention and training with an eye towards making the new Cube client happy with their performance. As their reputation grows, so does their contract list. Says Mencia: "The thing is really all about our employees. They are the reason we are successful."

Return to Virginia Business - June 2001