Launching Paragon

Paragon Solutions Inc. was the brainchild of Dr. Alice B. Reeves, the founder and president of the company. After leading several successful companies in Quality Improvement Processes and New Product Development, Alice decided to strike out on her own in the fall of 1997 and launched Paragon alongside business partner Karen Hamilton.

Alice recognized that the international standard for Quality Management Systems, ISO 9001, provided an ideal framework for organizations to improve their management approach. Alice and Karen had a vision of guiding clients to success with their unique approach to management system implementation.

The story begins with Midland-Grau (now Haldex, Inc.), where Alice and Karen were employed when they met and formed the idea of starting their own company. Later, Haldex Inc. became Paragon’s first client. It wasn’t long before Alice and Karen began forming other connections, including connections with early industry clients Harley Davidson, Royal Canin, Brewer Science, Doe Run, Cannon, and Alliance Industries.

Paragon’s clients and projects have remained diverse and unique over the years, and the company strives to continue fostering long-term relationships with each client, just like they’ve done with Haldex Inc., which has remained a key client of Paragon for over 23 years.

Offering Management Systems Consulting

As Alice and Karen began to expand Paragon’s services, they added Environmental Management Systems (EMS), ISO 14001, consulting services in 1999 when they obtained their EMS Lead Auditor Certification.

In partnership with Parsons, Paragon began offering EMS implementation and training services. At this point, Paragon’s influence expanded globally—Parsons-Paragon provided EMS implementation and training to DLA sites worldwide from 2004 through 2017. Alice and Karen received special recognition from DLA for their exceptional service to the organization in implementing these critical programs. Through this partnership, they were also able to begin offering audit support to Parsons’ DoD clients, opening up a whole new realm of services and expanding Paragon’s horizons even further.

Paragon was awarded an IDIQ contract from the Kansas City District, US Army Corps of Engineers to provide environmental compliance support at Fort Leonard Wood Army Garrison in 2008. Paragon maintained this contract through 2013 and received above average CPARS for each year of performance.

Alice recognized that the international standard for Quality Management Systems, ISO 9001, provided an ideal framework for organizations to improve their management approach. Alice and Karen had a vision of guiding clients to success with their unique approach to management system implementation.

Working with NASA

Paragon’s NASA partnership began in 2000, when Alice provided EMS training to NASA’s Johnson Space Center as a subcontractor to NQA, a management system registrar. In 2006, the Paragon-NQA team was awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide registration services to NASA Centers, with Paragon listed as the prime contractor and project manager and NQA as the registrar.

NASA sites that Paragon supports include Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Armstrong Flight Research Center, Glenn Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, and White Sands Test Facility; they also audit NASA’s Independent Verification and Validation Program.

In 2011, Paragon was the recipient of the NASA Shared Services Center’s Small Business Prime Contractor of the year award. Paragon continues to provide services to NASA after being awarded another IDIQ contract in 2016.

Building the Paragon Team

In 2005, Alice’s brother Ed Beechner completed his Construction Management Certificate at UCLA and joined the company. Leveraging Ed’s experience, Paragon was able to offer clients Construction Management Services, including project management, site supervision, constructibility analysis, and LEED support. Paragon received “outstanding” and “above average” CCASS ratings for these projects and maintains an outstanding safety rating. 

After a short battle with cancer, Alice’s business partner and close friend Karen Hamilton passed away in October 2009. Paragon survived this blow to the company through outstanding employees that carried on the vision set forth by Alice and Karen at the very beginning. Karen is remembered by Paragon through the establishment of the Karen Hamilton leadership scholarship, which is awarded each year to a student at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). The chosen student must display the qualities that made Karen such a special person to Paragon and it’s clients: courage, optimism, and innovation, to name a few.

Paragon again expanded into new markets when Alice’s sister, Angie Rolufs joined the Paragon team in 2018. 

Supporting Fort Belivoir’s Army Garrison

In addition to providing management system support to DOD, Paragon provides National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) support to the Fort Belvoir, Virginia Army Garrison as subcontractor to SES Construction and Fuel Services as well as environmental compliance support to Aleut, Fort Belvoir’s base maintenance contractor. 

Adding Resilience and Energy Expertise

Providing Empowered Solutions

As the Paragon team has successfully ventured into new and innovative business opportunities, it has continued to add talented team members. Paragon believes that empowered solutions require a strong team, and the current Paragon team combines years of experience and expertise in resilience planning, sustainable energy, government services, project management, and management consulting.