June APAC Success Story- A.B. Martin Services, Inc.

A.B. Martin Services, Inc. is a medical, dental and ophthalmic supply company located in Springdale, Arkansas. The service disabled veteran owned business was started by Jerry Martin in 1997.

In 1993, Martin’s oldest daughter was serving as a nurse in the U.S. Air Force. She suffered a tragic accident that left her requiring 24/7 care. Martin provided full time care for his daughter from 1993-1997. During that time, he and his daughter became close to some of the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) staff.

It was the VA staff who suggested to Martin to start selling to the government. That’s when his original company DAV Supply (Disabled American Veterans Supply) was started. DAV sold office supplies to the government until 2010. At that time, the government was no longer allowed to purchase office supplies locally. Martin then reorganized his business into what is now known as A.B. Martin Services, or ABMS, selling medical supplies to the government and has been doing so ever since. ABMS employs six people.

Martin became aware of the Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center and its services after noticing an advertisement in the newspaper regarding one of the upcoming trainings offered by APAC. He began attending those trainings and became a client in 2009.

Since becoming an APAC client, he has been awarded numerous government contracts. His most recent contract was awarded a few months ago for $200,000 selling ophthalmic equipment to the VA. He is now one of the few contractors that the government contracts with in VISN 20, the VA Northwest Health Network, which includes the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and most of the state of Idaho for eye glass frames and lenses.

He feels APAC’s greatest asset is the assistance of counselors Max Franks and Mary Love.

“They make us aware of what is currently going on in government contracting,” Martin said.

Martin calls Max 3-4 times monthly for assistance.

“When I acquired a business partner in January of 2017, the first thing I offered him was Max’s name and contact information," he said.