Disabled Veteran Corey Gabler Open for PCA Business Through Steel River Systems

Rock Falls, IL – Steel River Systems, LLC (SRS), a disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) based in a Federal HUBZone in Northwestern Illinois, is pleased to announce its formation and availability to assist Federal contractors in meeting task order subcontracting requirements.  This includes Private Collection Agencies (PCAs) serving the U.S. Department of Education (ED) as small businesses today and unrestricted contractors who are required to name SDVOSB firms within responses to the solicitation released last Friday.

Corey Gabler

Mr. Gabler served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2006 to 2011 as an infantryman with a specialization in intelligence.  With service in 19 countries and three deployments, he led an intelligence cell in Afghanistan, and was ultimately injured as a result of his service and assigned a service-connected disability rating from the Veteran’s Administration in 2011.

After leaving the Marines, Corey worked as a Vice President at Verifacts, where he managed several key vendor relationships with responsibility for more than $2M in sourcing.  Additionally, he oversaw development and analytical assets for research and development and redeveloped a product line around administrative resolutions for student loans.

Though a newly-formed company, Mr. Gabler’s understanding of the PCA initiative led him to commit the financial investment needed to implement Federal subcontracts. “I’m very excited to bring this company to market and work with the PCAs in a new capacity. This is a market with historically high barriers to entry. SRS fully understands the financial requirements and has the funding and access to executive management needed to do the job.” he said. Adding further that, “We are in a fortunate position where the money and talent has come to us and essentially, we have the opportunity to control our own destiny.”

Because the firm is located in a Federal HUBZone, it can achieve HUBZone certification, and expects to submit an application for the certification during the first quarter of 2016.

In the solicitation released last Friday, ED expressed a goal that 31% of all unrestricted PCA revenue be earmarked to small businesses.  Three of those percentage points are reserved solely for SDVOSBs and another three are reserved for HUBZone-certified small businesses.  PCAs can hire firms with multiple designations in order to meet both requirements with one firm.  Subcontractors are not required to be nationally licensed to perform a small portion of the work, and Federal regulations encourage contractors to foster the development of small businesses of every kind, particularly SDVOSBs.

SRS is a member of the Fed Cetera Network. “Mr. Gabler is respected and thought highly of within the PCA community,” said Leah Wilson Conger, co-operator of the Fed Cetera Network.  “It has been my pleasure working with Corey over the past several years.  He has exceptional strategic and planning skills and has become quite the expert with all student loans.  I am looking forward to working more with Corey in this new venture.” Fed Cetera is a “business development organization” as the term is used within 48 CFR 52.219-9 with nearly sixty small businesses available to PCAs that can be named as proposed subcontractors in response to the solicitation released last Friday.

Corey commented, “SRS will have a meaningful impact on a local community which has struggled to get back on its feet and with experience in skip tracing and administrative resolutions, SRS is well positioned to add value to this market.” SRS is unaffiliated with, and operates independently of, any other company.

Mr. Gabler is a member of the Board of Trustees of ARMing Heroes (www.armingheroes.org), the collection industry’s charity devoted to helping military veterans by making timely grants paid out to creditors of grant recipients each holiday season.