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  1. Events
  2. 2024 Minority Veteran Owned Firm Year Award

2024 Minority Veteran Owned Firm of the Year Award

Zeferino Banda Jr. Headshot

Presented to a minority veteran-owned enterprise with outstanding business performance demonstrated by growth and job creation, and a commitment to social responsibility and community involvement.

Minority Veteran Owned Firm of the Year is presented to Banda Group.

Banda Group International (BGI), is an Arizona headquartered, service-disabled veteran-owned small business with a corporate emphasis on providing distinguished professional services including environmental health and safety, environmental consulting, safeguards and security, and construction management, oversite, and support to commercial and federal government clients. BGI has offices in Albuquerque, NM, White Rock, NM, and Oak Ridge, TN. BGI has additional certifications as a small business entity, a minority business entity and as a Small Business Administration-certified small, disadvantaged business. BGI’s proven business systems and procedures include project management and financial systems with the ability to handle projects of any size or complexity. BGI is a small business with a large company infrastructure and support network.

BGI embodies a safety-first culture and was founded upon the principles of environmental, health, and safety (EH&S). Worker safety assuring project safety is at BGI’s core — injuries and incidents are preventable, and this belief shapes the quality of BGI’s work.

BGI’s strong track record of successfully executed projects spans more than 20 years and is an industry- respected name. BGI’s awarded contracts include semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing companies domestically and internationally; general contractors on small and large construction projects; and several U.S. federal agencies including the NASA, the Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Labor.

BGI has been a federal government prime contractor for more than 13 years. BGI has effectively managed and implemented scopes supporting the Sandia National Laboratories, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Zeferino (Zef) Banda, Jr., CSP

Zeferino Banda, Jr. was born in Corpus Christi, TX and raised in Albuquerque, NM where he lived until joining the U.S. Air Force in 1981. Zef served as an aircraft and flight mechanic for 8 years, including 4 years stationed abroad in Germany where he supported U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization aircraft forces.

After an honorable discharge from the Air Force, he began work with a DOE air service contractor as an aircraft mechanic. During his stint as a mechanic, Zef was involved in an onsite mechanical accident, and thereafter moved into a position overseeing health and safety for the ground safety program. Zef built a completely new and comprehensive safety program by leveraging his knowledge and experience as an air force veteran, a skilled flight mechanic, and his drive to protect worker health and safety. This program successfully improved operations safety, and protected onsite personnel, visitors, and aircraft mechanics.

Zef eventually moved on to a position in risk management at Sandia National Laboratories and then again as an EH&S specialist for Intel Corporation. While with Intel, he oversaw semiconductor wafer-fab construction safety operations in NM, OR, Israel, and Ireland. During this time, he pursued and received a master’s degree from Central Missouri State University, focused on industrial safety management by attending night school and weekend sessions.

In 2003, Zef founded Banda Group International. His new firm focused on his passion for EH&S by providing services to various semiconductor entities and their construction projects. Initially, Zef operated the company single-handedly managing all aspects of administration, business development, finance, and human resources. During 2005, he began collaborating with the Minority Business Development Agency and explored the federal 8(a) program. Through the 8(a) program, he secured a federal contract providing EH&S services to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Working from his home for several more years, and with continued support from the MBDA,Zef secured capital and business funding and ultimately established additional offices in Albuquerque, Phoenix, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge.

Zef, now with more than 30 years of experience, encompasses managing EH&S program activities and development for multi-million-dollar construction projects in the pharmaceutical, semiconductor, manufacturing, advanced technology, environmental, aviation, and government sectors. Zeferino Banda has a genuine passion for ensuring the safety of workers and developing programs to protect employee health and the environment. He is a proven and experienced professional committed to the growth and improvement of BGI, as well as the communities it serves.