Defense contractors are hiring from a generation that wants different things from work, and Margarita Howard has been paying attention. Howard is the sole owner, CEO, and president of HX5, a Florida-based firm that provides science, technology, engineering, and mathematics support services to NASA and the Department of Defense. A recent profile in Home Business Magazine examined how she is adjusting the company’s approach to younger workers.
HX5 employs more than 1,000 people across 34 states and 90 government locations. The company is service-disabled veteran-owned and women-owned, and it marked its 20th anniversary in 2024.
Who Gen Z Is and What It Wants
Generation Z covers people born between 1997 and 2012. Research from Johns Hopkins University projects that this group will make up roughly 30% of the workforce by 2030. According to the profile, these workers care most about clear career growth, modern technology, and employers who share their values. A Deloitte study cited in the piece found that 77% of Gen Z respondents see working for an employer with shared values as vital.
Those preferences can clash with defense work. Contracting tends to follow a hierarchical structure, and security clearances take time to obtain.
Practical Adjustments at HX5
Margarita Howard told the magazine, “We’re excited about Gen Z.” She described hybrid work models offered where they make sense, paired with what she called “very strict security standards.” The company also modernized internal communication, adding instant messaging, interactive project management, and changes to tools and workspaces.
Experience still carries weight Howard said HX5 prefers candidates who have supported NASA or the Department of Defense, since that background differs from commercial work. She also pitches the mission itself to recruits, framing jobs around goals like returning to the moon.
The approach appears to hold people. Margarita Howard noted that some employees have stayed with HX5 for 15 years, a long tenure for a company that is two decades old. Refer to this page, for related information.
Learn more about Margarita Howard on https://www.finsmes.com/2026/01/margarita-howard-on-how-hx5s-defense-origins-launched-its-expansion-into-nasa-contracting.html
