ACG Lifestyle
Every once in a while, something pulls us back—not to relive the past, but to remember how far we’ve come.
Today’s Throwback Thursday takes us to a place filled with gratitude and determination: the moment the U.S. Small Business Administration featured Access Communications Group as a national success story. We still revisit the article, smile, and feel that same rush of inspiration from the day it was published.
This wasn’t just a write-up—it was a milestone. A marker of the risks we took, the challenges we faced, and the people who believed in what we were building long before it had a name, a team, or a portfolio.
This is the adventure that began in 1996, when Mark took a DOS class, and the story that changed when Ana joined the journey. What followed was learning, growing, evolving—and becoming a trusted government contractor committed to something bigger than profit: building better lives through better communication.
We’re proud to share the original article below, and invite you to join us in remembering how it all started:
📍Location: El Paso, Texas
🔗 Original Source: Read on SBA.gov
Situation:
Access Communications Group started in 1996 when Mark Dittmar, who had been working in the automotive field, decided to move toward IT. He took a DOS class in 1993 and opened his first business in Colorado shortly thereafter. Ana Espinoza joined the team in 2015, with a degree in computer science and a background in business management, most recently in the maquiladora industry in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Mark and Ana were steadily growing but could see an untapped market in government contracting. They decided to participate in the SBA Emerging Leaders program and submitted an application for the 8(a) program.
Their major obstacles were managing growth, finding and keeping qualified employees and leaders, and tapping into vertical markets via partnerships.
Both the 8(a) and the Emerging Leaders program helped steer Access Communications towards its new path of becoming general contractors. Specifically, Emerging Leaders showed Mark and Ana the need for standardizing business practices, which has been integral to this recent expansion in scope.
In 2008, the company had one employee and $1.2 million in sales. They currently have 16 full-time employees and project to reach over $2 million in sales by the end of this year.
The assistance provided by the SBA has been pivotal to Access Communications Group’s success. Both Mark and Ana have used what they learned via the Emerging Leaders and 8(a) programs to implement proven business practices, evolve with the industry, and meet customer needs.
They can attest to the benefits of owning their own business and say they find “joy in creativity.” Mark shares that it’s widely believed Abraham Lincoln won the Civil War in part due to the telegraph, which is why Access Communications isn’t just in business to make money—we’re committed to improving life via communications.
Stories like this remind us that every milestone begins with a leap of faith—and a lot of hard work. From a small office and a DOS class to leading multi-million dollar federal infrastructure projects, our journey has been built on persistence, partnership, and purpose.
If you’d like to learn more about where we started, what we’ve built, and where we’re headed, visit our Our Story page and take a deeper look at the people, values, and milestones that continue to shape ACG.
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