How EPIC CONSULTANTS takes continuous improvement to the next level – for clients and the firm

EPIC is proud to have held a long relationship with the Florida SBDC at FIU, the small business development center within Florida International University’s College of Business. This month, it had the honor to be featured as a Success Story on their GrowBiz blog and we are happy to share it here as well.

Written by Nancy Dahlberg

Originally published on:
https://growbiz.fiu.edu/2025/07/how-epic-consultants-takes-continuous-improvement-to-the-next-level-for-clients-and-the-firm/

“Let’s make it better.”

For the leaders of EPIC Consultants, this is more than the company’s tagline. “We are in the business of making things better, it’s really something that we will live by,” explains Adriana Abbade, EPIC’s director of marketing, brand management and business development.

EPIC Consultants was founded by Alfredo Moran Hassan and Johnny Rojas in 2003 as a consulting firm specializing in continuous improvement. Alfredo, who is managing director of the Miami-based business, earned an FIU master’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering and is finishing up a doctorate. Before founding EPIC, he was a manufacturing manager at U.S. Holdings. FIU granted them EPIC’s first home – a small room within FIU College of Engineering & Computing.

Alfredo Moran Hassan, Johnny Rojas and David Moran

Growing through the years

EPIC Consulting quickly grew out of that little office and over the years has worked with private companies in Miami and beyond, even abroad. “We do a lot of training. We have a great relationship with FIU. We have a partnership with the College of Engineering and Computing, and we provide all their organizational excellence Lean Six Sigma training,” says Adriana. “We blend consulting and training because we really believe that as consultants, we need to prepare our customers to thrive … and keep that continuous improvement going.”

With an innovative mindset and its origins as a process improvement consulting firm specialized in training and implementation of Lean Six Sigma, EPIC Consultants successfully branched out into government construction contracts in 2010. To strengthen this strategic direction, David Moran, who came in with over 15 years of experience in the construction industry specifically in the federal sector, joined the team to lead EPIC’s Construction Division and reinforce EPIC’s ability to meet complex government contracting standards while applying operational excellence principles in the field.

Getting into the construction business came rather naturally for this entrepreneurial leadership team: They saw an opportunity to pursue and specialize in government contract work. “We could use a lot of our consulting experience in terms of processes, quality and meeting requirements and apply that to the construction business,” Adriana says.

The construction division, which has its own website, uses principles of Lean Construction and a robust management system to ensure quality, efficiency and safety. As a general contractor, the construction division specializes in interior renovations, remodeling and repairs. EPIC Construction has worked on projects with Miami-Dade County, Miami International Airport, Jackson Health System and other entities.

Entering federal contracting

About four years ago, EPIC Construction decided to expand into the federal contracting market. Now they are expanding again, with a focus on military bases and other high security facilities such as the Krome Detention Center.

Both sides of the business complement one another. Between them, EPIC employs more than 20 people between office management and field work, and the company can scale up as needed on a project basis. “We become better because we have these two sides,” says Adriana.

“Whether it is through consulting, education or construction, we believe that a better world is built by people, organizations and structures that are in constant improvement, always getting better,” EPIC Consultants proclaims on its website.

Getting assistance

All small businesses need advice from time to time. No entrepreneur is an expert on every facet of his or her business. For the past few years, EPIC has been getting guidance from the team at Florida SBDC at FIU, the small business development center within the College of Business that provides no-cost business consulting to small businesses in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties.

Ray Juncosa, a longtime banker and an SBDC at FIU consultant with an expertise in finance and access to capital, has “brought a lot to the table,” says Alfredo. “His experience comes from decades in the industry and he was able to connect us to the right institutions at the time to get a couple of lines of credit,” even participating as an advisor when they were signing the deal.

“Ray brought in all that knowledge, but it’s the caring and the follow-up I will say that sets him apart. Once we established the relationship there, we also participated in a couple of financial trainings that he gives, enhancing our knowledge,” Alfredo adds.

Fellow FIU consultant Luis Batista, an expert in government contracting and procurement under the Florida APEX Accelerator program, provided the EPIC team with knowledge, contacts and guidance in this new area of growth for them, including in navigating the bidding process.

“Although we have been in business for a while, there’s always room for improvement,” says Alfredo. “What sets [SBDC at FIU advisors] apart is that experience – they understand where you’re at. In our case, breaking into the federal market has been a new adventure. They were able to advise us and set us in a good direction, and we’re seeing the results.”

Advice to entrepreneurs

Adriana’s advice to entrepreneurs is to, first, show up, be present and participate in opportunities. Then she says it is all about building long-term relationships and continuously investing in yourself, your company, and your processes.

With entrepreneurship comes uncertainty and entrepreneurs need a high tolerance for it, adds Alfredo. The way to mitigate the sleepless nights is by getting help in areas where you are lacking knowledge – it could be finance or marketing or government contracting, for instance. And that comes from organizations like SBDC at FIU, the SBA and others, he said. “There are a lot of resources available to entrepreneurs. Find them, use them.”

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg is an award-winning business writer, editor and researcher, with a passion for covering entrepreneurs and what makes them tick. As host of the Florida SBDC at FIU’s GrowBiz blog, she aims to provide inspirational, educational and useful articles for growth-stage small businesses. She can be reached at GrowBiz@FIU.EDU. Follow her on Twitter @ndahlberg