Why HUBZone Was Never About Contracting and Was About Community

In this episode of GovCon Unscripted, Chelsea Roberts sits down with Michelle Burnett, President and Founder of Rooted in Resilience Wellness and newly appointed Vice Chair of the HUBZone Contractors National Council, for a deep conversation on what the HUBZone program was truly designed to do and where execution has gone off course.Michelle explains why HUBZone was never meant to be a compliance exercise or a goal-checking mechanism, but a community-driven economic engine rooted in geographic investment, workforce stability, and local multiplier effects. Drawing on her 15+ years inside the federal small business ecosystem, she breaks down how acquisition strategies, not small businesses, have undermined the program’s intent and what reform could look like if policymakers, agencies, and contractors realigned around mission over metrics.This episode explores economic revitalization, public-private partnerships, workforce health, and why community infrastructure must be part of acquisition strategy conversations if HUBZone is going to survive increased scrutiny.Timestamps:03:10 – Michelle’s return to HUBZone leadership as Vice Chair08:45 – What HUBZone was designed to fix in the U.S. economy14:30 – The multiplier effect and why geography matters22:05 – Where acquisition strategy diverged from program intent31:40 – Fraud narratives vs. structural procurement issues41:10 – Why reform matters more than preservationResources Mentioned:Michelle Burnett's LinkedIn pageHUBZone Contractors National CouncilChelsea Roberts's LinkedIn page🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHyLike and follow us:🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/Join our #govcon #community:https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/New to GovCon? Here’s a guide for you:https://share.hsforms.com/288nO18bsRCCmdJZL66pClwbzmvx21 AI Prompts to Supercharge Your GovCon BD Engine:https://collaborativecompositions.com/21-ai-prompts-to-supercharge-your-govcon-bd-engine/