Who We Are

DESA is a small business doing big things. That's how DESA started - with one woman's vision to bring increased economic development to South Carolina, while also leading advocacy efforts for other small, woman- and minority-owned businesses. That woman was Diane E. Sumpter. In over 25 years of leading DESA, her team has helped countless small businesses grow and succeed - while also making DESA a socially and civically active company in our local, state-wide and national communities.  

In over a quarter century of business, Sumpter has built a team of innovative business consultants who help lead DESA's four service divisions:  

Our team prides ourselves on offering these services from small to large clients. While some of our work is focused on small businesses or organizations, we also serve large agencies. Some of these clients include the Department of Health and Human Services (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Department of Defense, Department of State, Army Corps of Engineers, the State of South Carolina, as well as a range of county, school and municipal clients. We have also enjoyed working in the private sector with companies such as BellSouth (now AT&T), URS | BP Barber, Palmetto GBA, the Medical University of South Carolina, RTI International, Savannah River Remediation and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions ... just to name a few.

Furthermore, through several contracts with the Small Business Administration, DESA reached out to other minority contractors in the Southeast to provide business assistance through the 7(j) program. Our success in operating this program as well as effectively graduating from SBA's 8(a) program ultimately led to funding from the Department of Commerce for operation of a MBDA Business Center, located in Columbia, SC - which we still oversee today.

For complete information, including case studies, click on our individual service lines.