New London — The Small Business Administration recently announced that McLaughlin Research Corp., a local defense contractor headquartered in the city, has been selected as the 2016 National Prime Contractor of the Year. In early May, MRC also was honored as the winner of the SBA Region 1 Prime Contractor of the Year award at ceremonies in Hartford.

Each year the SBA recognizes companies that have provided the government with outstanding products or services. Nominees are evaluated in several areas including: management, exceptional results, innovation, cost/cost control, current and past performance, and growth over the past three years.

"Obviously, we are honored to be recognized by the SBA but perhaps more of an honor than the awards themselves was being nominated by our longtime partner, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, R.I. Their submission cited MRC as a core component of NUWC Newport's success and made specific mention of MRC's work in the areas of Logistics, Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health, Cyber Security, and Information Assurance. The submission also repeatedly cited the talent, professionalism, reliability and quality of MRC personnel," President Jim Bouthillier said in a statement. "We are incredibly proud of the people who work for MRC and the service we provide to our country and to our clients."

MRC is a family-owned, small business that employs more than 350 professionals in New England, Southern California, and the Pacific Northwest, as well as in the national capital area.