I start companies and stick around to run them. Co-founder and CEO of GovSmart, principal owner and CEO of Gracie Charlottesville, 2nd degree black belt instructor and auto racing enthusiast.
#1HUBZone federal IT reseller in FY2025, per USAspending.gov
$3.4B+GovSmart sales since 2009
650Active students at Gracie Charlottesville
2nd degreeBlack belt under Pedro Sauer
6 yearsBest of C-VILLE martial arts school, 2021 to 2026
Brent Lillard, co-founder and CEO of GovSmart.
About
From Madison County to Charlottesville.
I grew up in Madison, Virginia, and started working with computers before I could drive.
I got into computers early. By 14 I was working as a technician at a local computer store, and before I left for college I was running IT for a company back home. I went to George Mason University and graduated in 2006 with a degree in Integrative Studies, focused on IT, internet and multimedia. Along the way I did website design and computer repair on the side.
In 2004, while I was still at George Mason, I joined Panamerica Computers as a senior account executive. That is where I learned the federal IT business, leading a small team that sold to government agencies. In 2007 I helped launch and build Tech-4 for a group of investors in California and Georgia. I developed the concept and the business model from the start, and the company went on to win several multi-million dollar federal contracts.
After that success, I brought the idea for GovSmart to my friend Hamza Durrani, and at the end of 2009 we started it at a kitchen table. We put it in a Charlottesville HUBZone, earned our HUBZone certification, went through and graduated from the SBA 8(a) program, and won spots on big federal contracts like NASA SEWP V and NIH CIO-CS. We now hold NASA SEWP VI in all three categories. Since 2009 we have done more than $3.4 billion in sales, including more than $500 million in 2025, and in FY2025 GovSmart was the #1 HUBZone federal IT reseller by prime contract dollars, per USAspending.gov. GovSmart sells IT, tactical gear and advanced manufacturing equipment to federal agencies and prime contractors, and I am still its CEO.
I started jiu-jitsu at George Mason in 2005 and never stopped. I earned my black belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu under Pedro Sauer and hold a 2nd degree, with my 3rd degree coming in 2027. I am the principal owner and CEO of Gracie Charlottesville, home to 650 active students, and as a 2nd degree black belt instructor you will still find me teaching on the mat. I am also a part owner of Pedro Sauer Academy in Herndon, Virginia.
Coaching at Gracie Charlottesville.Showing a technique in class.
Family
Madison is home for my family. My dad was president of Madison Wood Preservers, which makes pressure-treated lumber and fence posts in Madison, and he still consults there. My sister, Kari Gaviria, is its current President. My mom, Patti Lillard, is a Realtor with Montague, Miller & Co. in Madison.
I live in the Charlottesville area with my wife, Jessica, and our two sons, Locklan and Decklan.
Jessica, the boys and me.
Jessica and our two sons.Showing off at dinner.
A few milestones
2004. Joined Panamerica Computers, selling IT to the federal government.
2005. First jiu-jitsu class at George Mason.
2006. Graduated from George Mason University.
2007. Helped launch and build Tech-4, a federal IT reseller, for a group of investors.
2009. Co-founded GovSmart with Hamza Durrani.
2014 and 2015. Inc. named GovSmart the fastest-growing computer hardware company in the USA in 2014 and #3 in 2015. Forbes put it in its Top 20 Most Promising Companies of 2015.
2018. AFCEA 40 Under 40.
2018. Co-founded Gracie Charlottesville and launched it in November.
2019. Gracie Charlottesville held its grand opening in February.
2021 to 2026. Gracie Charlottesville voted Best Martial Arts School in the Best of C-VILLE awards six years straight.
2024. GovSmart named the Department of Energy's HUBZone Contractor of the Year.
2025. Gracie Charlottesville opened its new academy at Seminole Square in Charlottesville.
2026. GovSmart named one of Virginia Business's Best Places to Work.
Off the clock
Auto racingJiu-jitsuSnowboardingMusicGolfComputer games
Companies
What I run.
Three companies and one experiment, with very different customers: the federal government, people in Charlottesville and Northern Virginia who want to learn to fight, and small businesses with websites that need help.
I am an auto racing enthusiast and drive a Radical on track. When GovSmart put on its Government Technology Leadership Forum, we held it at a racetrack.
My Radical through a cornerStrapping inGovernment Technology Leadership Forum, Oct 14, 2026
At the trackOne of my sons, suited up
Onboard in my Radical SR10 at Summit Point on October 14, 2026, with Frank Shields in the passenger seat. Watch on YouTube
On October 14, 2026, GovSmart hosted the Government Technology Leadership Forum at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia. Speakers and technology spotlights in the morning. Then a car show, parade laps, track time, and ride-alongs with Colonial Challenge Cup volunteer instructors.
Most people never get to feel what a real race car can do. For a lot of kids, that will not change unless somebody makes it happen. That is the idea behind Dream Laps.
In the works
Dream Laps
A nonprofit I am working to start that would give free race-car rides to kids who are sick or who would never otherwise get near a track. A real lap, on a real circuit, in a real car, with a helmet on, at no cost to the family.
Sponsorship would pay for charity days only: tires, maintenance and crew.
It will never pay for my own track days.
It is not formed yet. Insurance and track approvals come first.
