Yes, We Share a Name With the War Dogs AEY Inc.

Let's Address the Elephant in the Room

If you've ever Googled "AEY Inc" and ended up watching a trailer for *War Dogs* instead of finding our contact page, you're not alone. It happens more than you'd think. Someone's researching a DVBE material supplier for their CalTrans bid, and suddenly they're watching Jonah Hill smuggle Albanian ammunition to the Pentagon.

We get it. The name is the same. The energy, allegedly, is similar. The compliance record is not.

For the record: AEY Inc., the subject of the 2016 Warner Bros. film *War Dogs*, was a Florida-based defense contractor that made headlines for some genuinely spectacular federal contracting violations. Our AEY Inc. is a Pleasanton, California-based construction material supplier with a GC License (B #1144157), a UEI number (EDF4ASNYXVS5), a CAGE code (9XUS2), and over $250 million in materials supplied across 600+ projects. We have never repackaged Cold War-era munitions. We do not plan to start.

Founded by an Actual Veteran

Here's where our story diverges pretty sharply from the film version.

AEY Inc. was founded by David Manning, a United States Marine Corps veteran who built this company from the ground up over more than 40 years in the construction materials industry. That's not a plot device -- that's a résumé. The veteran-owned status isn't a marketing angle bolted onto a pre-existing business. It's the origin story.

That background earned AEY Inc. its SDVOSB -- Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business -- certification. It's the kind of designation the federal government uses to ensure that contractors who served the country get a meaningful shot at serving it again, this time through legitimate procurement channels. CaleProcure #2038714, if you want to look us up.

When the other AEY Inc. was making headlines, our AEY Inc. was quietly doing what it had always done: getting materials to job sites on time and keeping GCs compliant on public works bids across California. Less cinematic. Considerably more useful.

What We Actually Do

AEY Inc. holds certifications that matter to general contractors navigating California's public works landscape: DVBE, SB-PW, SB (Micro), SDVOSB, and seven LA RAMP certifications. Our primary NAICS code is 423390 -- wholesale trade of construction and mining machinery, equipment, and supplies.

In plain English: we supply construction materials at scale, and we do it in a way that helps GCs hit participation goals on state, local, and federal projects. When a project requires DVBE participation, we can fulfill that requirement as a materials supplier -- which is often the cleanest, lowest-friction path to compliance available.

No subcontracting complexity. No scope negotiation. Materials go to the job site, credit goes on the bid form, audit documentation holds up. That's the model, and it's worked on more than 600 projects.

Veteran Entrepreneurship Looks Like This

The cultural narrative around veteran entrepreneurship tends to go one of two ways. Either it's a solemn, flag-draped tribute, or it's a *War Dogs*-style cautionary tale about what happens when ambition outpaces judgment.

The reality is usually less dramatic and more durable. You get up early, you build relationships, you figure out the compliance requirements better than your competitors do, and you show up when the project needs you to show up. Forty-plus years of that compounds into something real.

David Manning started AEY Inc. because he understood construction, understood supply chains, and understood that veteran-owned businesses could compete on merit if they had the right infrastructure and certifications to get in the door. That's what the SDVOSB designation is supposed to enable. That's what DVBE participation goals are supposed to create space for. We use them the way they were designed to be used.

The other AEY Inc. did not.

Same Name. Different File Drawer.

If you're a GC working on a California public works project, a federal prime putting together a subcontracting plan, or a project owner trying to hit participation goals without adding administrative headaches, you want our AEY Inc. The one in Pleasanton. The one with the certifications, the track record, and the compliance documentation that holds up.

The one that has never been a Warner Bros. film.

We're reachable at estimating@aeyinc.net or (855) 625-7456. The website is www.aeyinc.net. If you end up on a streaming service instead, you've gone too far.

Send us your project specs. We'll take it from there -- legally, on time, and without any third-act plot twists.