State firms win biometrics contract
Six West Virginia companies have been awarded a U.S. Army contract for management of the U.S. Defense Department's "Biometrics Fusion Center" in Bridgeport, U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W. Va., said Friday.
The first year of the contract, which begins Sept. 30, is valued at about $19 million. The contractors include Azimuth, Morgantown; New-Bold Enterprises, Galaxy Global Corp., West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation and TMC Technologies, all in Fairmont, and the WVU Institute of Technology in Montgomery. About 30 people now work at the Bridgeport Center, with the potential for this number to grow substantially in the coming years.
"The interim biometrics center in Harrison County and the potential for a permanent facility location in West Virginia demonstrates the Mountain State's central role in the national effort to protect against cyber-terrorist attack," Byrd observed.
"This contract will help to increase the country's ability to defend its electronic and computer information -- from national security secrets to electrical grinds to drinking water systems -- from cyber-terrorism. Investigating in new biometrics technologies will place more secure walls around these vital electronic networks."
In 1998, Byrd started working with the DOD to develop
a plan to combat a potential computer catastrophe. Since
then, Byrd has added more than $78 million to
appropriations bills to support the DOD's various
biometrics initiatives, including work at the interim
Biometrics Fusion Center in Harrison County.
Times West Virginian, January 14, 2003
Rockefeller: I-79 Corridor vital for national security
West Virginia and, specifically, the I-79 Corridor will be integral in the development of a strong national security system in years to come, U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller said Monday while touring the Alan B. Mollohan Innovation Center.
Rockefeller, who was recently named vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that the companies affiliated with the West Virginia High Technology Consortium at the I-79 High-Tech Park have come to "symbolize the power of the I-79 Corridor."
"I will work very closely with the Department of Defense (though the vice chairmanship), and as it turns out, so do a lot of people who are doing business in this building," the senator said with a laugh.
Several of the companies that are affiliated with the high-tech consortium have contractual work with federal government branches, including the Department of Defense.
"Within the consortium -- within these buildings -- we're getting an increased emphasis on national security, which is ideal and necessary for our country for the next 10, 20, 30, 40 years," Rockefeller said. "It's an extremely exciting example of where entrepreneurial companies have to respond to the needs of the intelligence and national security community and can do so at less cost and very quickly because they are not gigantic companies."
"National security is an enormous responsibility and the challenges are great," said Jim Estep, president and CEO of the high-tech consortium. "But it is very encouraging to have this level of dialogue and exchange of ideas with someone like Sen. Rockefeller. He is directly involved in these issues in Washington, and his insight and encouragement are quite valuable to the process."
Azimuth Incorporated, a Morgantown-based electronic systems and software engineering firm, was one of the companies Rockefeller toured during his visit to the high-tech park.
Craig Hartzell, senior vice president for Azimuth, said that the senator was impressed with the company's "ability to do rapid prototyping of custom electronic systems and software development and the fact that we physically build systems here."
Rockefeller spent two days in North Central West Virginia to speak with area officials about the concern for national security and intelligence in the wake of Sept. 11. On Sunday afternoon, the senator presided over a roundtable meeting in Morgantown, where he spoke with Monongalia County emergency personnel about local safety.
"I think we're going to be facing a highly destabilized world with not only just al-Qaida terrorists but with all kinds of iterations of dangers in this country. I don't think it's going to be a short-term event. I think it's going to last for a long time," Rockefeller said Monday.
"It's part of us having been insular as a nation for so long. It's new to us. Our mindsets and attitudes have to catch up, and we're in a position to be very, very helpful in that -- not only in this country but throughout the world."
The state will figure high in that equation, especially since it has become a hot spot for growth of the biometric industry.
"Personal identification is part of our future, and West Virginia is right in the middle of that future," he said.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., right tours Azimuth Inc. during a visit to the West Virginia High Technology Consortium in Fairmont Monday. At left is Craig W. Hartzell, senior vice president.
Journal of Innovation, Fall/Winter 2003
Craig Hartzell recognized with Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Award
Patrick Gregg WVHTC Foundation
Craig Hartzell has always been a big believer in West Virginia's technology movement. When you think of the handful of high tech companies that said, "Count me in!" to Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, Hartzell was right there. Ready and waiting.
This is, in part, because he believes in The Congressman's vision to diversify the economy of West Virginia through the creation of a thriving high-tech sector.
Yet, the CEO and Senior Vice President of Azimuth, Inc., doesn't want any of the credit to go to him personally. Never mind that 2003 marked the third year Hartzell was recognized by Ernst & Young's prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year program as a state finalist in West Virginia. And never mind that he was recognized this year as West Virginia's Entrepreneur of the Year in the category of Defense and Homeland Security -- the first-ever award of this honor in West Virginia.
Craig isn't selfish about these awards. If you know Craig, you know he is anything but shy, but his recognition this year only prompted his humble feelings about the company he leads.
"The award goes to Azimuth, not just to me," Hartzell said. "Our growth has been that we have carefully chosen the people who have joined our team. The company has a character and personality all its own. I'm the front man, but I am very proud of our people. Without good people, you're doomed for failure."
Through incredible hard work, Azimuth has become a renowned and respected company in the Federal contracting world supporting the intelligence community.
Hartzell actually laughs about the course of events that surround his award this year. He was nominated in the Entrepreneur of the Year program this year by Roger Duckworth, Vice President for Technology Management of the WVHTC Foundation and a retired colonel in the US Army. But Hartzell declined the nomination -- four times.
"With my military background, it's hard to say 'no' to a full Colonel," he said with a laugh. "Roger finally wore me down."
The fact is that Craig Hartzell is a proud man. He is happy with the evolution of Azimuth, and is nothing short of giddy about the development of the high-tech sector in North Central West Virginia.
"There were several other nominees from North Central West Virginia, and this region has never had that kind of representation in the Entrepreneur of the Year program, yet another sign of the growth and evolution of the technology sector. The rest of the state now has to recognize the economic diversification that has happened here," said Hartzell.
The Azimuth CEO also points to those who inspired and mentored him, most specifically upper management at Electronic Warfare Associates (EWA). Dr. Frank Blake, Senior Vice President of EWA's West Virginia Operations, Carl Guerreri, President and CEO of EWA headquarters in Herndon, VA, and senior staff at EWA are all mentioned by Hartzell with admiration and gratitude.
"We've had a lot of help from the WVHTC Foundation and a lot of companies, specifically EWA, to get to where we are today," he said.
"The thing I'm most proud of, other than our people, is who we work for -- the Department of Defense and, now, the Department of Homeland Security. It took us ten years to nurture our relationship and to become technically capable to do the work we do for the Federal government," Hartzell said.
Hartzell sees growth for his company in the not-too-distant future, as well as growth for West Virginia's technology sector. To that end, he couldn't have more praise for Congressman Mollohan.
"There are a lot of politicians, but there are few true leaders that are politicians, and Congressman Mollohan is certainly one of those," said Hartzell. "His hands-on approach to this technological movement is incredible. His vision, his attention to issues and his ability to pull all of these groups of people together and get them all moving in the same direction is amazing."
How unselfish. How typical Craig Hartzell.
Journal of Innovation, Fall/Winter 2003
Azimuth Incorporated
A West Virginia Player in the Federal Contracting Arena Patrick Gregg WVHTC Foundation
Congressman Alan Mollohan
As the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation enters its second decade, it is clear that West Virginia technology companies are steadily emerging as skilled competitors in the Federal marketplace. One of the clear leaders, Azimuth, Inc., has played an intricate role in this growth, providing electronics engineering, software engineering, logistics and other technical services to a variety of Federal customers. Azimuth has focused most of its efforts on the Department of Defense (DoD) with a special emphasis on the Special Operations Command (SOCOM). More recent efforts have been as a subcontractor to ISS, Inc. on the DoD Biometrics Fusion Center. Other Federal customers include the Department of Energy (DoE), NASA and the FBI. “Ten years ago we didn’t have the confidence to go after Federal contracts as the prime contractor, but that’s not the case now,” said Craig Hartzell, Azimuth CEO and Senior Vice President. “The bulk of the work we do is competitive, national-level awards. Actually you could probably canvas a dozen companies in North Central West Virginia and find 50 examples of competitively obtained government contracts.”
Hartzell and his partners, President Adam Macias and Vice-President of Finance and Administration Tina Belt, established Azimuth, Incorporated in 1989 with start-up costs of $15,000. By 1995, sales had soared to $3 million. Only one year later, it was reported that Azimuth had doubled its sales to approximately $6 million, resulting in the organization being named one of Inc. Magazine’s 500 fastest growing private companies in America. In 2003, Ernst & Young named Craig Hartzell an Entrepreneur of the Year.
Azimuth currently employs 80 people nationwide. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Morgantown, the company has offices in the I-79 Technology Park in Fairmont, as well as on-site facilities at the FBI complex in Clarksburg, WV; Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.; Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md.; Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.; and at Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va. Azimuth’s electronic and software engineering group in Fairmont has been ISO 9000 registered since 1998 and has earned its reputation through its focus on supporting the intelligence community. “We realized in 1989 that there were only a few engineering firms in West Virginia that really understood how to work in the Federal sector,” said Hartzell, who now provides systems to the U.S. military in locations around the world including Bosnia, Korea, Germany, Afghanistan and Iraq. “We have learned how to compete for business and how to perform for a Federal customer, and it just keeps growing and growing. There’s not a whole lot that we can’t do or go after now.”
If West Virginia companies previously saw the procurement of Federal business as an insurmountable task, perhaps it was because, prior to the technology initiatives, they were practically left to navigate the Federal jungle alone. Azimuth, coincidentally a French term meaning “direction,” was determined to successfully maneuver alone through this jungle from the beginning. However, Azimuth soon found obtaining large-scale government contracts to be a slow and difficult process for new companies without a proven track record.
About this same time, Congressman Alan B. Mollohan was looking for large, established organizations to locate in West Virginia and help nurture and grow native businesses. Electronic Warfare Associates (EWA), an electronics and software engineering company based in Virginia, was among the first organizations to accept the Congressman’s offer and opened a branch office in Fairmont. Before long, EWA took Azimuth under its wing in a pilot Mentor-Protégé program sponsored by the Department of Defense. Azimuth/EWA was only the seventh team in the nation to be selected for this honor and for three years, from 1990-93, the organization had total access to EWA senior staff. “Anything that we recognized we needed help with, they were there,” said Hartzell. “You name it, from financial and technical management to marketing, they gave us free reign.” Azimuth learned the ropes by being a subcontractor to EWA on several Defense Department projects. By working together and combining resources, both organizations found that they were able to enhance their capabilities and were more competitive as a result.
Their remarkable partnership continues to this day. As a subcontractor to EWA, Azimuth is currently providing engineering development and support in the production of the All Source Analysis System (ASAS), a U.S. Army system that is produced and fielded worldwide from Fairmont, WV “EWA is still mentoring us, although not formally anymore, and they continue to be our most trusted business friend,” Hartzell said.
It was this focus on encouraging businesses to work together to achieve greater technical depth that was the original concept behind the WVHTC Foundation. These types of mentor-protégé relationships are the underpinnings of the WVHTC Foundation’s movement and a key element of its success. As one would expect, none of the small business owners within the park are complaining. “We have EWA, ManTech, Lockheed Martin, EG&G and Titan here, to name a few,” said Hartzell. “Being on a team of preferred supplier lists with large organizations like these gives you a good advantage and is significant for any small business.”
Azimuth primarily focuses its resources on military communications, logistics and program support, including electronics for mobile (marine, air, ground) applications and voice recognition technology. The organization works directly with the Special Operations Command and the Secretary of Defense, with roughly half of their projects falling into either rapid prototyping or military research and development areas. “We are very good at electronics and operating system software, “ said Hartzell, “and we produce very customized products for the Department of Defense.”
It was natural for the organization to focus on military efforts. Two of the three Azimuth partners met while serving in the U.S. Army Special Forces and there are quite a few other military personnel on staff. In 2002, Hartzell, a 20-year military veteran and communications specialist, was nominated by U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller and appointed by then-President Clinton to serve on the nine-member Board of Directors for the National Veterans Business Development Corporation.
In an effort to continue the WVHTC Foundation tradition of success through partnerships, and perhaps as a tribute to its own mentor, Azimuth is now working with other veteran-owned small businesses in West Virginia and Florida. The West Virginia start-up is a small but talented company called HCS Technologies that installs broadband wireless communications networks. “It’s our turn to help someone else,” said Hartzell. “Fortunately, we learned how to do it right with EWA.” So, will the WVHTC Foundation be able to look forward to a new tenant in the technology part? “I’m working on it,” said Hartzell.
And the cycle continues.