An 'intelligent' acquisition
Learn about ITAC, our newly acquired company, and how its cutting-edge capabilities will help enhance our presence in the intelligence business.
By Crystal Hardinger
When members of the Rockwell Collins senior leadership team began looking for ways to move our Government Systems business from a product provider to a solutions provider in order to expand and enhance our customer offerings, they found an alignment with Information Technology & Applications Corporation (ITAC).
An engineering and products company, ITAC focuses on the development of cutting-edge capabilities to aid warfighters in accessing and making use of near real-time geospatial intelligence and other mission-critical information.
Their solutions – which support the global war on terror and homeland security – aided the U.S. National Guard following Hurricane Katrina, and also helped Special Forces coordinate the rescue of U.S. Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch in 2003.
"We recognized ITAC's value and they recognized our intent to use their capabilities to provide better solutions to the warfighters," said Mark Phillips, a business manager for Rockwell Collins who was involved in the acquisition. "We don't have a large presence in the intelligence business, but we had interest in that area because we saw synergies with our existing technologies."
After a series of management meetings between company leaders, Rockwell Collins acquired ITAC – and about 80 employees in Reston, Va., Anaheim, Calif., and other U.S. locations – on Aug. 10, 2007.
Rockwell Collins will manage these newly acquired capabilities within our Electronic Warfare and Signals Intelligence (EW/SIGINT) business. The newly formed organization is now referred to as Rockwell Collins Intelligence Solutions.
"Rockwell Collins gave us a name and a brand that will allow us to take advantage of the capabilities within ITAC that we couldn't have done on our own," said Michael Phipps, a former ITAC vice president. "It will help us get into areas we couldn't get into as a small company."
Joining forces
Brad Jansz, a project manager for the newly formed Rockwell Collins Intelligence Solutions organization in Anaheim, Calif., works primarily with near real-time video technologies for warfighters in the field.
Photo by Laurel Hungerford, Santa Ana, Calif.
Brad Jansz, a project manager in Anaheim, Calif., who works primarily with near real-time video technologies for warfighters in the field, also sees the benefits of joining forces with a larger company.
"As a small company, some of the disadvantages you have are lack of resources and lack of technical expertise," said Jansz. "With a large corporation, there are usually more resources and technical expertise to draw upon.
"There are products right now that we're working with that Rockwell Collins can either provide internally or help us acquire through teaming agreements with larger companies," he continued. "That could be a huge benefit as far as extending our business because larger companies may not have taken us as seriously in the past."
While Jansz has been a part of ITAC for 12 years, he has worked under Phipps for nearly 23 years. Together, they've been through past acquisitions, which weren't always pleasant for employees.
"The difference in this acquisition is that Rockwell Collins values its employees," said Jansz. "In one of our previous acquisitions, the company had their eye on the product and didn't consider the employees. I think that makes all the difference."
An exciting vision
Phillips, who is now working out of Reston, Va., as the business manager for Rockwell Collins Intelligence Solutions, was immediately impressed with ITAC employees' talent, level of experience and their ability to bring new solutions to the marketplace.
He also could see how their expertise in processing and disseminating intelligence to provide situational awareness could help Government Systems move from a product provider to a solutions provider.
Members of the former Information Technology and Applications Corporation (ITAC) in Reston, Va., are excited about bringing their cutting-edge technology to Rockwell Collins. Pictured with Rockwell Collins Business Manager Mark Phillips (middle) are: (from left) Robert Garcia, Glenn Smith, Kerry Pollock and Maylie Garcia.
Photo by Michael Stewart, Herndon, Va.
"ITAC takes raw intelligence data, processes that data, uses it, and disseminates it to the tactical edge warfighters," said Phillips. "They provide niche, turnkey solutions while Rockwell Collins, for the most part, provides parts of systems solutions."
According to Larry Rexford, director of our EW/SIGINT business in Richardson, Texas, the acquisition will specifically help his area move from a product provider to a network-enabled electronic warfare solutions provider to the tactical edge.
"What this means is that our growth strategy is centered on providing the warfighter with capabilities and not just products. Near real-time situational awareness in today's environment is a tactical requirement," said Rexford. "We have a vision, and ITAC employees are an important part of that vision."
Passionate about growth
According to Phipps, our company's vision for the EW/SIGINT business area is what caught the attention of ITAC executives as they considered potential buyers for their company.
"The people we spoke with from Rockwell Collins had a vision that was consistent with where we wanted to head as a company," said Phipps. "I do believe that of all the companies we talked to, this is the best fit."
While integrating ITAC employees into the Rockwell Collins family is challenging, Phipps believes it's really the way to successfully merge capabilities. Other leaders like Phillips also understand that with growth, there will be change. However, he believes the overall culture of ITAC will be maintained, which is important to Jansz and other ITAC employees.
"Everybody works well together here – communication is good, environment is good - it's just a fun place to work," said Jansz. "A lot of the projects we have done are very technically challenging, very cutting-edge. There may be obstacles to overcome, but our leaders seem to have a long-range plan they're working towards, and I think it will work."
