Lockheed Martin and Two Suppliers Honored with Nunn-Perry Awards

The Lockheed Martin / Geodetics mentor-protégé team:  (from left) Hank Valentine, HPO; Dr. Bill Munslow, Robyn Snyder and Kai Yee, Lockheed Martin MS2; and Jeffrey Fayman and Dr. Lydia Bock, Geodetics.

Lockheed Martin has been honored with two 2009 Nunn-Perry Awards for the corporation’s participation on two teams in the Department of Defense (DoD) Mentor-Protégé Program.   

The DoD Mentor-Protégé Program encourages large defense contractors to improve the infrastructure and technical capabilities of disadvantaged, woman-owned, historically underutilized, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses and organizations employing the severely disabled to compete more effectively for defense-related work.  The Nunn-Perry Awards, honoring former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn and former Secretary of Defense William Perry, recognize outstanding mentor-protégé teams that excel in technical developments and cost efficiencies, as well as increase business.

“Lockheed Martin is committed to teaming with small business partners as we provide our customers with the very best global security products and capabilities," said Nancy Deskins, director of Lockheed Martin’s Supplier Diversity program. “It’s an honor to be recognized for our work with small and disadvantaged businesses, but the best reward is to see businesses excel with our help, especially in this economic climate.”

Lockheed Martin received the two awards for 2009 to honor outstanding mentor-protégé relationships with Geodetics, Inc. of San Diego and Angeles Composite Technologies, Inc. of Port Angeles, Washington. 

Geodetics, Inc. began a mentor-protégé relationship with Lockheed Martin in 2004.  Geodetics is a woman-owned small business that specializes in advanced Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology and was honored for the development of location-determination hardware called the Epoch-by-Epoch Network Positioning Unit (ENPU). This unit is a turn-key solution that provides highly accurate and precise time, space, and position information.

George Mason University served as the Procurement Technical Assistance Center and provided expertise in the use of parametric solid modeling for individual pieces and subassemblies. North Carolina Central University, a historically black university, assisted the corporation in obtaining an ISO 9001 certification, and San Diego State University, a minority institution,  assisted in developing an internship program for Geodetics.

As a result of these partnerships, Geodetics experienced substantial growth, resulting in the need for additional space and employees. Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors (MS2) business assisted Geodetics in developing the skills needed to bring the product to market and to manufacture it in large quantity and with high quality. The Lockheed Martin-Geodetics mentor-protégé team is sponsored by the Joint Robotics Office of Space and Naval Warfare Systems (SPAWAR) Center in San Diego.

The Lockheed Martin / ACTI mentor-protégé team:  (from left) Carol Linwood, David Gonzalez and Linda Zimmerman, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics; Dale Luther, ACTI; Timothy T. Douglas, U.S. Air Force; Michael Pestrikoff, ACTI; James Campbell, Samuel Evans, Sharon Dougherty and Shane Smith, LM Aeronautics; Michael Rauch and Aaron Schutt, ACTI; Tiffany Bussey, Morehouse College; and Gary L. Bailey, LM Aeronautics.

“It’s an honor to have been chosen with Lockheed Martin to win this Nunn-Perry Award,” said Dr. Lydia Bock, President and CEO of Geodetics. “Our protégé relationship has enabled Geodetics to improve and increase its manufacturing capability in order to provide a better, more- innovative turn-key solution to the customer. We look forward to continuing this relationship for many years to come.”

Angeles Composite Technologies, Inc. (ACTI) is a small disadvantaged business specializing in highly contoured aircraft composite parts that has been involved in a mentee relationship with Lockheed Martin since 2006.  ACTI provides the U.S. Department of Defense with enhanced capability to acquire, maintain and sustain sophisticated weapon systems using the latest manufacturing technology, while creating a more diverse and stable supplier base.

Through the Mentor-Protégé Program, and with the assistance of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, the Morehouse College Entrepreneurship Center and North Carolina A&T State University, ACTI broadened its scope of operations to become a preferred DoD supplier of highly contoured, complex bismaleimide (BMI) composite aircraft parts.  BMI composite is an advanced aerospace material that has enabled the development and production of fifth-generation fighter aircraft that are lighter, faster, stronger and stealthy. The Lockheed Martin-Angeles Composite Technologies mentor-protégé team is sponsored by the Air Force.

“Lockheed Martin provided us with added expertise in Advanced Composite Manufacturing, utilizing some of the most sophisticated composite materials in the world,” said Michael D. Rauch, CEO and owner of Angeles Composite Technologies. “This relationship facilitated needs covering internal systems ranging from engineering and manufacturing capabilities, to cost accounting.  The benefit to our company, employees and customers—including the war fighter—has been significant.”

The awards were presented at the DoD’s Mentor-Protégé Conference held in San Francisco in March.  Lockheed Martin has received six Nunn-Perry Awards in the last three years.  Geodetics, Inc. also received an award in 2007 for its partnership with Lockheed Martin.
 

For additional information about Lockheed Martin’s involvement in the Department of Defense Mentor-Protégé Program, contact Suzanne Raheb, corporate manager, diversity programs, at susannah.l.raheb@lmco.com.

For more information about the Department of Defense Mentor-Protégé program, visit http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/mentor_protege/.