Mullins promoted; Textron aims at world customers from its Waimea offices DSR in Waimea wins another federal contract Mullins promoted; Textron aims at world customers from its Waimea offices By TGI Staff Bob Mullins of Po’ipu, formerly manager of operations
- Mullins promoted; Textron aims at world customers from its Waimea offices
- DSR in Waimea wins another federal contract
Mullins promoted; Textron aims at world customers from its Waimea offices
By TGI Staff
Bob Mullins of Po’ipu, formerly manager of operations for defense contractor Textron Systems Kaua’i, was recently promoted to director of business development for the company’s Pacific region.
He will continue to operate out of the company’s offices in the West Kaua’i Technology & Visitors Center in Waimea, but may have some traveling to do to cover his new area of responsibility, the Pacific Rim.
Mullins is now responsible for marketing Textron’s various defense and commercial products across the Pacific.
Last week, a company spokesperson from Textron headquarters in Wilmington, Mass. announced formation of an international business development organization with headquarters in Waimea, and Mullins at the helm.
Mullins’ additional responsibilities include maintaining contact with personnel at various state agencies, and expanding contacts with U.S. Pacific command personnel and other U.S. military personnel who play major roles in deployment of Textron products in the area, according to the spokesperson.
“The state of Hawai’i ‘commercial’ has long been that we are ideally situated between Asia and the Mainland U.S. for business development and marketing efforts by U.S. companies around the Pacific Rim,” Mullins said.
“Textron certainly agrees with that, and recognizes the strategic advantages that a collaboration with the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism can provide in many areas,” he said.
“Setting up the Pacific regional business development office here will enable me to maintain close contact with our individual country representatives, and remain within same-day telephone coverage with our offices on the Mainland,” he added.
He’ll continue to deal with personnel at HR Textron in Valencia, Calif.; Textron Marine and Land Systems in New Orleans; and Textron Systems in Wilmington.
Mullins is a former commanding officer of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility, and was administrative assistant for three years during Mayor Maryanne Kusaka’s first term. He has been with Textron Systems’ airborne surveillance business and PMRF programs on Kaua’i since 1997.
“I am pleased that Textron Systems has chosen Hawai’i as its hub for business development and marketing activities for the Pacific region,” said U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai’i.
“This further solidifies Textron Systems’ presence in Hawai’i. Bob Mullins is an excellent choice to lead this initiative forward,” Inouye said.
“For more than 10 years, Textron Systems has utilized its Hawai’i operations in support of important programs and business-development activities,” said Bob Buckley, Textron senior vice president for strategic development.
“Establishing this organization demonstrates Textron Systems’ continued commitment to Hawai’i, and its recognition of the state’s importance to our future business-development efforts in the Pacific region,” Buckley said.
The company works closely with the Kaua’i Economic Development Board and Maui Economic Development Board, and the Economic Development Alliance of Hawai’i, to attract new science and technology programs to the state.
Many of these activities have been focused on the research and development capabilities at PMRF, and at the Maui High Performance Computer Center and the Air Force Maui Space Surveillance Site. Textron Systems Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron, Inc., provides technology solutions for global aerospace and defense industries.
The company develops and offers for sale advanced weapons systems, surveillance systems, aircraft control components, armored vehicles, and specialty marine craft.
Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) has 49,000 employees in 40 countries. Its brands include Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others.
On the Net: http://www.textron.com.
DSR in Waimea wins another federal contract
Digital Systems Resources, Inc. (DSR), which has offices in Waimea’s West Kaua’i Technology & Visitors Center, has been awarded a $1.4 million federal contract to continue work on a radar project.
The “follow-on” contract, to continue work already begun on DSR’s Common Affordable Radar Processor system (CARP), is from the Office of Naval Research.
The contract is known as a Phase II Fast Track SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) award, and is to study, evaluate and develop a prototype, commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) system that will allow the U.S. Navy to use the CARP system to identify a range of potential threats, including missiles and planes.
The research and development work, like that done under a Phase I SBIR contract before the latest award, is being done at the Waimea office, said Thomas M. “Tom” Cooper, DSR’s Kaua’i-based director of Hawai’i operations.
The company’s Phase I work provided proof that civilian contractors oftentimes can bring to market systems such as CARP faster, cheaper, and more efficiently than government, Cooper said.
The focus for this Phase II prototype simulation development and test will be on radar sensors, with the initial program efforts being aimed at developing a cost-effective simulator optimized to the requirements of designing and building a new generation of common and affordable radar processors, he continued.
This accurate simulation capability will significantly reduce the time and cost of testing the CARP system at various stages of development.
The mission of today’s modern naval battle group includes defense of the fleet and ashore units against surface and air-weapon systems capable of delivering sophisticated surface-launched, air-launched, and ballistic-missile weapons through air and space.
Successful accomplishment of this mission dictates employment of surveillance sensor systems capable of detection, track and identification of non-cooperative, potentially hostile targets from among a complex mix of radar contacts.
Developing the next generation of cost-effective radar systems is dependent on equally cost-effective and sophisticated systems that can stimulate the radar system for testing and evaluation, he explained.
Systems developed in offices can be tested at the Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, and virtually tested off the range.
But live testing using existing or developing radar systems and live targets is costly and time consuming. Accurate simulation can be a very cost-effective alternative, he said.
For more information, please contact Cooper, 338-1645.
On the Net: http://www.dsrnet.com
