Analytical Services: Creating Business
Professional Services
Written by Liz Jones   
Monday, 31 December 2007
Analytical Services: Creating Business - American Executive - RedCoat Publishing
Irma Tuder describes this government contractor’s journey from a small disadvantaged company to a valuable resource.
Some inherit businesses. Others create them. Irma Tuder is a creator. She moved to Huntsville, Ala. during the early 1990s with her husband and immediately saw an opportunity to work with the federal government. She began working on her master’s degree, intent on one day starting her own business.

Analytical Services: Creating Business - American Executive - RedCoat Publishing
Irma Tuder
Tuder’s husband, an Air Force officer then on reserve status, went on active duty for a year, in part to help his wife immerse herself in government relations. As a military spouse, she was allowed to take a course in systems acquisition, which detailed how the government acquires equipment, particularly weapons systems. In that class, she met an officer with the United Arab Emirates who agreed to help her obtain a contract in exchange for her help in acquiring resources. In 1993, Analytical Services was launched as a Hispanic woman-owned small disadvantaged company.

With one successful contract under her belt, Analytical Services partnered with a company in Huntsville to learn more about the business of government subcontracting. “They had the resources and the capital to help get Analytical Services off the ground. The partnership enabled them do international work, which they had never done before, and they brought us on as a subcontractor on a large contract with the Department of Defense,” said Tuder.

From there, she was able to hire her first two employees and start bidding on her own contracts. This year, with 350 employees and additional offices in Arlington, Va.; Dayton, Ohio; and Montgomery, Ala., Analytical Services will bring in more than $56 million.

A different kind of business
Analytical Services’ first contract involved software engineering and analysis, but the company has since spread its wings. Today, it offers management and technical solutions to a number of government organizations under three main categories: business and analytical solutions, information technology, and engineering analysis.

For example, the company is currently working on a reset project with the government, refurbishing equipment used in Iraq and Afghanistan and sending back out to the battlefield. It is also working on a radiation hardening R&D project. Tuder explained that the aerospace equipment the government sends into orbit can sometimes be affected by solar or nuclear radiation, and this project is aimed at protecting that equipment.

Analytical Services does leadership training for government officials, particularly on change management. It is also helping weapons and aviation manufacturers implement Lean Six Sigma.

The company recently augmented its engineering services with the purchase of Stone Engineering in 2006. Stone Engineering is one of the few companies in the world dedicated to rocket and missile propulsion systems. “The acquisition would allow us to not only expand the engineering services we already provide, but also help us get into a niche area,” said Tuder, noting that Huntsville is known as the “Rocket City,” as it is where rockets used by the government were and still are developed.

As a result of the acquisition, Analytical Services is working with NASA to complete the latest mission to the Moon and Mars. “We are helping with design work so that the system can be more efficient and effective.”

Tough decisions
In June 2007, after much contemplation, Tuder sold Analytical Services to ASRC Federal, an Alaskan Native-owned small disadvantaged company. She recalled being contacted for two years prior to the sale by companies interested in gaining a foothold in Huntsville, but she was neither personally nor professionally ready. But in 2005, the government’s base realignment and closure project, although it closed numerous bases across the country, spawned dramatic growth in the Huntsville area. “I thought that we had plenty of opportunities for growth in Huntsville, but alone, we couldn’t grow as rapidly as we could with the resources from a larger company.”

The acquisition turned out to be a boon for both companies. Tuder is pleased that not a single job was lost and that Analytical Services was allowed to remain, for the most part, autonomous as a wholly owned subsidiary. “They did that because we are already well recognized and have established solid relationships with our customers.”

But with the backing of a nearly a half-billion dollar company, the sky is the limit for Analytical services. “ASRC brings a lot of resources, a larger customer base, and a large pool of talent that we can draw from.” Originally president and CEO, Tuder has taken the position of chairman of the board, and she also serves as a consultant to both companies.

Flexible culture
From day one, Tuder has believed that if the company took care of its employees, the employees would take care of customers. She references the company’s logo, a three-pointed star, as the perfect representation of the relationships it values most: customers, employees, and the community.
“And our definition of customers is broad. It is not just the person paying the bill. It is whoever we come in contact with,” she said, adding that the company’s “And Then Some” philosophy exemplifies its mission to exceed customer expectations.

In the early days, Tuder interviewed everyone the company hired, but as it grew and she could not longer do that, she continued to interview anyone taking a managerial position. “I wanted to create an environment where people have high standards, are passionate about what they do, and enjoy coming to work. I needed to find the employees who fit that vision.”

Although high performance is expected, Tuder has always fostered a flexible environment that allows employees to put family first. “Being a mom, I am sympathetic to someone’s need to be at a ball game or school event with their child. I treat everyone as professionals—as long as the job gets done, I have no problem with employees taking time off here and there,” she said. Tuder noted that some employees work out of their homes, while others job share. “We are one of the most flexible companies in a very conservative industry.”
 
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