SPARTA hits milestone Defense contractor marks 25 years
Employee-owned firm specializes in systems analysis, engineering

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

A Huntsville company that started in 1979 with two men working out of their homes is celebrating its 25th anniversary next week.

And with some 1,400 employees nationwide and more than $250 million in sales last year, it's a happy birthday for defense contractor SPARTA Inc.

Pete Schofield, the company's operations manager and vice president, said SPARTA founders Wayne Winton and Bob Vickery "wanted to make a difference in defense industry technology, especially in the missile defense arena."

SPARTA, which stands for Systems Planning, Analysis, Research and Technology Associates, is a key player in numerous government defense agencies, including the Space and Missile Defense Command.

"The area that we're involved in is doing systems analysis and engineering," Schofield said. "We help the government do the analysis of how systems perform, how they will do once they deploy, how different systems will work together. What is the effectiveness on those systems, depending on how you use them and where you use them."

The company's work also includes modeling and simulation of technology during new system development, to ensure that "as the systems are fielded, that they will do the jobs that they're supposed to do."

Other areas of expertise for SPARTA include counterintelligence, "making sure people don't steal our information"; and Network-Centric Warfare, analyzing "how systems will work together that aren't normally working together," such as software for aviation, missile and tank systems.

"You come up with a joint operation," Schofield said.

SPARTA also performs logistics support and live training and testing services in the field. "We help the Army and other services develop training and testing so the soldier can prepare himself for going into combat in the field."

For example, SPARTA might travel to an Army post and set up live-fire training ranges for small arms, tanks or missiles. The company also develops deployable or portable range packages. "They can actually do some of their training in the field."

Another element of the business, the development of composite material for the automobile industry, is a departure from the defense work.

"Cars today have to be lighter and stronger than they were in the past," Schofield said.

The company's 25th anniversary will coincide with next week's Space and Missile Defense Conference and Exhibition in Huntsville.

"We're glad to be part of the community," Schofield said, noting that SPARTA supports the Hope Place nonprofit, distributes holiday gift boxes for soldiers deployed overseas, and works with the Huntsville/Madison Chamber of Commerce and the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative.

The future looks bright for the employee-owned company, which has moved into a new bracket of government contractors. "We've broken out of what we call the small-business area within the DoD," defined as having fewer than 1,000 employees, Schofield said.

SPARTA is now based in Lake Forest, Calif., and has more than 20 offices across the country.

The company's stock, traded internally, grew by more than 20 percent last year. "Our plan is to continue to grow, to continue to expand, to make a difference in what happens," Schofield said.

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