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November 17, 2009
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Wes Freiwald
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Pacific Defense Solutions, LLC (PDS) was announced as the winner of the 2009 Mayor’s Small Business Awards Program at the “Looking Back, Moving Forward” dinner held at the Wailea Marriott on October 23rd, 2009. Mayor Charmaine Tavares recognized PDS as the template for home-grown, high-tech businesses. PDS provides a model of a knowledge-based enterprise that helps to diversify our economy, and to retain and attract the local qualified workforce in high-paying science and technology careers.
Despite our current economic climate, this young company has grown from the three founders in 2006 to 21 employees currently, comprising software, electrical and mechanical engineers along with physicists. Of these, 19 were hired locally, and they have one employee who lives and works remotely in Michigan, making the logistics and costs of getting to specific mainland customer sites cost effective. The other employee hired from outside of Maui “returned home,” reuniting with family in Maui. Two more employees are projected by end-2009, and at least a further five in 2010.
PDS has built a highly qualified team of subject-matter experts with comprehensive knowledge of the space environment and who address very complex technical issues. Specifically, PDS develops technology for Space Situational Awareness (SSA), which focuses on the inventory and location of manmade objects in space and their characteristics. Satellites are used for a wide variety of communication and tracking applications, including cell phone, satellite TV, and GPS technology. It is vitally important to our national security to track satellite location to correctly position them and avoid collisions. PDS supports programs such as the Spaces Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) program, Maui Space Surveillance Site (MSSS), and the Real-time Optical Surveillance Applications (ROSA).
In addition, PDS is currently exploring roles in Renewable Energy. They are looking at applying their Modeling and Simulation capabilities to renewable energy needs, including smart grid technology, which need robust models to succeed and autonomous tasking, which is a key element of energy management. PDS senior staff built the first grid-connected photovoltaic plant in Hesperia, CA and was involved in solar thermal research with Sandia National Labs. Their recent hires have technology backgrounds and experience to support renewable energy programs and thrusts.
The business leadership created by PDS has fostered growth in Maui’s high-tech sector by aggressively pursuing funding through Request for Proposals (RFP’s) and subcontracting to large prime contractors, among many other sources. PDS is notably cost-competitive with mainland companies while offering salary and benefit packages that are not only above-average but exceed industry standards.
PDS evolved out of projects managed by Boeing for the Air Force Research Laboratory at the Maui Space Surveillance Site. Some of the senior personnel there recognized the importance of building a Maui-grown company that would improve the local economy in the high-tech sector. The founders of the company, including Wes Freiwald, PDS President & CEO, set up the company based on expertise in developing systems and products for space surveillance.
It took a giant leap of faith to leave the comfort zone and corporate structure of the Boeing Company. The PDS business model allows the company to build processes for nonmilitary and commercial uses, creating software products available to everyone, rather than focusing on just one asset.
One of the Lead Engineers, Dale Nahoolewa says, “PDS has the best work environment I’ve enjoyed in my 25 year career. PDS has a liberal work-at-home policy that allows me the opportunity to be with my children after school, and then work at night when they go to bed. We also have a great benefits package including 401K matching program, a flexible spending account, and comprehensive medical, vision, dental, life, and accidental death insurance. I also love working with the best talent pool of the Tech Park as well as in our technical domain.”
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