Over a year ago, Cheryl Janey became president of the Civil Programs at Harris Corp. She had come to Harris from Northrop Grumman where she served as vice president of business development and strategy for the commercial, state and local group of the company’s information technology sector. In the following Q&A, Janey fills us in on what accomplishments she’s met along the way in her new position, and where she’d like to help steer Harris Civil over the coming year.

We last spoke to you in April of last year. What’s new since then?

Cheryl Janey: We’ve got and continue to have great relationships at the FAA, where we’re helping them think through their long term challenges. Not only do we have good work there, but this past year we took FTI — the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure — from deployment into operation. That’s been years in the making, and one that’s been well recognized inside the FAA. I would put that high on my list of accomplishments over the last year.

What do you make of the “green” movement in the government? Are you focusing on that?

Cheryl Janey: Absolutely. We believe the “green” movement has considerable potential, not just within in our domestic government but worldwide and we’re very excited about the market. The energy crisis we’re seeing right now with oil prices is underscoring the timeliness of the issue and highlighting the need for focus. The market appears to be in the early stages and may allow us to bring some of the technologies Harris already utilizes in supporting our many weather customers. We already run weather ground systems and do a lot of weather work for the FAA. Bringing solutions to the whole “green” movement in the environment in general is something we believe has definite growth potential.

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Arman Eshraghi’s story is one of entrepreneurial wit, determination and plain luck. After winning a green card lottery, Eshraghi left behind his native Iran — where he had started his first software company at the age of 18 — and came to the United States with big dreams and ambitions. “When I came to the U.S. I said, ‘There are 300 million people here — how many of them actually know software? Maybe a few million people. Then I said how many of them are willing to work very, very hard and dedicate more than 12 hours a day everyday for the next 10 years to this job? I said, ‘Probably not many,’” recalls Eshraghi. Along the way, Eshraghi’s tenacity and hard work paid off. In 2000, he established LogiXML, a business intelligence software provider. In the following Q&A, Eshraghi tells us how his company managed to bring in $5 million in sales last year and the steps that are ensuring it reaches $8 million in sales this year.

Tell us a bit about your background.

Arman Eshraghi: First of all, I have lived in many different cities in Iran. So for example I was born in a very small city, 10,000 people. I moved from there to another city for elementary school , another city for middle school, then another for high school, another for the first part of university and then another for a company and finally Washington, D.C. Each city that I have moved to is a little bigger than the previous one. I have been here for 12 years, longer than anywhere else.

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You’ve heard the buzz. And now you’ve read the news: Serco Inc., the U.S.-based division of the international service company Serco Group plc, has just acquired SI International for $423 million. The transaction would further evolve Serco’s North American organization into a management services business, the company said. Still untold is what this acquisition will mean to the future of both companies — until now. In an exclusive interview with ExecutiveBiz, Serco Inc.’s Chairman and CEO Ed Casey lets us in on the back story behind the acquisition — his first major acquisition as CEO — plus he discusses his top priorities for the coming months, and how SI International’s President and CEO Brad Antle will be part of what many are calling a winning new chapter in both company’s lives.

This is your first major acquisition as CEO. Tell us how the deal came about and how you chose SI International.

Ed Casey: About a year ago we decided to pursue an acquisition strategy. We surveyed the entire marketplace — companies anywhere from $200 million to $2 billion in size. We created a shortlist of those we thought had the best strategic fit and the most promise. SI International was one of those companies. We pursued a couple of companies on that list and this one is obviously the one that got to the finish line. Basically I met Brad Antle [president and CEO of SI International] in March and that was the basis for some conversations that ultimately evolved over the last five months.

Tell us about your integration plan for the two companies.

Ed Casey: As we think through transition integration, clearly the number one priority is our people, the employees of SI International and Serco. Obviously when you have a situation where the two companies here in North America are almost equal size there are a lot of people who have a lot of questions and a lot of concerns. That will be without question our number one priority: trying to design the new organization going forward and to get the right people in the right roles. If we don’t get the people side of it right then really everything else suffers – our service to our customers, our results to our shareholders – so for us it’s all about the employees over the next 90 to 100 days, or however long it takes us to close the transaction.

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While there are multiple paths for government contractors to ascend to the coveted tier-one status of $1 billion+ annual revenues, most lead - at some point - to a significant acquisition (or two) that opens up a new Agency channel or adds a new core service offering.

This was indeed the case for Serco, Inc., the U.S. division of the British Serco Group, which today announced it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with SI International. Per terms of the agreement, Serco will acquire SI International for $423 million ($32 per share in cash) - propelling the management services government contractor past that threshold $1 billion mark.

SI International is one of the most well-respected contractors in the area, and was named 2007 Contractor of the Year at the 5th Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards. The company mantra - Rapid Response • Rapid Deployment® - has resonated with civilian and defense agencies seeking mission-critical services, as the company ranked number 44 on Washington Technology’s list of the Top 100 Federal Prime Contractors for 2008.

In today’s press release announcing the transaction, SI International President and CEO Brad Antle referenced the move as a way to step up to the next level:

“We are pleased that we can join a company of Serco’s stature and success,” said Brad Antle, President and CEO of SI International. “We have had a tremendous track record during our ten-year history and are very proud of the leading position we have achieved in the government services sector. Now is the right time to go to the next level so the services we provide to our customers are enhanced by the scale and global reach that Serco can offer.”

Serco will also assume SI International’s debt, which, at June 28, 2008, was $87.3 million, net of cash. For Serco, the transaction represented an opportunity to add business process re-engineering and mission critical technology solutions to its existing service portfolio.

“Serco and SI International share the same commitment to excellent service and complement each other exceptionally well in both capabilities and markets,” said Ed Casey, Chairman and CEO of Serco Inc. “SI International strengthens our ability to bring business process re-engineering (BPR) and technology solutions to the most demanding government missions, while our increased combined scale positions our businesses to deliver even larger and more complex integrated solutions for our customers.”

You’ve probably heard the adage, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” That describes The Fishing School, a faith-based, after-school family and support center, to a tee. Founded nearly 20 years ago by Tom Lewis, a former police officer, the Washington, DC-based center helps lower income neighborhoods find a way out of poverty. Today, The Fishing School’s executive director, Leo Givs, helps carry on Tom Lewis’s founding vision. In the following Q&A, Givs tells us what brought him to The Fishing School, its plans for expansion, and the stories that remind him of just how needed the center is in the lives of the district’s children and their families.

Tell us a little about your background.

Leo Givs: I started my career in non-profit management in the late 80s. I had previously spent a few years out of graduate school working for the local government here in DC. I decided to pursue a non-profit career and left government service to work with Doug Williams who was then quarterback of the Washington Redskins. I was part of a team of three people who came together to design, develop and launch the Doug Williams Foundation. We hit the road and raised about $600,000 the first several months — a pretty amazing accomplishment for a non-profit start-up at the time. We operated after school and life skills programs for youth and students in DC public schools and low-income housing complexes. I was hooked after that inspiring experience and went on to serve as executive director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving here in DC, director of the Alzheimer’s Association’s DC operation and later COO of a religious nonprofit. After about 15 years of working in the local and regional non-profit sector, I was appointed to a senior executive position at Amnesty International USA, a human rights organization based in London. While I enjoyed human rights work, my heart yearned to get back to doing community-based, grassroots work.

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It is no surprise to most Americans that the economy is struggling and pulling down the banking industry into a cyclone of recession. As several financial institutions have failed requiring government seizure and oversight, a pool of local banks has wisely navigated the nasty financial muck and created islands of stability.

Last year, the failing sub-prime market was exposed and quickly deteriorated as more homeowners struggled with bad loans and increasingly depressed real estate values. A massive wave of foreclosures swept through the country and rippled into foreign markets, wreaking havoc around the world. Revenue for financial institutions plummeted due to loan defaults; debt burdens swelled. The weakening global economy, particularly the soaring price of oil and commodities, has only increased the anxiety of taxpayers and investors. This uncertainty has stifled any new revenue the banking industry hopes to raise in the immediate future.

Realizing the private sector’s difficulty in controlling the spiraling damage, the government has taken dramatic action to build confidence and cease the losses.

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Gary Hobbs is taking his vast and in-depth expertise in business development, federal and commercial sales, and operations to Cryptek as COO. In this position, Mr. Hobbs will spearhead engineering, manufacturing, sales, and services. CEO Bill Anderson, said, “We have been reshaping the Cryptek organization to take full advantage of new business opportunities and are very pleased to add an experienced industry executive of Gary’s caliber…”

Founded in 1986, Cryptek is privately held and provides security products, information sharing, and remote management to the U.S. government and others. The firm is the world’s largest provider of secure networking products, a perfect fit for the extensive skills of Hobbs. CEO Bill Anderson also said of the new COO, “Gary brings exactly the right blend of balanced experience, dynamic leadership and personal drive to guide the critical operations of the company as we move forward on our strategic growth path.”

Before joining Cryptek, Mr. Hobbs was VP and COO of Federal Systems at Unisys, a company that provides security services to the private and public sectors. While at Unisys, he only added to his mystique by repeatedly expanding revenue and profit growth.

Gary Hobbs also held senior executive positions at Computer Sciences Corporation and DynCorp. Most recently, at PSInet he was president of Asia Pacific holdings, overseeing pacific operations in the Asian region and surpassing $150 million in revenue.

It’s a frightening statistic: The Washington, DC area leads the nation in the prevalence of kidney disease. But there’s hope. The Kidney Ball is the National Kidney Foundation’s largest one-day fundraiser, raising funds to support medical research and other critical initiatives. To keep the momentum going, Jim Duffey, a key voice in the area’s business community, is lending his name to the cause. This fall, Duffey will serve as chair of the 2008 Kidney Ball. In the following Q&A, Duffey shares details about the event and how it will help individuals and families cope with what is one of the most prevalent but overlooked health challenges in the United States today.

Why did you choose to chair the 2008 Kidney Ball?

Jim Duffey: My colleague Donna Morea from CGI asked me to serve on the Kidney Ball Executive Committee and through my involvement I became aware that kidney disease is a very serious public health problem that’s often overlooked. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, more than 13 percent of the population has kidney disease and most people don’t know it. They are also unaware that diabetes and hypertension are the leading causes of kidney disease—all three of these diseases are very pervasive in our community. As business leaders we have a social responsibility to the community at large. Working with non-profit partners, we can make a significant difference in the lives of many.

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Nine months after announcing its $76.5 million acquisition of prime government contractor McDonald Bradley, ManTech has struck again with news yesterday that it will acquire Emerging Technologies Group Inc. (ETG), a provider of cyber security and mission critical services to the Intelligence Community and DoD. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Herndon, VA-based ETG is a spry seven years old, growing rapidly as a privately-held firm specializing in computer network operations and computer forensics - with specific expertise in SIGINT and COMINT analysis supporting the counterterrorism/counterintelligence missions around the world.

ManTech expects ETG to generate 2009 revenues of approximately $20 million with solid operating margins. The acquisition is subject to various closing conditions and approvals and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2008. In the press release, Robert A. Coleman, President and COO, ManTech International Corporation says that the ETG acquisition “…adds depth to our cyber security operations and positions ManTech to capture additional work related to the Comprehensive National Cyber Initiative.”

Cyber security - always top of mind for intelligence agencies - is gaining increased attention and dollars. A government report released earlier this year found that the number of successful cyber attacks against federal government information systems and databases reported to the Department of Homeland Security rose to nearly 13,000 in 2007 – an increase of 152 percent. President Bush recommended that cyber security funding for the next fiscal year be upped 10% to $7.3 billion.

But it is in the area of computer forensics where ETG owes its roots. ETG President Tiffanny Gates founded the firm in 2001 at a time when there were few companies possessing critical skills in computer forensics and technical analysis. ETG hammered this opportunity, and enters the agreement with ManTech as a roughly 60 employee company with more than $12 million in annual revenues from clients that include the Department of Defense, Department of State, and Department of Justice, as well as the intelligence community, among its clients.