As CEO of MC Dean Inc., Bill Dean is making sure his company stays on top. Recently, the company was awarded the electrical, telecommunications, and electronic systems engineering and the implementation contract for the new Walter Reed National Army Medical Center. “The new Walter Reed is going to be truly one of the most complex medical facilities that has ever been constructed,” says Dean. M.C. Dean, Inc., was also recently awarded a contract for the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. In the following Q&A, Dean shares these and other breakthroughs, and discusses his personal passion for something that can help the DC metro area thrive: workforce development.

What’s new at M.C. Dean, Inc.?

Bill Dean: There are a number of new and exciting things going on for M.C. Dean, Inc. in the DC area, where we’re headquartered and on a national and international scale. In the DC area, there are several large projects that we are starting up, including several BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) projects in suburban Maryland as well as in Northern Virginia. These include design and construction of the electrical, telecommunications, and electronic systems for the new Walter Reed National Army Medical Center.
Outside of the DC area, M.C. Dean, Inc. has just opened three new offices for our new Southern Industrial Group. The first of these is in Baton Rouge, and the other two are in Houston, and Dallas/Fort Worth. The Southern Industrial Group is focused on engineering services for the heavy industrial space. Opening these offices is part of M.C. Dean, Inc.’s plan to diversify in terms of the market sectors we serve and to further establish ourselves as a firm with a nationwide presence.

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For the Washington IT and government contracting communities, August is usually the month when high-profile executives vacate the office and allow for some brief R&R. But, in welcome news to colleagues and friends, one well-known executive is returning to the office after undergoing successful coronary bypass surgery in early June. CACI CEO Paul Cofoni is back on the job and, according to news reports, more than ready to resume duties.

The last time Stan Sloane, president and CEO of the publicly traded technology consulting firm, SRA International, spoke to ExecutiveBiz, he let us in on some big plans: Though he had only been with SRA less than a year (he’d been with Lockheed Martin 22 years before then), he was aiming to see SRA reach $5 billion in revenue by 2012.

“SRA has created a roadmap consisting of two threads — one is organic growth, the other growth through acquisition,” said Sloane in his January 2008 talk with us.

Well, it looks like Sloane is well on his way to making good on his word. Recently SRA acquired Interface & Control Systems, Inc., a Columbia-based company which makes software for spacecraft. ICS, which builds automation software for satellites, control centers, and simulators, will join SRA’s intelligence and space business unit.

“With ICS’ domain expertise in autonomous command and control, SRA strengthens its position in a strategically significant market segment,” says Sloane. “The ICS acquisition brings to SRA an experienced management team, a highly specialized employee base and valuable intellectual property.”

Last year alone, SRA, which designs and develops technology systems for clients in national security, government, and health care, saw $1.3 billion in revenue. The way things are shaping up, looks like SRA will have an even stronger showing this year. Stay tuned.

Whether the Greater Washington technology community likes it or not, it has twins. Two distinct - and often siloed - communities that split along generational, cultural and operational lines. On one side, you have the young, vibrant social media entrepreneurs focused on disruptive solutions to break through the Web 2.0 scene. Then, there is another set of companies led by more seasoned, credential executives who tend to focus on solutions that may not be as sexy, but address a business pain point for government agencies, businesses and organizations.

These two communities coexist peacefully, but rarely to their collective mutual benefit. And, as one might hear attending an AA meeting, the first step in solving the problem is to admit you have a problem.

And step one seems to finally be underway. The trigger point is debatable, but Post scribe Zachary Goldfarb’s coverage of Washington’s Twin Tech Towns seemed to light a fire under a handful of folks with the power to do something about it. Hosted by iStrategy Labs and with a huge push from NVTC and a collection of social media players, last Thursday’s Twin Tech Party - which was conceived, developed and executed seemingly overnight - snowballed with all of the viral buzz that would have made any participating social media firm proud.

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Interested in coming out to bowl for a good cause, while mingling with top athletes? On Tuesday, July 29 Roger Mason Jr — Washington Wizards Guard and DC native — will host his 1st Annual Ball for a Cause. The event will feature bowling at Lucky Strike in Chinatown. Several of Roger’s teammates will also attend, including Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson, as well as NBA players Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Kevin Durant, and Chris Bosh. Proceeds from the event will go toward the National Kidney Foundation of the National Capital Area.

The mission of the National Kidney Foundation is to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increase the availability of all organs for transplantation. Their work is especially important in the DC area, which has the highest prevalence of kidney disease in the country.

Kidney disease is something that hits home for Mason, too. When he was 11, his father succumbed to the disease. “It is has been a dream of mine to be a part of such a wonderful organization that shares my vision,” says Mason. “National Kidney Foundation has helped many people live a healthier and happy life. I am proud to announce our inaugural event in July. I look forward to years of supporting the cause.”

The event at Lucky Strike will showcase the bowling skills of some of today’s top athletes and entertainers. Lanes are available for purchase and each lane will have a celebrity and a young kidney patient. Bowling lanes are $3,500 and individual tickets to the event are $150 which includes complimentary food, drinks, gift bag, and the opportunity to mingle with athletes and other celebrities.

“We are proud to partner with Roger on this unique fundraiser,” says Preston A. Englert, Jr., President & CEO of the National Kidney Foundation of the National Capital Area. “His knowledge of the problem in the Washington, DC area will really help to raise awareness about kidney disease and its leading causes—diabetes and high blood pressure—and get those most at risk vital information to improve their health.” (The National Kidney Foundation has seen the support of top executives in the DC area including Donna Morea; to learn more about her extensive contributions click here.)

For tickets or sponsorship, please contact Michele Anthony at the National Kidney Foundation, manthony@kidneywdc.org, or Lara Blume at Team Up World, info@teamupworld.org.

The statistic is staggering: Within 18 to 24 months of promotion as many as 40 percent of new leaders are no longer in the roles they were promoted to. What can leaders do to avoid becoming part of this alarming executive failure rate? In the following Q&A, Scott Eblin, author of The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success, talks about the behaviors that executives need to pick up — and let go of — to reach the next level.

You’re the author of The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success, what do the insiders know?

Scott Eblin: They understand that when moving to a next level role, actions have to change. Different results are expected, so it pretty much follows that some of the things you’ve been doing — even if they’ve worked for you in the past — are going to have to change.

What are some behaviors executives need to let go of?

Scott Eblin: Letting go of self-reliance and picking up team-reliance — that’s a big one. The typical executive leader was successful early in their career because they were the “go to” person for everything, no matter what. But at the executive level, your role is now so broad and deep that the “go to” profile no longer works.

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As most of us know, venture capitalist and entrepreneur Mark Ein spends most of his time focusing on potential technology and telecommunications investment opportunities for his holding company Venturehouse Group, LLC. But Ein is adding an entirely new element to his portfolio as head of an ownership group that has brought a World TeamTennis Pro League franchise to Washington, DC for the first time in the league’s 33-year history. In the following Q&A, Ein tells us what’s on tap for Washington Kastles this summer.

Can provide a brief history of your background?

Mark Ein: I’m a Washington DC native, went to Bethesda Chevy Chase High School and then went away for college and then got trained at Goldman Sachs, then went away to business school. I came back to Washington to work at The Carlyle Group when it was only five years old, in 1992. I worked and led a lot of their early telecom deals at Carlyle and helped get that effort started there. We had a number of investments that worked out really well.

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We at ExecutiveBiz and the entire Federal IT community were certainly affected by the news last month that CACI International Inc.’s CEO Paul Cofoni underwent coronary bypass surgery after experiencing major chest discomfort. The symptoms were so serious, according to doctors, that if left untreated could have led to a heart attack.

But the good news is that the surgery was successful and Cofoni, 59, is on a road to recovery that should have been back in the throes of work shortly. The initial estimates around the time of the surgery in early June was six weeks, so no doubt Cofoni is chomping at the bit to take the reigns back from acting CEO William Fairl.

During his downtime Cofoni could at least reflect on what had been a successful first year at the helm of CACI, a year he discussed with ExecutiveBiz in detail during an interview earlier this summer. During the Q&A Cofoni confessed to being an avid sports fan of all the local teams, occasionally sneaking out after work to a Nationals game. With his recovery on track it surely won’t be long before he’s making his way over to the ballpark again sooner rather than later.

From the ExecutiveBiz team, best wishes for a speedy recovery.

This is an interesting time for companies within the government contracting space, as uncertainties abound on the economic and political front. But AMERICAN SYSTEMS’ President and CEO Bill Hoover is up for the challenge. In the following Q&A, Hoover shares his thoughts on what is sure to be a critical time ahead for area companies. “I think it’s going to be interesting; I believe interesting means change; and I am convinced where there’s change, there’s opportunity,” he says.

How did your Navy background help you as a CEO?

Bill Hoover: In retrospect, the experience that I gained as a division officer on a U.S. Navy warship was the first general management experience of my career. As a division officer, I was responsible for managing people (the sailors in my division); for managing budgets (called operational targets or OpTars); and for managing performance. In a way, I think the Navy probably provides more general management-type experience in addition to what I’ll call leadership experience. As you might expect, I think that the Army and the Marine Corps are very focused on honing strong leadership skills. In the Navy, you get some of the leadership—perhaps not to the degree that you get in the Army and the Marine Corps, but you get more general management experience.

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It’s not easy finding a reliable list of top executive search firms. Most published lists are really compilations of the biggest firms, often in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London and Paris. But in reality, size doesn’t really matter in the executive search firm business. In fact, size is often a constraint, since having too many clients prevents a truly exhaustive search. So it was a welcome surprise to see that Bob Brudno, managing director of Savoy Partners right here in Washington, DC, was recently named by BusinessWeek as one of the “100 Most Influential Executive Recruiters in the World.”

Brudno’s appearance on the list surprised him. “I have always worked discreetly,” he says, “leaving the publicity surrounding a client’s key new hire to them.” In Brudno’s case, those “key new hires” have included CEOs of area companies like SAIC, SRA, and CACI. Brudno has also performed many searches for CXOs, partners and VPs for many of the leaders in major market segments.

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