Minneapolis, 29 September 2011 – The Defense Alliance held its annual award event Thursday evening at HGA. More than 100 people from 85 defense-oriented organizations attended the event which was hosted by HGA, one of the nation’s leading architectural and engineering firms.
The event, titled “Architect of Defense,” was principally a networking opportunity for the diverse group representing a spectrum of industries that contribute to defense and homeland security. Following a reception and program, the fourth annual “Architect of Defense” award was presented to the CEO of Xollai, LLC, Robert Malecki (center-left in the photo below). The award is presented to the Defense Alliance member who best exemplifies and promotes the ideals and mission of the Alliance. Xollai was founded in 2008 by a group of University of St. Thomas engineering students. Dubbed “The Dream Team” by professors and fellow students because of their ability to create tangible solutions for issues that were thought to be impossible, Robert Malecki, Ryan Thompson, Lue Her, and Anthony Giang, created an advanced automated guidance technology for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS); this technology has garnered attention from the defense industry and other market sectors.
The evening’s keynote presenter was Rear Admiral Sean F. Crean, U.S. Navy, Director of the Small Business Office for the Secretary of the Navy. Special presentations included: Brigadier General Bob Cayton, U.S. Air Force, who detailed the contribution of Minnesota’s National Guard to the Global War on Terror; and CDR Dave Hutton, U.S. Navy (Ret.), who discussed the involvement of industry in the building of the Navy submarine USS MINNESOTA (SSN 783), scheduled for commissioning in 2013.
The event was preceded by an afternoon session at HGA that was focused on the Advanced Power & Energy Cluster (APC), an Advanced Defense Technologies Cluster run by the Defense Alliance for the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the DoD. The APC has been operating since the fall of 2010, and has helped its member companies create 82 jobs and win over $4M in defense contracts. Details about the APC can be found at www.powerfordefense.com.
The Defense Alliance is an independent business network headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. Its mission is to network and expand the defense and homeland security industries, to create and retain high quality jobs, and to further promote the region’s important contributions to our men and women of the armed forces. The Defense Alliance also hosts an Advanced Defense Technologies (ADT) Cluster for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), principally focused on advanced power and energy technology solutions in the Upper Midwest.