Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Washington Post
March 10, 2008
Pg. D2
Former Anteon chief executive Joseph Kampf, who ran one of the region's largest government contractors before it was sold to General Dynamics for $2.1 billion, is back in the business.
This time, he's involved with a company focused on combating the roadside bombs that have killed thousands in Iraq but have been difficult to defeat.
After the sale of Fairfax-based Anteon in 2006, Kampf helped form a private-equity company, CoVant. The firm recently announced the acquisition of its first company: A-T Solutions of Fredericksburg.
Privately held A-T Solutions trains military and law enforcement in detecting and defeating improvised explosive devices and weapons of mass destruction. It is the largest provider of IED-related training services to the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security.
And it is building a massive database of information related to roadside bombs. By analyzing the materials in bombs and trying to figure out their origins, the company hopes to be able to predict and prevent attacks. Typically, the government has relied on robots to defuse bombs or on armor to protect troops from a blast.
The military "has historically spent a lot of its money in the technology, disarm-and-examine arena," Kampf said. "Now they're starting to spend their money smartly, we believe, in the defeat side."
Kampf, who will become chairman of A-T Solutions, is using CoVant's reservoir of former military officials to help the company expand its clients.
A-T's training methods are "very applicable not only with explosive devices but also things like border security, personnel security, network security, port security," Kampf said. "You could use a lot of the same techniques and training and processes to secure many areas."
Kampf added that he hopes to leverage A-T's database for other counterterrorism purposes beyond preventing bomb attacks.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. CoVant, of McLean, is run by Kampf, several former Anteon executives and New York private-equity concern CI Capital Partners.
The affiliation between Kampf and CI is long-running; the firm bought Anteon in 1996, just as Kampf began to grow the contractor into a powerhouse.
--Zachary A. Goldfarb
March 10, 2008
Pg. D2
Former Anteon chief executive Joseph Kampf, who ran one of the region's largest government contractors before it was sold to General Dynamics for $2.1 billion, is back in the business.
This time, he's involved with a company focused on combating the roadside bombs that have killed thousands in Iraq but have been difficult to defeat.
After the sale of Fairfax-based Anteon in 2006, Kampf helped form a private-equity company, CoVant. The firm recently announced the acquisition of its first company: A-T Solutions of Fredericksburg.
Privately held A-T Solutions trains military and law enforcement in detecting and defeating improvised explosive devices and weapons of mass destruction. It is the largest provider of IED-related training services to the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security.
And it is building a massive database of information related to roadside bombs. By analyzing the materials in bombs and trying to figure out their origins, the company hopes to be able to predict and prevent attacks. Typically, the government has relied on robots to defuse bombs or on armor to protect troops from a blast.
The military "has historically spent a lot of its money in the technology, disarm-and-examine arena," Kampf said. "Now they're starting to spend their money smartly, we believe, in the defeat side."
Kampf, who will become chairman of A-T Solutions, is using CoVant's reservoir of former military officials to help the company expand its clients.
A-T's training methods are "very applicable not only with explosive devices but also things like border security, personnel security, network security, port security," Kampf said. "You could use a lot of the same techniques and training and processes to secure many areas."
Kampf added that he hopes to leverage A-T's database for other counterterrorism purposes beyond preventing bomb attacks.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. CoVant, of McLean, is run by Kampf, several former Anteon executives and New York private-equity concern CI Capital Partners.
The affiliation between Kampf and CI is long-running; the firm bought Anteon in 1996, just as Kampf began to grow the contractor into a powerhouse.
--Zachary A. Goldfarb