SAIC Solution Second Edition Cover
6 Comments Published by Dr. Beyster March 25th, 2014 in Employee Ownership, SAIC, The Book.I was recently given a proof of the front and back covers to review for my upcoming book, The SAIC Solution 2nd Edition. I am pleased with the final result. I have included copies of both covers below. When finalized, the cover will be re-posted here and on the fed.org website such that the photo image can be enlarged.
I would like to thank all the SAIC employees, past and present, who submitted photos for the front cover. If it wasn’t for all of you — and your many thousands of coworkers — SAIC wouldn’t have been the great success story that it was.
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank those of you who submitted suggestions for a new subtitle for the book. There were many good suggestions. Ultimately, we decided on “Built by Employee Owners.” The old SAIC was definitely built by employee owners, and it made our company unique among government contractors. We were more entrepreneurial and less concerned about what Wall Street thought about us. Our goal was to do important work for our nation, and to earn a modest profit in the process. We consistently did both.
Thanks to Hugh Kendrick for suggesting the new subtitle, “Built by Employee Owners.” I would also like to thank Chet Laird, Bill Proffer, and Wayne Coleman for suggesting the subtitle “None of Us Is As Smart As All of Us.” While we didn’t use it for the book’s subtitle, we did use it as a tagline for the back cover.
As a reward for your contributions, I would like to extend an invitation for each of you to join me on my boat Solutions for lunch and an afternoon cruise on San Diego Bay. Please contact Ralph or leave a message on this blog to make arrangements.
— Bob
While I certainly look forward to reading the second edition, I’m the proud owner of a a well-read, autographed first edition
Bruce: I am glad to hear that your copy of the first edition of The SAIC Solution is well worn. I hope you enjoy the second edition just as much. I think you will find some of the new material to be interesting. — Bob
Dr. Beyster,
You likely do not remember me but we met on several occasions over the course of my 20 years at SAIC. I’m currently on the Systems Engineering faculty at the University of Virginia but maintain a part-time relationship with Leidos where I continue to work on interesting projects in transportation systems. One of my colleagues at SAIC and I modeled and evaluated commercial cargo processes at border crossings all across the US/Mexico border and at seaports on the east and west coast. We briefed you several times on this work, which was helpful in determining how best to deploy the non-intrusive inspection technology (VACIS) that SAIC developed and deployed.
This was one of many wonderful opportunities I had to learn and grow and, hopefully, contribute at SAI/SAIC. I look back on the time that I was full-time at SAIC from 1983-2004 as an energizing and creative time in my professional life and, along with many others, I believe your leadership, example, drive, innovation, and passion for excellence were as important to the success of the company as was our “special sauce” of employee ownership. SAIC gave me an opportunity to see our (yes “our”) business from the inside out – from developing business to managing programs, to interacting with customers, to performing high quality technical work. I was privileged to work with outstanding colleagues and managers who knew how to motivate and encourage by example and I owe much of who I am today to their influence.
I am proud to have been associated with SAIC for so many years and, although the company has experienced some significant changes, I continue to value the people – both colleagues and clients. I transitioned to the University of Virginia in 2004 because I wanted to return to academia (where I started). I appreciate the opportunity to influence the lives and careers of the next generation and I know that what I learned during my years at SAIC are valuable lessons to pass along to others.
I too have an autographed copy of the 1st edition and treasure it as a fond remembrance of the evolution of an outstanding company.
All my best to you as you continue to make significant contributions. I look forward to reading the 2nd edition!
Michael Smith
Michael: Thank you for your post on my blog. I remember the VACIS program well, and appreciate you and the others who worked on it. I wonder if you can update me on whether or not VACIS was deployed widely. I hope you enjoy the second edition of The SAIC Solution. Please let me know what you think, particularly about the last chapters on governance and the future of employee ownership. — Bob
I’m not sure on the number of VACIS installations but the Leidos website continues to show VACIS as a key component of a comprehensive range of technologies available to CPB and other agencies (U.S. and international) for non-intrusive inspection. Radiation portals are important in interdicting WMD components so they may be proliferating more rapidly than VACIS. CPB’s web site indicates wide deployment of non-intrusive inspection technology, including VACIS, so it seems that was a wise investment that continues to be an important business area.
My 2nd edition of The SAIC Solution is due to arrive at my house any day and I look forward to reading it. I’ll let you know what I think after reading the new last chapter. My personal opinion is that employee ownership instilled a loyalty and commitment that is difficult to replicate in a publicly traded company. I don’t know enough about the financials to judge whether or not employee ownership is sustainable over the long haul for a growing company that needs capital to finance growth. SAIC certainly had strong financial performance in good times and bad during the employee ownership era and many of us benefitted immensely from that steady growth and increase in value over time.
Michael: Thank you for the additional details about the deployment of VACIS and the other technologies being used for non-intrusive inspection at our ports of entry. I believe that these technologies are vital for the security of our nation, and I am glad to hear that they are being utilized widely. I’ll look forward to your comments on the 2nd edition of the book. — Bob