Leading with high-tech edge

Consulting firm parlays diverse skills into profits

Friday, May 22, 2009

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photso by EMILY BARNES Carlos Montague, left, president and CEO of Port Tobacco Consulting, and Dennis Chappell, vice president and general manager, in the company's La Plata office. The company is being recognized as Charles County Technology Company of the Year as part of the ninth annual Leading Edge Awards from the College of Southern Maryland. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story Click here to enlarge this photo

Each business partner's duties are pretty clear at Port Tobacco Consulting.

Carlos Montague is the techie, Dennis Chappell is the rocket scientist.

Their respective responsibilities and expertise as president and vice president, respectively, have worked well since they started the company in 1998. They've combined their individual skills to grow and diversify the small La Plata government contractor into a viable venture that expects $1 million in revenues this year.

PTC's community involvement and commitment to advancing technology have earned it recognition as the Charles County Technology Company of the Year as part of the ninth annual Leading Edge Awards given by the College of Southern Maryland.

It started very small, just the two of them. Montague had worked with Chappell at the Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center before jumping around to a few private information technology firms.

They began by supporting the U.S. Small Business Administration with information technology services. A few years later after Chappell retired as a chemical engineer from NSWC, they took on some defense program management and engineering work; then it was facilities consulting.

"I'm the type of person who follows the technology," Montague said.

The company's employee base has also grown to include a research chemist and another chemical engineer, with a few more subcontractors. They're not done yet — Chappell said he hopes to take the initiatives they've developed and leverage them to double the company's size in five years, expanding their customer base to include other naval installations nation- and worldwide.

PTC "is a great little company but the standout thing about them is their leadership is entirely engaged in promotion and development of Charles County and technology … as a provider of high-end services to both commercial and government clients," said Jim Hiles, a member of the Charles County Technology Council who nominated the company for the award. "A lot of us wonder when they have time to build their business because they spend so much time in the community."

The company's professional accomplishments include the development and application of the Maryland Virtual Emergency Response System in Charles County as a prototype and model for future statewide implementation. MVERS provides first responders in an emergency a virtual online map and description of all Charles County public buildings' contents, structure and services.

Under a newly launched publishing division, "PTC Press," the company is collaborating with NSWC to capture the scientific knowledge of its aging workforce in a series of textbooks that will benefit future scientists and engineers, including a manual that is part of the introduction to rockets course at NSWC. Making these materials available electronically is more crucial now because of the number of workers who work from home and a younger workforce that demands "more versatile" ways to be brought up to speed, Chappell said.

"More of that needs to be done. People keep reinventing everything and it's really not necessary. The aging workforce nationally is a major problem for most industries," Chappell said. "Creating new rocket scientists is not easy."

The company has also helped define programs and secure funding to bring technology used in government laboratories to the commercial marketplace.

"It's one thing to twist a few wires … that anyone would look at and say, ‘Oh that's technology' … but how do you advance in technology if you can't nurture, share and pass on the knowledge base? It's critical," Hiles said.

The businessmen also know the importance of paying it forward in the community, with involvement in the Indian Head Defense Alliance (Chappell is the president), the Southern Maryland Workforce Investment Board, Charles County Homeland Security Alliance, Charles County Technology Council, Western Charles Business Association, Charles County Public Schools' Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics initiatives and the Minority Business Advocacy Council.

PTC has also helped complete the conceptual specifications for the space the Energetics Technology Center will occupy in the planned Indian Head Science and Technology Park.

Last year, PTC worked with the county and private sources to announce the arrival of Martin-Baker Aircraft Co., a British ejection seat manufacturer, at the Bryans Road tech park. PTC is working to help design Martin-Baker's new home as a practical and sustainable space.

"It's not only the work that they do, which is quite excellent … but what I think is really important about them is their involvement in the community and defense community. If they put all that into profit-making they probably would have retired by now," said Alan Kutz, director of community and corporate training at CSM.

kkulp@somdnews.com The Leading Edge Awards

CEO of the Year

Christine Wray, president

and CEO of St. Mary's Hospital

in Leonardtown

Presented by the College of Southern Maryland Corporate Center.

Calvert County Technology Company of the Year

Keep It Simple Computer Training

of Prince Frederick

Presented by the Calvert County Department of Economic

Development.

Charles County Technology Company of the Year

Port Tobacco Consulting of La Plata

Presented by the Charles County Technology Council.

Patuxent Partnership Member Firm of the Year

Compass Systems of Lexington Park

Presented by The Patuxent

Partnership.

Partnership in Education Award

Wyle Laboratories

Presented by the College

of Southern Maryland.

Small Business of the Year

The Carol M. Porto Treatment

Center of Prince Frederick

Presented by the Small Business Development Center.

The Leading Edge Awards ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. June 17 at the Jaycees center, 3090 Crain Highway, Waldorf.

For tickets Call the College of Southern Maryland Corporate Center at 301-870-2309, ext. 7585 for Charles County; 240-725-5499, ext. 7585 for St. Mary's County or 443-550-6199, ext. 7585 for Calvert County or go to

www.corporatecenter.csmd.edu.