BusinessTN

Even when involved with stories that generate a national media frenzy, Hardin County's ISR Group keeps a low profile.

Savannah's The Courier recently reported the company had operators deployed on the USS Bainbridge, which assisted with the rescue from Somali pirates of Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama cargo ship.

Given the company specializes in providing service and support for the nation's unmanned vehicle systems (UVS) industry--and, as such, deals with federal entities involved in national defense, intelligence and homeland security--its hovering under the radar is fitting, and sometimes required.

According to The Courier, company founder Alfred Lumpkin, "said it was only because of the wide press the story had gotten and permission from Boeing [that] he [was] free to discuss the role his company played in the dramatic ocean [rescue]."

On other, more mundane matters--such as what brought the company to Hardin County in the first place--information is easier to come by.
Bob Boggan, ISR Group's deputy director who is in charge of business development, says that because Lumpkin is a Savannah native, the town was "a natural" for the company locale, though he adds there were more reasons than just a hearkening for one's hometown.

"Savannah has many other benefits such as its central location in the country and its proximity to Huntsville, Ala., and Fort Campbell, Ky., which are areas of high activity in our industry," Boggan says. "We are also a veteran-owned small business that resides in a HUBZone. These are all positive factors that allow smaller companies to compete with much larger companies."

The U.S. Small Business Administration considers the community a HUBZone (an historically underutilized business zone), a designation driven by factors including ownership (at least 51% owned/controlled by U.S. citizens) and employment (a workforce of at least 35% residing within the zone). The federal government's goal is to award 3% of all dollars for federal prime contracts to HUBZone certified small businesses.

But if locating in Hardin County has been beneficial for ISR, ISR has certainly impacted Hardin County. Only Packaging Corp. of America has more employees--ISR employs about 140--and ISR Group's payroll ranks among the top three in the county, according to Boggan.

"And these are not minimum-wage jobs," Boggan says.
Beth Pippin, executive director of the Hardin County Chamber of commerce, says Lumpkin has fine-tuned ISR Group by "hiring highly skilled professionals and bringing them and their families to Hardin County."

Founded in 2005, ISR Group provides life-cycle support services for aerial, ground and maritime unmanned systems.

"We maintain the equipment during and after the deployment," Boggan says. "Most of our operators and maintainers have prior military experience, and all of our instructors have real-world experience having been deployed themselves before being certified as instructors."

ISR Group has three main divisions: Training Systems, Technical Services and Logistics and Depot.

"Training Systems Division is responsible for instructing students in both the operational and maintenance aspects of UVS," Boggan says. "Technical Services Division provides personnel (often deployed overseas or on a ship) to operate and maintain various unmanned systems. Logistics and Depot Division provides maintenance at a level that is beyond what can be performed in the field. By doing this, ISR Group is able to support vehicle manufacturers so they can focus their attention on production."

Boggan says there is a major industry shift away from manned-only platforms and toward unmanned versions. In addition, he cites the trend of UVS manufacturers using a common programming language that allows various systems to work together.

"This is primarily being pushed by military users who have a variety of systems and often have space limitations while deployed," Boggan says. "The ideal situation for the military user would allow multiple unmanned systems to be operated using the same control unit. Military operations are increasingly being conducted using UVS. In some instances, soldiers who would have previously been in harm's way are no longer exposed because of the use of unmanned systems. The Department of Defense is responding by significantly increasing its UVS budget."

Philip Finnegan, corporate analysis director for the Fairfax, Va.-based research and consulting firm Teal Group Corp., which follows the aerospace and defense industries, agrees. He says companies in the unmanned vehicle systems and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industries are faring well.

"The sector is growing rapidly and offers considerable opportunities for smaller companies because of the sector's dynamic, nascent character," Finnegan says. "Smaller companies providing support benefit from the growing number of UAVs being deployed. They are competitive because of low overhead and a dynamic sector that requires that companies respond quickly to changes. That evens the playing field with much larger defense companies."

Finnegan says Teal Group's annual survey of the UAV market projects that total U.S. spending on UAVs (procurement, research and development, and operations and maintenance) will total $6.4 billion in 2018, up from $3.9 billion in 2009.

Even a small piece of such a pie can mean big business for companies like ISR Group, and it's not the only sector in which it is active.

"We are working on becoming more engaged in ground and maritime systems and also working more closely with non-military entities," Boggan notes.

ISR Group may keep its profile low even as it grows, but with each high-tech, highly skilled worker brought to Hardin County, the company puts Tennessee more firmly on the radar of those looking for a tech-rich environment in which to work and run companies. And that's a type of profile-building everyone can get behind.