enGenius Taps Seasoned Executive To Lead Its Charge Into Government Sector.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 20, 2002

Retired LTC Bardon "Buzz" Blizzard, Jr. to oversee multi-millions

in new business contracts with Office of the Secretary of Defense 

(DoD), City of Atlanta, Department of Interior

enGenius, a proven provider of IT consulting services and staff augmentation, today announced the appointment of retired LTC Bardon "Buzz" Blizzard, Jr. as COO.

In addition, the company also announced it has secured several million dollars in new government-focused business through partnerships with Booz Allen & Hamilton, DynCorp and the Gartner Consulting.

During his 37-year career, Blizzard has lead a number of commercial and military information technology and operational initiatives. Most recently he was vice president of strategic initiatives at DynCorp Systems and Solutions, a subsidiary of DynCorp, a $2 billion information technology and management and operations solutions company. During that time he provided executive leadership and oversight for DynCorp's Homeland Security Program, Critical Operational "Red Flag" Consequence Management Actions, Proposal Support Center, Mentor-Protege Program and Business Practices Group. He also managed programs across a $1 billion strategic business area with more than 7,000 employees in 550 locations worldwide.

"Buzz is clearly a seasoned leader decorated by both the military and the corporate world," said S.P. Reddy, chairman and CEO of enGenius. "Over the last 18 months our business has continued to develop in the federal, state and local arenas and Buzz's in-depth knowledge in this $83 billion sector will help support our ability to meet the needs of this growing market. Our recently awarded contracts with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), City of Atlanta and the Department of Interior are great examples of how the government sector is supporting small businesses.

"Since 1997 enGenius has been helping government entities address IT issues. We are very fortunate to be in a position today where we're able to leverage our experiences with existing clients like the Army Corps of Engineers, MARTA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA to win several government contracts this year alone."

Fred Lombardo, program manager, Real Estate Systems for the Army Corps of Engineers, is one of enGenius' long-standing clients and he is not at all surprised with the company's success in attracting government business. "During the last five years enGenius has continued to provide me with the technical expertise to allow me and my team to manage a complex and diverse enterprise system. Their understanding of our business process and the application of new technology needed to manage these processes is why we see enGenius as a key member of our team."

The team of Booz Allen & Hamilton and enGenius has been chosen to support all IT activities in the Joint Requirements and Integration Office, an Office of the Secretary of Defense, over the next five years. Together, the team displaced a 14-year incumbent and secured a contract valued at $64 million. It includes the implementation of the Defense Integrated Military Human Resource System, BPR, change management, data analysis, process modeling, system development, networking, security, and subject matter expertise.

"enGenius' track record of meeting the needs of government organizations has always been solid and the addition of Buzz to the team brings an additional layer of expertise," said Lee Falkenstrom, a principle with Booz Allen & Hamilton. "Because enGenius is a small business that is deep in talent, we were able to create a win-win for us, them and the DoD."

In another recent deal, enGenius successfully partnered with the Gartner Consulting to win a contract to help the City of Atlanta in a process review and redesign of its technology management. Under the leadership of the Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, the city is aggressively working to refine and streamline processes and procedures. Together, the team will work to evaluate the city's current processes and redesign them to improve city services and increase the return on the city's IT systems, strategies and planning.

Getting federal, state and local organizations to act more like the corporate world is exactly what Blizzard feels is going to fuel not only enGenius' success but also ensure customer satisfaction. "I feel like my 33 years in government service was a training grounds for my current position," said Blizzard. "In today's increasingly complex world government organizations - at any level - cannot afford to go it alone. Best practices from our corporate citizens are proven and demonstrate real returns, which is something government officials cannot overlook. That's why leaders from a mayor to the secretary of defense are calling on proven providers like enGenius to help them move forward."

Blizzard projects that enGenius will continue to grow at roughly an annual rate of 15 percent to 20 percent by increasing its focus on government contracts, including initiatives with the Homeland Defense, DoD Transformation, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). However, he says the company will also grow and maintain a healthy amount of commercial work for clients like Circuit City, BellSouth, AT&T, CapitalOne and MCI/WorldCom.

As an enlisted man and a commissioned officer, Blizzard has served in nearly every command echelon in the Army. He has earned numerous military awards and citations including two Sliver Stars and two Purple Hearts. He is one of the founding members of the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Forces) and was the youngest commissioned Army officer since WWII.

After leaving the military service in 1986 and until 1999, Blizzard worked for SRA International, a $443 million provider of information technology services and solutions to U.S. federal government, as a deputy project manager, operations director, analysts and subject matter expert. During that time he led numerous large, multi-discipline teams in the development and execution of comprehensive analytical, exercise planning, training and crisis management efforts with domestic and global organizations including the FBI, DEA, DoD and DoE.

About enGenius

Atlanta-based enGenius is a world-class, proven provider of IT consulting services including software development, database administration, systems management, network management and e-commerce. The company also specializes in providing IT staff augmentation services. As a U.S. Small Business Administration 8(a) certified company, enGenius has a strong focus on delivering services and solutions to federal, state and local government entities. Some of its clients include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and the Food and Drug Administration.