Earlier this morning Salient Federal Solutions, Inc. (Salient) announced that it has completed its acquisition of the end-to-end application software solutions company LIST Innovative Solutions, Inc. (LIST).
WashingtonExec spoke briefly with Brad Antle about the agreement and also discussed the current M&A Market, future plans for Salient Federal, and received an update on how Salient’s recent acquisitions are going.
With Salient’s purchase of LIST, the company will add two new civilian government clients: the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).
Last month, Brad Antle spoke on an executive panel at the 8th Annual M&A Outlook, hosted by Morrison & Foerster. We asked Brad for his predictions regarding the M&A Market, specifically within the defense contracting industry.
“I think we will be seeing more opportunities for M&A. I think we are seeing more companies that are trying to get acquired but I think there is also probably a little less appetite for acquisitions because of the uncertainty in the budgets. I still think it is a great time if you have a clear strategy on how to position your company –to buy the right pieces to further that strategy,” said Antle.
Salient Federal announced in April of this year that it would acquire ATS Corporation, a full lifecycle IT systems solutions, mission-driven consulting services and responsive infrastructure federal contractor. We asked Antle how he has been able to maintain consistency and a strong corporate culture at Salient during this time.
“We look for similarities in the culture… that it is a very energetic organization with a lot of passionate people, a strong commitment to community outreach as well as customer satisfaction. We do pay particular attention to the nature of the culture that we’re acquiring,” said Antle.
With looming budget cuts and the recent presidential election coming to a close last week, we also asked Antle to provide insight regarding his overall strategy for his company this year and over the next couple years.
“As you may recall, we have been more heavily focused on DOD and Intel. This acquisition (of LIST) drops us to about 63% DOD & Intel, 35% Fed/Civil and 2% commercial. As we continue to broaden our Fed/Civil exposure I think the current Administration, unlike a Romney Administration, will be more inclined to continue deep cuts to Defense. Being more balanced across the federal market space will be more beneficial for our strategy.”
When asked: “where do you see Salient Federal in three years? “ Antle replied:
“My goal, again, is to have highly differentiated business with a distinction that matters in the market and distinctions and capabilities that matter to our customers and well positioned for a growth environment that I think we will see in about three years. Hopefully we will be approaching about $500 million in terms of revenue.”
Antle was also recently nominated as of Executive of the Year in the $75 to $300 million division for the 10th Annual GovCon Awards. Read his interview with WashingtonExec about the nomination, obtaining top talent, and his book recommendation for young executives here.
