Top 25 Execs to Watch in 2020

Dave Zolet, President and CEO, LMI

Dave Zolet brought an ambitious growth strategy to LMI, envisioning an organization that would be formidable against larger companies for prime bids. After two corporate acquisitions and new prime opportunities in its defense, national security and health and civilian markets, LMI realized Zolet’s vision in 2019. With contract awards 40% larger on average, LMI’s year-end revenue has increased by 34% since 2017.

But Zolet most appreciated what didn’t change.

“During a time of transformation and growth, our workforce maintained focus on serving our customers and their missions,” said Zolet, in his third year as president and CEO. “LMI provides outstanding support for which I’m very proud. Now, we have the expanded capacity and capabilities to help customers with even more sophisticated problems.”

Zolet has championed scalable growth — complementing and bolstering LMI’s core offerings in advanced analytics, logistics, digital services and management advisory services — to meet a broader spectrum of customer challenges. The company is committed to its tradition of objective advisory support, driven by independent research and data, while evolving to deliver new insights that enrich government decision-making.

Acquisitions have been integral to the effort. Last February, LMI added The Tauri Group for its expertise in life sciences and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense preparedness, followed by Clockwork Solutions, an Austin, Texas-based predictive analytics company, in November.

Analytical prowess is at the forefront of LMI’s innovation push, which now includes its venture capital initiative, LMI Ventures. Data governance company Immuta and climate analytics consultancy The Climate Service were its first announced partnerships, with more planned in 2020.

“We have been deliberate to ensure each step we take creates meaningful opportunities for our employees to support the customers and missions they are passionate about,” Zolet said. “The competition for talent is steep; we have to provide attractive opportunities to grow, learn and lead. We are doing that like never before in our history. We’re excited about the future.”

Why Watch:

LMI’s shift toward prime opportunities has elevated its presence at several longtime customers, including the Air Force Materiel Command, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate Office of National Labs, the U.S. Postal Service and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

“The trusted relationships we have built with our customers over years, sometimes decades, have made our growth possible,” Zolet said. “Our customers have shown confidence in us as a trusted strategic adviser, and that has enabled us to take some big leaps. Now, we have to deliver. We have the customer understanding, technical tools and talent to raise our customer commitment to another level.”