Steven Omick is leading Riverside Research into 2022 with sights set on strategic execution, centering on building a business with the highest impact to the nation.
And the not-for-profit is in a rare position to do so.
“At Riverside Research, we have the rare ability to say that our customers’ mission is our mission,” Omick says. “It’s just that simple. We are in business exclusively to be a resource and an asset to national security.”
Since Omick took the helm of the organization as president and CEO in 2016, he has focused on extending its ability to do internal research and development to better serve the national security sector. With nearly three decades of research and executive experience in the private sector and defense and intelligence industries, Omick has been driving Riverside Research’s growth with the intelligence community and the Defense Department.
Considering the organization’s place as a high-tech not-for-profit, Omick says Riverside Research is in an interesting position in the market space for its ability to invest in technology.
The Open Innovation Center, for instance, is the organization’s central hub for independent R&D. During the last five years, Riverside Research has invested in artificial intelligence and machine learning, zero trust solutions in cyber systems, terahertz imaging systems, and commercial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance solutions.
“Our capabilities continue to expand based on our ability to invest internally,” Omick says.
While he attributes the organization’s internal R&D to driving recent and long-term growth, execution also comes into play.
“We have very dedicated people at Riverside,” Omick says. “We have people who are driven by the importance of our mission and that leads to unparalleled program execution across the board and at every level — from program management to technical execution and across our support systems within the company.”
Strategizing around R&D
Riverside Research can plan for long-term DOD and IC technology needs through its internal R&D capabilities. It heavily invests money and resources in developing the tools and technologies its customer base needs now and in the future.
This comes back to the organization’s strategy, which is based on knowing where its capabilities fit best and understanding its customers well enough to know what their next-generation concerns are going to be.
“We look at the long-term technology bets that we’ve placed and how to make changes along the way so we will be most relevant to our customer’s challenges. To skate to the puck, as they say,” Omick says.
Areas like AI and machine learning, zero trust, precision timing and commercial ISR are long-term priorities at Riverside Research because they’re long-term priorities for its customers. Rather than being rigid with technology development in these areas, the organization is changing the direction in each of these technologies to react to events as they happen.
“We built a very extensive base of technology, and we have committed to those technologies for the long term; that’s our strategy,” Omick says. “We make adjustments to that strategy every year to ensure we are focused on our customers’ needs.”
Riverside Research is bringing the next generation of technologies to the problems customers have now, while also making strategic decisions about what technology combinations will be best for those customers looking ahead.
“We bring together technologies to create full-scale solutions to complex problems, instead of just bringing one-off technology solution to our customers. And I think that’s something that we do very well,” Omick says.
Navigating the Unexpected with a Customer-First Mindset
When COVID-19 first hit the U.S., Riverside Research was able to quickly react and prepare thanks to its customer-first approach.
The organization continued to innovate during the pandemic, but first had to navigate a workforce that works within customer facilities, internal classified facilities and internal labs. So, it collaborated with customers to make sure they felt comfortable with how the organization was going to continue providing direct services and conducting independent R&D. The organization first assessed customer needs, and then adjusted business processes to meet those needs while supporting employees working from home.
“We continue to work in concert with our customers on ways we can best help our customers carry out their respective missions, which can’t stop because of a pandemic,” Omick adds. “These are matters of national security.”
The executive team began meeting multiple times a week beginning in March 2020, which soon led to the entire organization figuring out how to more efficiently work together, add needed capabilities and collaborate on video.
Now, Omick is taking the best part of these challenges and looking toward an equilibrium different from what the organization had in the last two years.
“We really have taken full advantage of the opportunity to sharpen our ability to work seamlessly across geographic boundaries and without being together in the same room,” he says.
Strategic Impact: The People Make the Mission
Another component of Riverside Research’s strategy is its people and becoming a destination company. That is, a company employees seek out, join and stay for the long haul. A culture that offers comprehensive training, provides ongoing and transparent communications and is moving the needle on diversity, equity and inclusion.
This commitment to career longevity allows the company to retain employees passionate about working for a not-for-profit and serving the government without the oversight of corporate interests. They are focused on the mission, and they contribute to the increasingly inclusive culture. Riverside Research trusts them enough to permit self-direction, which directly impacts innovation and their ability to solve problems for the customer. Omick describes this as “cultivating a workforce that is laser-focused on our customer’s mission and national security.”
Going forward, Riverside Research remains on a path of growth. It’ll continue to focus on its partnerships with the IC and DOD, invest in technology and expand into areas that make sense for its customers — organically and through acquisitions.
The organization’s partnership with the IC is particularly important to Omick. It’s why he brought the center of the business from New York to Washington, D.C., to work with national change agents.
“My entire career has been in service of the intelligence community,” he says. “I’m deeply loyal to that. And I want us as a company to not only be focused on the customer mission, but also making positive change wherever we can.”