HUNTSVILLE, Ala., May 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — ERC is proud to announce that ERC’s Red Crew received the prestigious Stellar Award from the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) Foundation for their mission-saving work on the Artemis I launch. The Stellar Awards are presented on behalf of the RNASA to celebrate the accomplishments of those working behind the scenes of the space program. The Red Crew was invited to the 35^th Annual Space Awards Gala on April 28th in Houston, TX, where they received their well-deserved recognition.

ERC Red Crew members Billy Cairns, Trenton Annis, and Chad Garrett were recognized for their contributions to ensure the successful launch of Artemis I on November 16, 2022. As NASA’s Kennedy Space Center prepared for launch, sensors detected a hydrogen leak during fueling. At the last minute, the Red Crew stepped in to stop the leak on the hydrogen valve. By tightening several bolts, the Red Crew ensured that the launch went on without a hitch. If not for their hard work and bravery, the launch would have been scrubbed.

Jane Reutt, President of ERC’s NASA division, said, “I could not be prouder of this team. The recognition was well deserved.”

For more information on the Red Crew’s participation in the Artemis I launch, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/artemis-red-crew-team-helps-enable-successful-launch

About ERC

ERC is a leading provider of mission-critical engineering, technical and consulting services to the space and defense markets. For over 30 years, ERC has worked closely with such customers as the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and other high-tech governmental entities on missions of national importance. ERC’s solutions combine precise engineering, innovative technologies, deep subject-matter expertise, firsthand mission understanding, and long-term customer knowledge to deliver the critical advantage needed to solve critical challenges. ERC’s 2,000 employees share a collaborative culture built on commitment, integrity, teamwork, respect, and uncompromising performance, which enables best-in-class service and solutions for the company’s customers. For more information, go to erc.us. Follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact Information:

Jane Reutt
ERC, NASA Division President
janereutt@erc.us

Huntsville, Ala., December 12, 2022 – ERC, a major subcontractor to Jacobs on the Test and Operations Support Contract (TOSC), wants to congratulate NASA on the successful launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission! The ERC team has been intimately involved in every aspect of TOSC, from the beginning phases to the Red Crew saving the day.

The SLS is NASA’s first exploration-class rocket since Saturn V and the most powerful rocket to date, designed to evolve for missions to the moon, mars, and beyond. Artemis I is the first uncrewed test flight in a series of complex missions to build a long-term presence on the Moon. The duration of the Artemis I mission was 25 days, 11 hours, and 36 minutes. Yesterday, December 11^th, the module re-entered earth at 24,500 mph and splashed down after having traveled 1.3 million miles.

As NASA’s Kennedy Space Center was preparing for the launch on Nov. 15^th, the sensors detected a leak during fueling, similar to what caused mission control to scrub the previous launch attempts. The Artemis I mission managers made the decision to send in the “Red Crew”, a specialized team to deploy to the base of the fueled rocket to try and stop the liquid hydrogen leak at 10:12 p.m. ET. In order for the Red Crew to do their job, the team needed to drain off the liquid hydrogen from the leaking component. This task was extremely dangerous due to the complexity and nature of the elements.

The ERC Red Crew team members, Billy Cairns and Trenton Annis, Cryogenic Engineering Technicians, and Chad Garrett, Safety Engineer, had to tighten several bolts to troubleshoot a valve used to replenish the core stage with liquid hydrogen. These three employees were hailed as “heroes of the day” by NASA for their bravery and hard work to ensure Artemis I took flight.

ERC President of NASA Division, Jane Reutt commented, “I am so proud of the ERC team on the TOSC contract. This launch took the entire team from the folks in the background to the folks in the firing room. What an amazing night as we listened to the count down and realized that we were going to zero and launching. It’s been a long road for many of our employees, but the end result was breathtaking.”

Our ERC Red Crew team members “showed up” and got their job done, and we couldn’t be prouder.

About ERC

ERC is a leading provider of mission-critical engineering, technical and consulting services to the space and defense markets. For over 30 years, ERC has worked closely with such customers as the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, and other high-tech government entities on missions of national importance. ERC’s solutions combine precise engineering, innovative, deep subjective-matter expertise, firsthand mission understanding, and long-term customer knowledge to deliver the critical advantage needed to solve critical challenges. ERC’s 2,000 employees share a collaborative culture built on commitment, integrity teamwork, respect, and uncompromising performance, which enables best-in-class service and solutions for the company’s customers. For more information, go to erc.us. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Huntsville, Ala., Nov. 18, 2021 – ERC, LLC, a leading provider of advanced engineering, technology and consulting solutions for the defense and space communities, today announced that federal contracting industry leader Craig Reed has joined its Board of Advisors.

“Craig is an important addition to the ERC family,” said Ernie Wu, CEO of ERC. “He has been instrumental in helping companies grow both organically and through acquisition across our industry, and his expertise and experience will be tremendous assets as we continue to move forward and execute on our ‘Advantage Delivered’ mantra for customers throughout the defense and space industries.”  

Over his nearly 40-year career in government contracting, Reed has worked extensively across the defense, space and intelligence, and government services markets in growth, strategy, corporate development, and executive leadership roles. He is founder and president of Growth Strategy Leaders LLC. Reed previously served as president and chief growth officer of Altamira Technologies and held leadership roles at Serco, NT Concepts, Engility, DynCorp International, Northrop Grumman, CSP Associates and Lockheed Martin. He also served as senior policy advisor and executive director of the Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board at the U.S. Department of Energy.

“This is an exciting time for ERC as it is advancing its growth strategy and I am thrilled to join the team to support its continued journey of expansion,” said Reed. “Our industry is evolving quickly to address the expanding and highly critical mission needs of our government customers, and I look forward to collaborating with ERC’s dynamic leadership as the company continues to deliver best-in-class services to federal agencies and broaden its support to customers through strategic acquisitions.”

ERC’s broad range of solutions includes software development, cybersecurity, mission support, modeling and simulation, research and development, systems engineering, and test and evaluation. Examples of ERC’s industry leading performance include developing software for military customer mission planning, providing network and cybersecurity services for defense customers including prime contractors, and delivering comprehensive solutions for space operations, including systems engineering, technical support and qualifications testing for launch systems.

Reed holds a Ph.D. in public policy with a concentration in national security studies from George Washington University, a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University, a Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York at Albany and completed the Oxford Management Programme at Saïd Business School at Oxford University. 

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About ERC

ERC is a leading provider of mission-critical engineering, technical and consulting services to the space and defense markets. For over 30 years, ERC has worked closely with such customers as the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and other high-tech governmental entities on missions of national importance. ERC’s solutions combine precise engineering, innovative technologies, deep subject-matter expertise, firsthand mission understanding, and long-term customer knowledge to deliver the critical advantage needed to solve critical challenges. ERC’s 2,000 employees share a collaborative culture built on commitment, integrity, teamwork, respect, and uncompromising performance, which enables best-in-class service and solutions for the company’s customers. For more information, go to www.erc.us. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Media Contact:

Kristina Messner (Focused Image for ERC)

kmessner@focusedimage.com 703-678-6023

New York and Huntsville, AL, May 11, 2021 – Brightstar Capital Partners (“Brightstar”), a private equity firm focused on partnering with families, founders, entrepreneurs and management teams, announced today that it has acquired a majority stake in Engineering Research and Consulting, Inc., (“ERC” or the “Company”), in partnership with the Company’s owner and senior management team. Terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Huntsville, AL, ERC is a leading provider of mission critical engineering and consulting services to the US Department of Defense, NASA and other high-tech governmental entities. The Company’s 2,200 employees nationwide provide advanced military and space research and development; test and evaluation; operations and maintenance; and IT, software, and network administration services.

The investment continues Brightstar’s track record of partnering with family-owned businesses. ERC was founded in 1988 by the late Dr. Y.C.L. Susan Wu, the first woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Her son, Dr. Ernie Wu, will continue as Board Chair and CEO of the Company.

“We are impressed with ERC’s capabilities and culture and see enormous potential for growth in the dynamic and fragmented government services and technology industry,” said Michael Singer, a Managing Director at Brightstar. “Through accelerated investment in operational capabilities, as well as a focus on strategic acquisitions, we are confident that Ernie and the talented team at ERC will continue to provide best-in-class capabilities and services.”

“As we got to know the Brightstar team, it quickly became clear that they share our values and care deeply about our team and the culture we’ve created,” said Dr. Wu. “We will rely on their operational experience and capital resources as we begin a new and exciting chapter in our Company’s history.”

“We look forward to enhancing ERC’s already proven ability to deliver mission critical systems engineering and technical assistance services,” said Reidar Brekke, a Partner at Brightstar. “Our team has a great deal of relevant expertise with high-tech and government services businesses and is proud to be partnering with a business founded by a groundbreaking pioneer like Dr. Susan Wu.”

About ERC

Headquartered in Huntsville, AL, ERC is a leading provider of mission critical engineering and consulting services to the US Department of Defense, NASA and other high-tech governmental entities. The Company’s 2,200 employees nationwide provide advanced military and space research and development; test and evaluation; operations and maintenance; and IT, software, and network administration services. ERC was founded in 1988 by the late Dr. Susan Wu, the first woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, and continues to be led by her son, Dr. Ernie Wu. For more information, please visit www.erc-incorporated.com

About Brightstar Capital Partners

Brightstar Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused on partnering with exceptional families, founders, entrepreneurs and management teams where the firm is ideally positioned to drive value creation. Brightstar employs an operationally intensive approach that leverages its extensive experience and relationship network to help companies reach their full potential. For more information, please visit www.brightstarcp.com.

Media Contacts

Doug Allen/Zach Kouwe
Dukas Linden Public Relations
brightstar@dlpr.com
212-704-7385