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2017 Fantastic 50 Vanguard Winners: Stories by Joan Tupponce A big growth spurt F


red Starkey knew his company was on the verge of a big growth spurt when he brought in two partners, Jeff Green and


Kyle McKuhen, in 2013. Starkey, who started Darkblade Systems


Corp. in 2010, had the opportunity to secure a lucrative training support contract for the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army. As a one-man operation, however, he worried about handling that volume of work. “My two partners and the people we


have hired are why we have been so success- ful,” he says. From 2012 to 2015, the Stafford-based


company’s revenue grew 1,848 percent, making it the fastest-growing Virginia firm on the Fantastic 50. The company also ranked No. 212 on last year’s Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing, privately held companies in the U.S. Today, Darkblade Systems has 32


employees providing scientific, engineering, technical, operational support and training services to federal government and commer- cial customers. Those government customers include the U.S. Department of Defense and the intelligence community. A retired Marine Corps signals intelli-


gence officer, Starkey is a serial entrepreneur who has created six companies in the course


of his business career. Two are currently active, Darkblade Systems and Darkblade Technologies. While Darkblade Systems focuses on training services and support, Darkblade Technologies provides products and product distribution. Darkblade Systems’ employees are


scattered “all over the place,” Starkey says. The company has a presence in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington, D.C. It also has employees in several foreign countries. One-third of the company’s employees


work from their homes. The remaining staff are based at government sites, training federal employees on the systems the company has built, Starkey says. All but two Darkblade Systems employ-


ees served in the armed forces. “We are part of the V3 program [Virginia Values Veter- ans], which incentivizes companies to hire veterans,” Starkey says. “Currently, we have all the branches covered but the Coast Guard.” The company is hiring more employees


for contracts it has won. Not every job appli- cant, however, fits the bill. “If we could, we would be four times


our size,” he says. “We have to get the right people, and that’s the hardest thing to find.


Ahead of the boom K


evin O’Connor has had a passion for brewing beer since making his first batch in college. In 2009, he


turned that hobby into a business, founding O’Connor Brewing Co. in Norfolk. “We were one of the earlier breweries


out there,” he says, noting the company began making beer on St. Patrick’s Day in 2010. “A lot of our success is based on getting out there before the big craft-beer boom.” The company’s revenue growth rate


from 2012 to 2015 was 356 percent, the highest rate among manufacturers on the Fantastic 50 list. O’Connor also credits the company’s


growth to the work of his 31 employees. “We put good people in the right places and let them blossom,” he says. The company’s core beers include Red,


Pale, Golden Ale, Black IPA, El Guapo IPA and O’Connor’s Dry Irish Stout, which won the 2016 Bronze Medal at the World Beer Cup in Philadelphia. “El Guapo IPA is our best seller now,” O’Connor says.


56 MAY 2017 In addition to these staples, the brewery


produces other varieties of beer. “Last year we brewed about 26 different beers,” O’Connor says. “This year we will have around 26 to 28 beers. You have to bring in new beers to stay fresh, so 10 of our beers will be brand new this year.” The brewery’s 35,000-square-foot


facility in an industrial section of Norfolk’s Ghent area includes a tasting room, which is open seven days a week. “We make about 3,000 gallons of beer


a day. At our busiest time, we were able to pump through about 5,000 gallons,” O’Connor says. “Probably in the early second quarter of this year, we will add another row of tanks.” The company distributes its products


throughout Virginia, North Carolina’s Outer Banks and Washington, D.C. Its beers are carried in Harris Teeter,


Total Wine, Kroger, Wegmans, Food Lion, Farm Fresh, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Costco stores as well as restaurants and bars.


Kevin O’Connor opened his brewery on St.


Patrick’s Day in 2010. “We have been in talks with distributors


in Raleigh, Durham, Annapolis, Md., and Baltimore,” O’Connor says. “My goal has always been that I am going to do this as far as the consumer will take me.”


Photos by Mark Rhodes


“We have to get the right people, and that’s the hardest thing to fi nd,” says Darkblade Systems founder Fred Starkey.


They have to have extra security clearances as well as certifications. We are always actively recruiting.” Starkey hopes that his company will


see more projects under the Trump admin- istration, which has proposed a 10 percent increase in defense spending. “Our work is cyclical, so the core of what we do stays pretty steady,” he says.


MANUFACTURING


O’Connor Brewing Co., Norfolk oconnorbrewing.com


HIGHEST REVENUE GROWTH Darkblade Systems Corp., Stafford darkbladesystems.com


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