From the December 10, 2004 print edition of The Atlanta Business Journal

Satellite company wins $12M job from Army

Justin Rubner

Norcross-based satellite systems integrator DataPath Inc. has scored a $12.4 million contract with the Department of Defense to build satellite communications trailers for the U.S. Army.

DataPath will work on the trailers -- which can be towed behind Humvees and other military vehicles -- in Norcross, and they are expected to be complete in March. The contract is the second installment of a $24 million contract.

The company, founded in 1996, takes existing commercial telecom and satellite products and "ruggedizes" them so they can be used on the battlefield.

"The Army and now the Marine Corps are turning to commercial off-the-shelf products," said Chris Melton, DataPath's vice chairman. "What [DataPath] is allowing the military to do is to move much more advanced technology closer to the battlefield at a fraction of the development time and a fraction of the cost."

Alan Carson, director of government sales, said DataPath does 95 percent of its business with the Department of Defense. DataPath also provides equipment and services for the commercial sector, including Turner Broadcasting System Inc.

In July, DataPath was acquired by a private investment group led by Atlanta-based White Oak Management Partners Inc. White Oak specializes in the acquisition and management of companies in the aerospace, defense, manufacturing and tech sectors.

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