Lockheed Martin and Custom Manufacturing & Engineering, Inc., (CME) announced a two-year agreement April 16 under which Lockheed Martin will mentor CME, a small woman-owned business, in the development of an imaging sensor system product line.

The companies signed the mentor-protege agreement at the CME facility in St. Petersburg, FL, in the presence of several elected officials from the area. The mentor-protege program is a U.S. Department of Defense initiative that encourages large companies such as Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control to share their technical expertise and knowledge of the government contracting process with minority and women-owned small businesses. The program is aimed at helping protege companies such as CME qualify to compete for business opportunities with the federal government.

"Lockheed Martin is a valued prime contractor to the U.S. Government," said Dr. Nancy Crews, CME president. "This mentorship by Lockheed Martin provides CME with an opportunity to benefit by expanding our competitive capabilities and corporate identity in satisfying our government customer's needs while supporting future growth."

"Lockheed Martin is committed to the success of this mentor-protege relationship with CME," said James E. Thomas, vice president, operations and supply chain management, for Lockheed Martin's Electronic Systems business area. "We fully recognize the value that this small, woman-owned business brings to Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government customers we serve. We join Congressman Bill Young, 10th Congressional District, in a commitment to work with Dr. Crews and her team to help CME maximize this opportunity."

The value of the agreement to Lockheed Martin is $947,000, and it anticipates awarding subcontracts to CME in excess of $1.5 million over the next four years. The agreement was approved by the Department of the Army, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization and awarded by the U.S. Army CECOM, Ft. Monmouth, NJ.

Under the mentor-protege agreement, Lockheed Martin will transfer advanced data/image processing technology and capabilities to CME to augment its current capabilities in intelligent data compression, target detection, tracking and identification for improved situational awareness. Lockheed Martin will also provide general business management and operations support. The goal is to enhance CME's competitive position in the defense industry and ensure it is a viable source for the U.S. Army and the service's Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM).

"Through this mentoring agreement, Lockheed Martin and CME plan to enhance their existing relationship through technology transfer," said Richard Cygul, CME program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. CME will expand its position in the marketplace, ultimately contributing to America's economic growth and solidifying it as both a Department of Defense prime and subcontractor.

"The Mentor-Protege relationship is designed to assist CME in the development of an imaging sensor system product line that it will be able to fully market to defense and non-defense customers," said Cygul. "CME is conducting engineering development and small prototyping/production efforts related to a U.S. Army CECOM program called Silent Warrior/MIRSS (Multi- functional Intelligence Remote Sensor System), as well as internal Independent Research and Development (IR&D)."

CME, a small woman-owned business located in St. Petersburg, FL, has a 36,000-square-foot engineering and manufacturing facility that offers a complete range of hardware and software development, fabrication, assembly and systems integration services, in support of technology and systems development.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin employs about 130,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin