ViaSat, Inc
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| ViaSat, Inc | |
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| Type | Public (NASDAQ: VSAT) |
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| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Carlsbad, California |
| Key people | Mark D. Dankberg, Chairman of the Board, CEO Richard A. Baldridge, President, COO Marc Agnew, VP Broadband Systems Paul D. Baca, VP Tactical Networks Robert L. Barrie, VP Operations Phil Berry, VP Mobile Satcom Systems Prakash Chitre, VP Comsat Laboratories James P. Collins, VP Business Development Government Systems Steve Estes, VP Human Resources Jerry Goodwin, VP Network Systems Steven R. Hart, VP Engineering and Chief Technical Officer Bill Jensen, VP Government Contracts and Strategic Relations Christopher J. Leber, VP VSAT Networks Mark J. Miller, VP Chief Technical Officer Gregory D. Monahan, VP General Counsel and Secretary Dr. Benjamin A. Pontano, President emeritus, Comsat Labs Jack Tassos, VP and General Manager US Monolithics Steve W. Thompson, VP Information Systems Jorge Vespoli, VP Worldwide Sales and Marketing Ron Wangerin, VP, CFO John R. Zlogar, VP Antenna Systems |
| Industry | Communications |
| Products | Military Communications Equipment Data Controllers MIDS & Tactical Data Links Mobile Satcom RF Network Simulation Antenna Systems Secure Networking VSAT Networks Broadband Systems |
| Revenue |  $433.8 million USD (2006) |
| Net income | $108.6 million USD (2006) |
| Employees | ~1,100 (2006) |
| Subsidiaries | US Monolithics Efficient Channel Coding Enerdyne Technologies Inc. |
| Website | www.viasat.com |
Contents |
[edit] History
ViaSat began in 1986 with 3 people and under $25,000 in capital. The founders are Mark Dankberg, Mark Miller, and Steve Hart. The three had complementary skills and remain in key roles at the company today. Dankberg is Chairman and CEO, Miller is Chief Technical Officer, and Hart is Vice President of Engineering.
The initial business for ViaSat was obtaining contracts for engineering & proposal support from defense companies bidding satellite programs. Part of the agreement was that if these customers won contracts as a result, then ViaSat would be a subcontractor. After two such "proposal" contracts, ViaSat obtained venture financing of $300,000 from Southern California Ventures. The company began trading as a public company on the Nasdaq Stock Market in December, 1996.
Despite this beginning in consulting, every contract was aimed at developing products to manufacture. The first breakthrough was to develop and manufacture specialized test equipment. This product may have been at the periphery of the industry, but created a product basis, and demonstrated ViaSat's ability to design & manufacture. Despite its very small capitalization and a declining defense budget, the strategy resulted in growing revenues every year, and a record of profitability beginning in year two and continuing today.
Today, ViaSat employs over 1,100 highly skilled professionals. A continuing strength of ViaSat is its wide breadth of products.
ViaSat's initial success in defense and government related products continues today with the Government Systems Division. Products include terminals, control systems, and training terminals for UHF and broadband military satcom; MIDS/Link-16 tactical communication terminals; data messaging processors and software for clear communication over noisy tactical channels; RF communication simulation systems; and secure networking products enabling encrypted communication over non-secure networks.
In the past five years ViaSat has built its line of commercial VSAT products into the broadest in the industry. In April, 2000 the company acquired the satellite networking business of Scientific-Atlanta, adding additional satellite networking product lines, the Antenna Systems business, and a worldwide sales and service organization. Then in mid-2001 ViaSat acquired the VSAT products group of Lockheed-Martin Global Telecommunications, now known as the Comsat Laboratories division. Comsat Labs is a hub for innovation in satellite systems engineering, research, and development. Established in 1967 to perform leading-edge research and development, Comsat Laboratories pioneering role in satellite communication technologies continues today. In December, 2005 the company completed the acquisition of privately held Efficient Channel Coding Inc., a producer of broadband communication integrated circuits and satellite communication systems, increasing its depth in the new S2 version of the DVB-RCS satellite broadband standard. Recent independent industry surveys have shown that our VSAT products have become the leading choice in India and China, with Latin America and other regions growing quickly as well.
ViaSat is nationally known for its record of rapid growth. Prior to going public, ViaSat was listed on the INC.500 list of fastest growing private companies three times. The company is on the Forbes list of "200 Best Small Companies", and the BusinessWeek list of "100 Best Small Corporations." Most recently ViaSat was named to Red Herring magazine’s “Small Cap 100” for 2005, recognizing innovative technology and smart business models that nurture growth and profitability. In addition, ViaSat is an ISO9001 certified company. For the fiscal year ending April 1, 2005 revenues reached a record $346 million.
[edit] Board of Directors
- Mark D. Dankberg - Chairman of the Board
- Dr. Robert W. Johnson
- B. Allen Lay
- Dr. Jeffrey M. Nash
- John P. Stenbit
- Michael B. Targoff
- Harvey P. White
[edit] List of ViaSat Acquisitions
Below is a list of all ViaSat Acquisitions, starting in 2000.
- Intelligent Compression Technologies Inc. (2007)
- Enerdyne Technologies Inc. (2006)
- Efficient Channel Coding Inc. (2005)
- U S Monolithics (2002)
- Lockheed-Martin Global Telecommunications' VSAT group, now known as Comsat Laboratories (2001)
- Scientific-Atlanta's Satellite Networks Division (now known as Antenna Systems) and VSAT Networks (2000)
[edit] External links
[edit] Division Websites
- U S Monolithics (wholly owned subsidiary)
- Efficient Channel Coding (wholly owned subsidiary)
- Enerdyne Technologies Inc. (wholly owned subsidiary)
