Taking aim at contracts with U.S. military
Lakewood firm interests soldiers with renewable power offerings
By Lisa Intrabartola
Slashed government spending and troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan could send some military defense companies into a downward spiral. Yet Milspray Military Technologies continues to grow, said President and CEO Todd Bullivant, thanks to its arsenal of maintenance and repair products designed to prolong the life of military equipment.
"We're not anticipating that the pending program cuts and spending cuts will affect our equipment as much as it will, say, other weapons systems and large aircraft programs — things that will make a dent in the budget," Bullivant said. "We're making things last longer so they don't have to be replaced."
And now with Milspray's latest innovation, Scorpion Energy Hunter, the company is poised to tap into the renewable energy market, which Bullivant said could yield "exponential" growth for the Lakewood-based company.
"Whereas some of the other submarkets in the military are more mature, renewable energy is a hyper-growth market, because of mandates and the direction of the military," he said.
MILSPRAY was founded in 2003, as an off-shoot of Production Engineering, which Bullivant bought in 2001. Back then, Milspray had a handful of employees and annual revenue of $300,000. Today, Bullivant said, the company brings in between $12 million and $15 million, and employs 75.
"Whereas some of the other submarkets in the military are more mature, renewable energy is a hyper-growth market, because of mandates and the direction of the military," he said.
"It's been extremely well-received by our customers," Bullivant said. "Everybody knows we're moving toward renewable energy as a country. The military is kind of leading that charge."
But for Maj. Court Jones, who oversees the Maintenance Management Office for Marine Forces Reserve, in New Orleans, saving environmental and financial resources isn't Scorpion's biggest selling point.
"The tree-hugging aspects of it are good. Using less fossil fuel is good. Using less water is good," Jones said. "But to me, the great aspect of it is saving lives, because I don't have to expose Marines and vehicles by putting them on the road unnecessarily."
The military estimates between 10 percent and 20 percent of their casualties result from fuel convoys. Employing renewable energy in the battlefield could greatly reduce the number of weekly fuel runs and shrink convoy sizes from 30 to 20 vehicles, Jones said.
Scorpion is far from the first Milspray product designed to protect servicemen and women from harm. The company also has created vehicle coatings that are resistant to heat, blasts, chemical or biological agents, as well as corrosion.
After field tests this summer on the product, Bullivant received an order from the Marine Corps for eight Scorpion systems. Also, Scorpion is developed to power Milspray's line of existing products — including vehicle wash and water filtration systems — giving them an edge over competitors, he said.
"There are other major defense firms working on renewable energy, but as far as we know, we are the only one coming at it from a supply-and-demand side," Bullivant said. "We're the only ones we know of who are addressing the whole equation."
Take, for example, the variation of Scorpion that Milspray is working on to power its above ground vehicle-wash system for the Marine Corps. As he braces for budget cuts, Jones said, this would be a worthwhile military investment.
"The best thing you can do to extend (a truck's) life is just wash it. Instead of 10 years, I might get 15 years out of that truck, and I won't have to rebuild it and repaint it as often," Jones said.