PRESS RELEASE

CECOM Development Partner Featured in Army's Small Business Success Stories Brochure

MELBOURNE, Florida, September 23, 1998 One of CECOM’s technology development partners — Modus Operandi, Inc. (MO) — was recently selected to be featured in the U.S. Army’s 1998 "Small Business Success Stories" brochure. This national publication highlights companies that have successfully developed commercial products and technologies through the Government’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Modus Operandi was one of only ten companies nationwide that were selected for inclusion in the 1998 publication.

Modus Operandi’s selection was based on the successful commercialization of its SitePlanner software program, which is driven by software technology that MO developed during a CECOM-sponsored SBIR effort entitled A Reconfigurable Automated Software Metrics Environment. MO combined both SBIR and in-house research to develop SitePlanner, a new tool for creating conceptual real estate site development plans. Using SitePlanner, a real estate professional can create a preliminary subdivision plat in minutes and make changes to it instantly. A separate company was established via commercial and State of Florida funding to market the product. Public release of this new product was in August, 1998. The initial reception of the product is very encouraging.

MO’s current strategy takes a much broader view of the SBIR technology transfer process, and moves the results of its SBIR efforts out of the laboratory and into mainstream commercial use much more quickly. MO has aggressively sought out opportunities to use its technology innovations and R&D results to meet the mission critical needs of its customers’ businesses through its consulting and integration services. This incremental technology transfer process has allowed MO to capitalize on its SBIR results to provide custom solutions to its customers, who subsequently benefit from early technology adoption. This approach has given the company more flexibility in its technology development efforts, as well as the advantage of being able to mature its technology assets, and better assess its prospects for packaging these assets into new product and service offerings. At the same time, MO is able to provide cutting-edge products and services to its customers. The result has been a broadening of the company’s commercial customer base and a reduction in business risk, which would have been far more substantial if the company became over-reliant on government contracts during an era of shrinking federal spending. As a result of these efforts, MO’s commercial business base has grown from 5% to 50%.

Based on a competitive selection process, in June of 1997 MO became one of only three Florida firms to be selected for a targeted investment by Enterprise Florida, Inc., to develop a new commercial product based on federally sponsored SBIR technology. Modus Operandi is a true SBIR success story! CECOM personnel continue to provide significant support to MO’s technology development efforts. Program Manager Joyce A. Crisci oversees the CECOM SBIR program. Mr. Ed Bair, Deputy PEO for CECOM’s IEWS group, and Mr. Stewart Fenick, Project Manager, are also providing major support for Modus Operandi’s current SBIR efforts, which include the Solomon and Syzygy projects. CECOM’s ongoing support of our SBIR efforts has been instrumental in developing technologies geared for the 21st century! 

About Modus Operandi

Modus Operandi provides products and services for enterprise information integration and process improvement. The company’s solutions address both the processes and the key enabling technologies necessary to link people, processes, and systems for critical information sharing. Modus Operandi is an IBM Certified for e-business Business Partner and was named 2001 Solution Partner of the Year by Borland Software Corporation.

Additional information on Modus Operandi solutions is available from Modus Operandi, Inc., 122 Fourth Avenue, Indialantic, FL 32903. Phone: (321) 984-3370. Fax: (321) 728-3957. E-mail: inquiries@modusoperandi.com. Website: http://www.modusoperandi.com. The company maintains offices in Ft. Monmouth , NJ ; Tampa and Melbourne , Florida.