Enlightenment Capital has made an undisclosed investment in Gleason Research Associates. Based in Huntsville, Alabama, GRA is an engineering and professional services provider focused on weapon systems and logistics support.
PRESS RELEASE
Chevy Chase, MD – December 21, 2015: Enlightenment Capital, an aerospace, defense, and government-focused investment firm based in the Washington, DC area, announced that it has made a strategic investment in Gleason Research Associates (GRA), a leading provider of high-end engineering and professional services, focused in the areas of weapon systems and logistics support. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Based in Huntsville, AL, GRA provides engineering, design, and full lifecycle support services to cutting-edge missile, sensor, and guidance & control systems. Founded in 1982, GRA has continually expanded its capability set from weapons systems engineering & design to unmanned aerial system (UAS) weaponization, training, modeling & simulation, and inventory management, with particular focus on the mainstay Hellfire program.
“GRA has an outstanding record of service in support of leading missile, sensor, and guidance systems. We are excited to partner with Chuck (President) and the GRA team as they continue to provide mission-critical services to the Huntsville community and beyond,” said Devin Talbott, Managing Partner of Enlightenment Capital.
“GRA has been a leader in their field, providing high-end engineering services for over 30 years, and we look forward to supporting this next phase of the company’s evolution,” added Pierre Chao, Managing Partner of Enlightenment Capital.
“GRA is an employee-owned company, and our team is our most valuable asset. As we looked for a financing partner to join that team and support this next chapter, Enlightenment stood out as an organization that understood our capability set and could support our ambitions. We are excited for the partnership ahead,” said Chuck Vessels, President of GRA.
About Gleason Research Associates
Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Huntsville, AL, GRA is a leading provider of high-end engineering and professional services, focused in the areas of weapons systems and logistics support. For 33 years GRA has worked side-by-side with government customers creating a tradition of excellence in the weapon systems concept development world. GRA has earned distinction as a key player in the evolution of the Hellfire missile system from its origins as a one-platform “tank buster” to a robust, flexible, multi-platform, multi-target system capable of serving from rotor-wing, fixed-wing, ground-based, and unmanned aerial launchers. For more information, visit www.grainc.net.
About Enlightenment Capital
Enlightenment Capital, a Washington, DC-area based private investment firm, provides senior debt, mezzanine debt, and minority equity to middle market companies in the Aerospace, Defense & Government (ADG) sector. The firm partners with management teams, equity sponsors, and those businesses that provide vital services, protect critical infrastructure, innovate cyber and data solutions, engineer aerospace systems, safeguard national security, and endeavor to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. For more information, visit https://enlightenment-cap.com/.