Cordant Inc. Grows by Helping the Government Cut Back
It seems like a contradiction. Even as defense spending declines, an information technology company that depends heavily on defense contracts keeps winning bigger and better ones.</br></br>The Navy announced two weeks ago that Cordant Inc. in Reston will share in two contracts worth as much as $550 million for computer- aided design hardware, software and support services.</br></br>Cordant, a private company, now is playing in a bigger league of defense contracting than it ever played in before.</br></br>At a time when many companies are cutting back, Cordant plans to increase its work force of 225 by about 10 percent by year's end, mostly because of the Navy contract and other recent awards, including contracts with nondefense government agencies.</br></br>Peter P. Kusek, Cordant's president and chief executive, explained that the company - in contrast with some firms that benefited from the Cold War buildup - uses its technology to help the Defense Department and other government agencies downsize.