BEAVERCREEK — A local technology company boasts a growth rate of more than 60 percent per year over the last two years.

Still incorporated in Santa Barbara, Calif., Frontier Technology, Inc. (FTI) recently moved its headquarters to its Beavercreek office.

FTI provides system engineering and Information Technology (IT) services, develops custom software products, and performs research and analysis of technology systems for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the aerospace industry.

The employee-owned business has more than a 30-year history and has steadily evolved from its 1980s focus of primarily serving the air force to today supporting nearly every branch of the DoD. FTI has had an office in Beavercreek since 1987.

President and CEO Ron Shroder manages the company from its Beavercreek location.

“The talents of the FTI employees along with our tremendous success in the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) has enabled FTI to support a broad range of DoD oriented customers with Decision Support Technologies and Services,” Shroder said. “While FTI has supported the DoD for more than 30 years, our recent growth rate — averaging more than 60 percent per year over the last 2 years — has dramatically changed the company.”

During the Greene County annual report to the community in April 2016, FTI was recognized for its achievements and growth. The report showed that FTI was one of 23 companies to receive the 2015 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Tibbetts Award, presented at a White House Ceremony. The companies were selected for exemplifying the best in innovative research.

“FTI’s technologies can find patterns in data that enable DoD decision makers to make informed decisions that would otherwise not be possible. The foundation of FTI’s recent and future growth is based on its creative technologies combined with the business opportunities inherent in the SBIR Program,” the report reads.

Looking ahead, Shroder, too, expects the company to continue to expand.

“It is clear, that based on recent contract awards, FTI will grow by at least 40 percent in our fiscal year 2017,” he said. “Three years of aggressive growth means we are even more excited about our technologies, our customer relationships, our existing employees, our future hires and FTI’s overall performance in 2018 and beyond.”

FTI’s staff includes over 125 engineers, programmers, analysts, and support personnel.

But Tom Batty, Director of Corporate Staff Operations, said the headquarters move to Beavercreek may mean more jobs are coming to the area.

“FTI is in a dynamic growth phase that builds on the solid business base of the previous 30-plus years. We believe a portion of that growth will result in our hiring additional employees locally, as well as adding local jobs for our subcontractor trading partners,” he said.

At the time of the announcement that FTI was eyeing a move, Dayton Development Coalition Vice President for Development Julie Sullivan wrote in a release, “This is a tremendous expansion for the Dayton region … It highlights the fact that our region has much to offer economically for both federal and commercial work.”

By Anna Bolton

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Reach Anna Bolton at 937-502-4498.