Press Releases

Dimensions International Acquires SENTEL to Build Powerhouse in Information Technology and Engineering Innovation

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 16, 2004 /PRNewswire/ -- Dimensions International (DI), a high-technology engineering and integration company, today announced that it has acquired SENTEL Corp., an engineering services company. Both organizations are based in Alexandria, VA, and are among the most successful black-owned companies in the nation.

DI provides innovative solutions to the U.S. military, federal agencies, commercial and international clients. SENTEL has expertise in test engineering, software development, electromagnetics engineering and chemical- biological agent defense. Both companies are graduates of the 8(a) program. The combined company will have more than 800 employees and revenue in excess of $100 million. DI will manage the joint company, with Russell Wright remaining as its chairman and CEO. SENTEL CEO James F. Garrett will become president of the SENTEL Division of DI. Walter Kross will remain as CEO of DI company Flight Explorer, the world's leading provider of Internet-based real- time flight tracking and weather information, reporting and display products.

Founded by Dr. Robert L. Wright in 1985, DI has grown from a three-person shop to a company of more than 600 people working in more than 70 locations worldwide. DI and SENTEL have been recognized among the Top 100 black-owned companies in the United States by Black Enterprise magazine. DI ranked No. 49 this year, up from 54 in 2003. SENTEL ranked No. 73, up from 82 in 2003. Additionally, Dr. Wright was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001, and the 2002 "Man of the Year" by the National Federation of Black Women Business Owners.

Wright's son Russell, 37, worked in nearly every division of DI over a 14-year period prior to being named CEO in March 2003. Among his major accomplishments are leading the company to ISO-9000 certification and, last year, increasing revenues by more than $10 million. Wright is a member of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, is on the Board of Directors of the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, the George Mason University Diversity Advisory Board and is a member of the Potomac Officers Club. He holds a B.A. in Business Management from Morehouse College in Atlanta, a Master's in Business Administration and Project Management from Keller Graduate School and a Master's Certificate in Government Contracting from the George Washington University School of Business and Public Management. In addition, Wright has also completed the Minority Business Executive Program at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College.

"We are very excited about this extraordinary acquisition," Russell Wright said. "DI's business strategy is to build on a good solid foundation. SENTEL's prowess in engineering and chem-bio defense complements our strengths with its products, services, knowledge, dedicated professionals and strengths in homeland security. This is a wonderful opportunity for innovation and marketplace advancement. We look forward to moving ahead as a team to provide a higher level of service to our customers.

"Garrett -- the son of a sharecropper who longed for more than the segregated South of his youth afforded -- co-founded SENTEL in 1987 with a $33,000 subcontract and built an enterprise of more than 300 employees and $42 million in revenues. In 1999, he was named Ernst & Young's Technology Entrepreneur of the Year for the Washington area.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for us to build on our combined forces in information technology and homeland defense," Garrett said. "Together we'll be a stronger and more effective company with better solutions for our customers. I expect great things as we build on our strengths and grow -- the sky is the limit."

About Dimensions International, Inc.

Dimensions International's core business areas include Information Technology, Integrated Logistic Support and Air Traffic Control Systems providing advance technology in command and control systems, electronic commerce/electronic data interchange, radar global positioning systems, warehouse management and material distribution systems to government and commercial clients. DI continues to provide innovative solutions to its clients that include the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, Coast Guard and other Department of Defense Agencies, FAA, USAID and the District of Columbia Government.

About SENTEL

Founded in 1987, SENTEL Corp. is an engineering and software company with expertise in test engineering, software development, electromagnetics engineering and chemical-biological agent defense. With more than 300 employees and 14 work locations nationwide, SENTEL provides mission-critical support to DOD, NASA, FAA and other government agencies. In support of the US Air Force Air Armament Center and the OSD Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, SENTEL personnel have performed all activities related to DoD systems test and evaluation. For the Joint Spectrum Center, SENTEL engineers assess system and subsystem operations to determine RF spectrum usage requirements, including the evaluation of emerging technologies, for the purpose of minimizing frequency spectrum allocation issues and improving warfighting capabilities across all services. SENTEL has extensive experience in all phases of the software development cycle, from requirements definition to user support of fielded software.

SENTEL's innovative Remote Data Relay (RDR), a sensor networking system, is among its leading products. The RDR with its new PDA capabilities is a smart networking tool designed and built by SENTEL that can simultaneously monitor and control numerous, disparate sensors that detect nuclear, biological, chemical and other toxic agents. Last year, NASA highlighted a unique software system, jointly developed by SENTEL and NASA, as a model of a success story for other Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) projects. The software known as Electronic Portable Information Collection system (EPIC) is the first paperless procedure system used to launch a rocket into space. SENTEL developed EPIC to record and maintain hundreds of mission-critical procedures that must be completed before each rocket launch.

CONTACT:

Robert Deigh of RDC Communication, +1-703-401-6339, rdeigh1@aol.com, for DI;

or Carol Castaneda of Castaneda Global Communications, +1-703-369-0414, , for SENTEL