Advertisement

Header Utility Menu

  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Events

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Virginia Business

Mobile Menu

  • Issues
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Business Law
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Technology
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • Coronavirus 2020
    • Fantastic 50
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read the issue
    • Order a copy
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Nominate execs for 2021

Advertisement

Header Primary Menu

  • Issues
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • Issues Archive
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Business Law
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Technology
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • Coronavirus 2020
    • Fantastic 50
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read the issue
    • Order a copy
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Nominate execs for 2021

Home News Reports Fantastic 50 A big growth spurt

A big growth spurt

Published April 27, 2017 by Joan Tupponce

HIGHEST REVENUE GROWTH
Darkblade Systems Corp., Stafford
darkbladesystems.com

Fred Starkey knew his company was on the verge of a big growth spurt when he brought in two partners, Jeff Green and Kyle McKuhen, in 2013.

Starkey, who started Darkblade Systems Corp. in 2010, had the opportunity to secure a lucrative training support contract for the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army. As a one-man operation, however, he worried about handling that volume of work.

“My two partners and the people we have hired are why we have been so successful,” he says.

From 2012 to 2015, the Stafford-based company’s revenue grew 1,848 percent, making it the fastest-growing Virginia firm on the Fantastic 50. The company also ranked No. 212 on last year’s Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing, privately held companies in the U.S.

Today, Darkblade Systems has 32 employees providing scientific, engineering, technical, operational support and training services to federal government and commercial customers. Those government customers include the U.S. Department of Defense and the intelligence community.

A retired Marine Corps signals intelligence officer, Starkey is a serial entrepreneur who has created six companies in the course of his business career. Two are currently active, Darkblade Systems and Darkblade Technologies.  While Darkblade Systems focuses on training services and support, Darkblade Technologies provides products and product distribution.

Darkblade Systems’ employees are scattered “all over the place,” Starkey says. The company has a presence in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington, D.C. It also has employees in several foreign countries. 

One-third of the company’s employees work from their homes. The remaining staff are based at government sites, training federal employees on the systems the company has built, Starkey says.

All but two Darkblade Systems employees served in the armed forces. “We are part of the V3 program [Virginia Values Veterans], which incentivizes companies to hire veterans,” Starkey says. “Currently, we have all the branches covered but the Coast Guard.”

The company is hiring more employees for contracts it has won. Not every job applicant, however, fits the bill.

“If we could, we would be four times our size,” he says. “We have to get the right people, and that’s the hardest thing to find. They have to have extra security clearances as well as certifications. We are always actively recruiting.”

Starkey hopes that his company will see more projects under the Trump administration, which has proposed a 10 percent increase in defense spending.

“Our work is cyclical, so the core of what we do stays pretty steady,” he says.

Related Stories

‘I work for U’

Rebranded firm focuses on solving problems

Construction and security

Virginia Business logo

A ‘franchise-ish’ approach

Trending

Norfolk’s MacArthur Center may meet the wrecking ball

Heavy hitters

Virginia State Capitol. Photo by Conor Lobb, VCU Capital News Service

UPDATED: Va. becomes 2nd state with consumer data protection law

The Virginia Executive Mansion will be occupied by a new (or possibly returning) governor in January 2022. Photo by Kira Jenkins

Election 2021: Who’s running for governor?

University of Richmond names new president

Sponsored Stories

Supply Chains After a Year of Disruptions

The Jackson Ward Collective is equipping Black-owned small businesses with the tools for success

The Hottest Topic in 2021: Keeping People Connected

Advertisement

Advertisement

Trending

Norfolk’s MacArthur Center may meet the wrecking ball

Heavy hitters

Virginia State Capitol. Photo by Conor Lobb, VCU Capital News Service

UPDATED: Va. becomes 2nd state with consumer data protection law

The Virginia Executive Mansion will be occupied by a new (or possibly returning) governor in January 2022. Photo by Kira Jenkins

Election 2021: Who’s running for governor?

University of Richmond names new president

Sponsored Stories

Supply Chains After a Year of Disruptions

The Jackson Ward Collective is equipping Black-owned small businesses with the tools for success

The Hottest Topic in 2021: Keeping People Connected

Get Virginia Business directly on your tablet or in your mailbox!

Subscribe to Virginia Business

Advertisement

Advertisement

Footer Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Footer Secondary Menu

  • Industries
  • Regions
  • Reports
  • Company News
  • Events

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Sign Up

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Footer Utility Menu

Copyright © 2021 Virginia Business. All rights reserved.

Site Maintained by TechArk