As Aviation & Missile Solutions continues to grow, the Huntsville defense contractor is promoting one of the executives who helped build the company from the ground up.
The company announced Monday that Steve Thomas has been promoted to president, effective June 29. Thomas, who co-founded AMS in January 2022, has served as chief financial and operating officer, and the company credits his focus on infrastructure growth and operational efficiency with facilitating a threefold increase in revenue.
In his new role, Thomas will continue to oversee business operations while strengthening the company’s processes, systems, and organizational capabilities to better support employees, customers, and the company’s mission as AMS expands.
AMS CEO Keith McCollum said the promotion recognizes the leadership role Thomas has already been serving in within the company.
“With this announcement, Steve is being properly recognized for the role that he already effectively serves at AMS as an outstanding executive and corporate leader. This move acknowledges and formalizes Steve’s authority to continue implementing his vision and demonstrate his proven leadership. I look forward to our continued partnership in leading AMS forward,” McCollum said.
Thomas brings three decades of experience in the defense industry to the position. Before co-founding AMS, he spent 25 years at Dynetics, where he held several leadership positions. According to the company, his financial expertise supported Dynetics’ 2011 transition to a 100% S-Corporation employee stock ownership plan, the company’s 2020 acquisition by Leidos and the 2022 divestiture that led to the creation of AMS.
Thomas said the promotion is an opportunity to continue building on the vision he and McCollum established when they launched the company.
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as AMS president. When Keith and I partnered to launch AMS, it was our goal as leadership to create a culture focused on long-term career opportunities, a commitment to our customers’ missions and teamwork. I am incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished in just four short years,” Thomas said.
Thomas holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Auburn University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee.
Headquartered in Huntsville, AMS is an employee-owned small business with more than 300 employee-owners. The company develops technologies supporting air and missile defense, command and control, uncrewed systems, radar systems, surface-to-air missile seekers, modeling and simulation, and prototype hardware development and testing.
Sherri Blevins is a reporter for 256 Today.
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