Special Aerospace Services strengthens capture strategy with key VP appointments

HUNTSVILLE – To support its continued growth and innovation, Special Aerospace Services  announced the appointment of three vice presidents of business development – capture executives.

SAS is a space, hypersonics and missile defense business offering engineering, hardware, and mission critical communications technology.

Rich Kolberg, Garrison Thompson, and Adam Liddle have joined SAS as vice presidents of Business Development.

These strategic hires reinforce SAS’s mission to expand its capabilities across the space, defense, and intel sectors, strengthen customer engagement, and scale its business capture strategy nationwide, the company said in a news release.

• Kolberg has more than 25 years of leadership in the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community.
  He brings deep expertise in government acquisition, mission operations, and advanced aerospace technologies. His background includes work on space vehicles, aircraft, ground systems, weapons platforms, and command and control centers.
  Before joining SAS, Liddle was the senior portfolio manager for Boeing Defense’s Space Ground & Intelligence Mission Operations, where he led business development efforts across a wide range of space systems and national security programs. A retired officer of the United States Air Force, Kolberg also held key roles at the Pentagon and served as both a DoD Chief Acquisition Contracting Officer and a decorated combat pilot. He holds an MBA from Louisiana Technical University and a bachelor’s in Business Management from the Air Force Academy. He is Lean Six Sigma certified and a recognized leader in government contracting and business strategy.
  “The aerospace and defense landscape is evolving rapidly, and SAS is at the forefront of innovation to drive mission success,” Kolberg said. “I am thrilled to join the leadership team and eager to help accelerate growth through strategic capture initiatives that align with our customers’ multi-domain mission needs and deliver critical capabilities to warfighters and intelligence operators.”
• Thompson brings over 30 years of experience in aerospace and defense business development, civil space systems, and commercial technology leadership.
  His career includes senior roles in Fortune 100 companies and strategic positions driving growth in engineering, product development, and federal contracting. He has worked closely with the Department of Defense and NASA on range training, launch modernization, and spaceflight programs.
  Prior to joining SAS, Thompson served in executive positions such as Chief Operating Officer, vice president of Strategic Markets, and Chief Technologist. He was honored with NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Launch Honoree Award for his leadership during Space Shuttle Mission STS-111. Thompson holds a bachelor of science in Aeronautics and a master’s of science in Systems Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. He is a certified PMP, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and holds certifications in cloud, internetworking, ITIL, and is an AI Consulting Expert.
  “SAS is driving meaningful innovation across the aerospace and defense sectors,” he said. “I’m honored to join as vice president of business development and contribute my experience toward expanding strategic growth opportunities that strengthen national security and propel advancements in space exploration.”
• Liddle is a retired Air Force space acquisition officer with over 25 years of experience in industry and government.
  Prior to joining SAS, he served as vice president of Growth Operations at Terran Orbital, where he led a team that secured more than $700 million in new business. Previously, he spent seven years at L3Harris Space Systems in roles including business development director, program manager, and systems engineer — successfully and executing a variety of classified national security programs across multiple DoD and USG agencies.
  During his military career, Liddle was assigned to the National Reconnaissance Office, managing classified payload R&D efforts for the IMINT Directorate, and later serving as Chief of Mission Payload Integration and Test at the Satellite Program Office, where he oversaw payload testing for a $2 billion-plus National Technology Mission constellation. He concluded his service as the Spacecraft Processing Infrastructure Flight Commander with the 45th Launch Group at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. He holds a master of science in electrical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, specializing in microelectronics, and has been a certified Program Management Professional since 2015.
  “Space is now a highly contested warfighting domain and SAS brings its unique blend of technical depth, strategic vision and thoughtful investment to bear on evolving space and defense landscape,” he said. “I’m honored to join a team so deeply committed to delivering mission critical capabilities to warfighters on tactically relevant timelines — capabilities to not only meet today’s operational needs but also ensure our nation maintains an asymmetrical advantage over its adversaries well into the future.”