What started as a small business vision almost 30 years ago has exceeded one entrepreneur's dream. Shyam Salona, a co-founder of REI Systems, was named chief executive officer of the company he helped grow to employ more than 500 people in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

REI Systems, a government IT solutions contractor, recently announced Salona, who previously served as executive vice president and chief technology officer, as the company's new CEO. Co-founder and the company's previous CEO, Veer Bhartiya, will stay on as executive chairman.

"It was our dream to create an environment in which small teams of people who truly enjoy their work are empowered to make decisions and are encouraged to pursue goals larger than themselves," said Salona of himself and Bhartiya. "I am excited to take on this new role within our company while REI is in an exciting period of innovation and growth."

With more than 25 years of professional experience in federal IT, Salona has worked with REI to implement innovative business processes. But when starting the company from his co-founder's basement, Salona did not know how his dream would play out.

"I never thought (when founding REI) that this is where I am heading and this is what I want to accomplish," said Salona. "Did I have a strategy or did I have a goal? No! I just knew two or three simple things that I wanted to do to create an environment where these principles are kept – no matter how big we get."

REI recently announced the award of a $50M contract with NASA, which was the first government agency the company worked with in 1989. The company still serves its first four customers: NASA, Department of Justice, FEMA and HHS' Health Resources Services Administration. Earlier this year, REI was named a Top Workplace by the Washington Post for the second year in a row.

About REI Systems

Since 1989, REI Systems has developed and sustained decades-long customer relationships by providing innovative solutions that ultimately impact millions of peoples’ lives. From supporting the infrastructure and software that disburses more than $20B in grants for more than 1,700 federal programs each year to building and sustaining advanced analytics and data visualization platforms supporting the last two U.S. Presidents’ Open Data initiatives, our solutions are innovative and key to the infrastructure of our nation. As a missions-first Government technology solutions provider, we specialize in agile software development, CI/CD, DevOps, application modernization, and platform-based solutions. Our 500+ employee-owners pride themselves in delivering meaningful and sustainable results that consistently exceed our customers’ expectations.

For more information, visit www.reisystems.com.