Capraro Technologies adapts to Department of Defense cutbacks

“It’s not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.” — Charles Darwin

UTICA — Darwin’s theory applies equally to organisms and enterprises. Just ask any business person today wrestling with the rapid pace of change. To some it’s a threat; to others it’s an opportunity.

Gerard T. Capraro sees opportunity as he adapts Capraro Technologies, Inc. (CTI) to the new economy. “In 2011, CTI generated half its sales from government, the other half from commercial [sources],” says the company president and senior scientist. “With the Department of Defense cutbacks beginning in 2011, it’s now 90/10 [in favor of commercial].”

Capraro, majority stockholder in the operating company, just completed 20 years in business. CTI, located in a 5,000-square-foot, former SBU branch bank and GVH building at 401 Herkimer Road, is an engineering, information-technology (IT) firm that employs 10 and generates $1.5 million in revenue annually.

“We have expanded our commercial business by focusing on IT infrastructure and on software development,” notes Capraro. “Our technology experts act as our client’s IT department or as an extension … [of the client’s department]. CTI’s state-of-the-art data center benefits companies of any size with their hosting, cloud computing, disaster-recovery, or surveillance systems and offers a range of support for the medical community, including HIPAA compliance and meaningful-use EMR solutions, for example, OpenEMR.”

Capraro Technologies also helps its clients develop and improve their web offerings. “On the development side, our engineers can maximize your search-engine-optimization capabilities, transform your website, and develop custom apps (applications) using open-source tools to reach the … [public because] everyone wants to be mobile. Our ‘intelligent mobile proxy’ can transform a website and customize it for virtually any mobile device. We also developed a product called ‘PocoDoc,’ which reduces the size of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files while maintaining their original format. This lets our clients shrink their documents, store, and transmit the files without the need for standard compression.” Capraro also cites security as a growing market for the company’s expertise.

Capraro next turns to CTI’s government work. “We have performed R&D for the military for many years,” the company president avers. “Our strengths lie in data and information management and in signal processing.”

Capraro’s government research dates back to 1966 when, as a civil servant, he joined the Rome Air Development Center (RADC), where he spent 18 years as a project engineer and then as a task manager for the U.S. Air Force. He garnered his signal-processing experience working on the Space Defense Initiative and worked in other areas such as artificial-intelligence, electromagnetic compatibility, and high-power microwaves. Capraro has a B.A. in mathematics from Utica College of Syracuse University, and M.S. and PhD. degrees in engineering from Syracuse University.

In 1984, Capraro left RADC and joined Kaman Sciences, headquartered in Colorado Springs. Capraro and John Spina jointly set up a Utica office, which served as a think-tank for the company in upstate New York. The office, located at 258 Genesee St., grew to 55 people over the next nine years. After Capraro left in 1993 to start his own company, Kaman sold the Kaman Sciences subsidiary to ITT for a reported $135 million. The ITT office is currently located at Griffiss Business & Technology Park and employs 150.

To take advantage of the rapidly changing business environment, Capraro is assisted by another principal, James D. (Jim) DeLude, the company COO and a minority stockholder. DeLude met Capraro at Kaman Sciences, where he worked with him from 1991-1993. He joined CTI 10 years ago.

“We have been able to adapt quickly, because we focus on our strengths,” says the COO. “Unlike our competitors, CTI is a consulting business, not a VAR (value-added reseller). We’re not pushing hardware or bound by quotas from manufacturers … Second, we have unusual depth in our engineering talent … Third, we leverage our government research, looking for applications in the commercial field. We know that one size doesn’t fit all solutions, so we’re good at listening to our clients and responding to their needs.” CTI competes regularly with Annese [and Associates, Inc.] and M. A. Polce on the commercial side and M. A. Polce [Consulting, Inc.] and Total Solutions for hosting and cloud services.

DeLude also notes that all of the intellectual property (IP) of CTI is owned by CTI. “We have the potential of scaling software that we have developed and applying it to other situations,” he says. “CTI is currently working with a marketing company to convert its inventory of IP for use in alternative areas. While our marketing efforts are focused primarily on Upstate, we have clients in New York City, Tennessee, and Boston. CTI is not limited [geographically] in supporting new clients or current clients who want to expand.”

CTI, like many area companies, finds it difficult to recruit new employees. “We reach out to universities like Drexel, RPI, SUNYIT, and Utica College to identify candidates to join the company,” says DeLude. “It’s getting harder to find them. Our best options … [lie] with those who grew up in the Mohawk Valley and have family here. We have tried using a variety of techniques for attracting candidates, including online and social media, but we have met with limited success.”

Capraro Technologies relies on local professionals to help steer the company’s success. “Our banking is [done] through NBT, our legal work is handled by Levitt & Gordon of New Hartford, and Vincent J. Gilroy, CPA is our accounting firm,” says Capraro.

Part of adapting is ensuring the business succession. “Jim [DeLude] will step in and run the company. We don’t have a formal plan or date yet, but the direction of the company is … [assured],” says Capraro, who is age 70.

Contact Poltenson at npoltenson@tmvbj.com

“It’s not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.” — Charles Darwin

UTICA — Darwin’s theory applies equally to organisms and enterprises. Just ask any business person today wrestling with the rapid pace of change. To some it’s a threat; to others it’s an opportunity.

Gerard T. Capraro sees opportunity as he adapts Capraro Technologies, Inc. (CTI) to the new economy. “In 2011, CTI generated half its sales from government, the other half from commercial [sources],” says the company president and senior scientist. “With the Department of Defense cutbacks beginning in 2011, it’s now 90/10 [in favor of commercial].”

Capraro, majority stockholder in the operating company, just completed 20 years in business. CTI, located in a 5,000-square-foot, former SBU branch bank and GVH building at 401 Herkimer Road, is an engineering, information-technology (IT) firm that employs 10 and generates $1.5 million in revenue annually.

“We have expanded our commercial business by focusing on IT infrastructure and on software development,” notes Capraro. “Our technology experts act as our client’s IT department or as an extension … [of the client’s department]. CTI’s state-of-the-art data center benefits companies of any size with their hosting, cloud computing, disaster-recovery, or surveillance systems and offers a range of support for the medical community, including HIPAA compliance and meaningful-use EMR solutions, for example, OpenEMR.”

Capraro Technologies also helps its clients develop and improve their web offerings. “On the development side, our engineers can maximize your search-engine-optimization capabilities, transform your website, and develop custom apps (applications) using open-source tools to reach the … [public because] everyone wants to be mobile. Our ‘intelligent mobile proxy’ can transform a website and customize it for virtually any mobile device. We also developed a product called ‘PocoDoc,’ which reduces the size of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files while maintaining their original format. This lets our clients shrink their documents, store, and transmit the files without the need for standard compression.” Capraro also cites security as a growing market for the company’s expertise.

Capraro next turns to CTI’s government work. “We have performed R&D for the military for many years,” the company president avers. “Our strengths lie in data and information management and in signal processing.”

Capraro’s government research dates back to 1966 when, as a civil servant, he joined the Rome Air Development Center (RADC), where he spent 18 years as a project engineer and then as a task manager for the U.S. Air Force. He garnered his signal-processing experience working on the Space Defense Initiative and worked in other areas such as artificial-intelligence, electromagnetic compatibility, and high-power microwaves. Capraro has a B.A. in mathematics from Utica College of Syracuse University, and M.S. and PhD. degrees in engineering from Syracuse University.

In 1984, Capraro left RADC and joined Kaman Sciences, headquartered in Colorado Springs. Capraro and John Spina jointly set up a Utica office, which served as a think-tank for the company in upstate New York. The office, located at 258 Genesee St., grew to 55 people over the next nine years. After Capraro left in 1993 to start his own company, Kaman sold the Kaman Sciences subsidiary to ITT for a reported $135 million. The ITT office is currently located at Griffiss Business & Technology Park and employs 150.

To take advantage of the rapidly changing business environment, Capraro is assisted by another principal, James D. (Jim) DeLude, the company COO and a minority stockholder. DeLude met Capraro at Kaman Sciences, where he worked with him from 1991-1993. He joined CTI 10 years ago.

“We have been able to adapt quickly, because we focus on our strengths,” says the COO. “Unlike our competitors, CTI is a consulting business, not a VAR (value-added reseller). We’re not pushing hardware or bound by quotas from manufacturers … Second, we have unusual depth in our engineering talent … Third, we leverage our government research, looking for applications in the commercial field. We know that one size doesn’t fit all solutions, so we’re good at listening to our clients and responding to their needs.” CTI competes regularly with Annese [and Associates, Inc.] and M. A. Polce on the commercial side and M. A. Polce [Consulting, Inc.] and Total Solutions for hosting and cloud services.

DeLude also notes that all of the intellectual property (IP) of CTI is owned by CTI. “We have the potential of scaling software that we have developed and applying it to other situations,” he says. “CTI is currently working with a marketing company to convert its inventory of IP for use in alternative areas. While our marketing efforts are focused primarily on Upstate, we have clients in New York City, Tennessee, and Boston. CTI is not limited [geographically] in supporting new clients or current clients who want to expand.”

CTI, like many area companies, finds it difficult to recruit new employees. “We reach out to universities like Drexel, RPI, SUNYIT, and Utica College to identify candidates to join the company,” says DeLude. “It’s getting harder to find them. Our best options … [lie] with those who grew up in the Mohawk Valley and have family here. We have tried using a variety of techniques for attracting candidates, including online and social media, but we have met with limited success.”

Capraro Technologies relies on local professionals to help steer the company’s success. “Our banking is [done] through NBT, our legal work is handled by Levitt & Gordon of New Hartford, and Vincent J. Gilroy, CPA is our accounting firm,” says Capraro.

Part of adapting is ensuring the business succession. “Jim [DeLude] will step in and run the company. We don’t have a formal plan or date yet, but the direction of the company is … [assured],” says Capraro, who is age 70.

Contact Poltenson at npoltenson@tmvbj.com