Compass Technology Group Success Story

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Technology Company Goes from Start-Up to Scale-Up

Company Profile: Compass Technology Group, LLC (CTG), based in Alpharetta, Georgia, is a certified woman- and veteran- owned business and is a leading provider of cutting-edge radio frequency (RF) materials measurement equipment. The company’s systems are used in numerous manufacturing applications to provide high-quality data to electromagnetic materials and component manufacturers. They also solve some of the most complex RF materials characterization problems through contract research, and support customers with contract materials measurement services.

Manufacturing worker measures material with equipment.

Situation

Originally housed out of Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) in downtown Atlanta and funded through America’s Seed Fund, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, CTG had grown over the years. As they became known as the experts in their field, they needed to move into a larger facility and hire new employees to keep up with demand.

Solution

Compass Technology Group employees assembling one of the company’s measurement system products.

Becky Schultz, CEO of CTG, realized the company was going through some growing pains and needed help setting up new processes, hiring and training employees, and achieving safety compliance. She was introduced to Bill Ritsch, Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech’s North Metro Atlanta region manager, who invited her to join the North Metro Atlanta CEO Roundtable. Through these roundtables, manufacturing leaders participate in closed-group discussions with other CEOs and owners to share ideas and solutions to promote business growth and sustainability.

Through participation in the roundtable program and an ongoing relationship with GaMEP and partners like the Georgia Tech Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES) group, CTG has worked to achieve its strategic goals, diversify its product lines, and become more streamlined to improve customer response time. Some of the company’s recent projects include:

  • Leadership Essentials Training to improve conflict resolution and mentorship practices
  • AS9100D – Management System for Aerospace Gap Assessment to be able to supply more aerospace industry customers
  • Website rebuild and launch using GaMEP’s marketing services, to help create awareness and find new customers online
  • Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Assistance Gap Assessment to qualify as a Department of Defense contractor
  • OSHA 21(d) Consultation Program for safety and health compliance

Results

By working with GaMEP and SHES, Compass Technology Group has:

  • Trained 20% of employees through leadership courses in 2022 and will train another 20% in 2025.
  • Hired 10 people so far in 2024, allowing the company to scale up production.
  • Put a leadership team in place so that the owners can focus on growing new business.
  • Launched a new website and embarked on an SEO and YouTube optimization project, hiring a new marketing person to manage and maintain this full-time.
  • Corrected all safety hazards within the required 45-day timeline and have their health visit scheduled for later this year.

Testimonial

“Georgia Tech is the go-to resource for our company. I knew in order to be known as the technical experts in our field, we needed to hire business experts of our own, and GaMEP has been our trusted partner for many years.”

 – Becky Schultz, CEO, Compass Technology Group