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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E277-E278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF LEIDOS
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HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Friday, March 8, 2019
Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Chairman/CEO Roger
Krone and the 32,000 employees of Leidos on the occasion of the
company's 50th anniversary.
Founded in 1969 by Dr. J. Robert Beyster as Science Applications
Incorporated (SAl), the company that would become Leidos was a result
of Dr. Beyster's lifelong commitment to innovation. Born in Detroit,
Michigan in 1924 and raised in the midst of the Great Depression, Dr.
Beyster watched as his family struggled through incredible hardships to
provide for themselves. He joined the Navy after graduating from high
school and served on a destroyer during World War II. With the help of
the GI Bill, he attended the University of Michigan after his naval
career and earned several degrees, including his Ph.D. in nuclear
physics in 1950.
After earning his doctorate, Dr. Beyster spent five years working at
the Los Alamos National Laboratory before spending a dozen years with
General Atomics in San Diego. His time there came to an end shortly
after Gulf Oil acquired General Atomics. Dr. Beyster felt that senior
management had little interest in the research his department was
performing. He resolved to create a company where that would never be
the case and which nurtured a culture of innovation and
entrepreneurship. That vision led to the creation of SAI, which changed
its name to SAIC in 1984.
I served as Director of Community Relations for SAIC from 2002 to
2008 and will always remember fondly my time with the company. I was
pleased to be present in Congress in 2009 when SAIC made the decision
to relocate its headquarters from San Diego to my district in Tysons.
I'm not sure anyone, including Dr. Beyster, could have foreseen the
growth that this company would experience. What began as a $50,000 loan
with Dr. Beyster's house as collateral has evolved into a $7 billion
Fortune 500 powerhouse. In 2013, SAIC bifurcated its company into two
entities; Leidos, the solutions-focused parent company and a services
business spin-off which carried on the SAIC name. I am confident that
both of these companies will continue the fine legacy that has been
left by Dr. Beyster, Roger Krone and so many others over the last 50
years.
The impact of Leidos and SAIC is not solely confined to a profit
margin or a balance sheet. Both companies have received numerous
accolades for their work in their communities, including being named
one of the Best Places to Work by the Human Rights Campaign in 2017,
receiving an Annual Corporate Equality Index Score of 100 percent and
being named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere
Institute just last year. When I served as Director of Community
Relations, I saw firsthand the engagement in and care for the community
that SAIC/Leidos exhibited. The community was not merely where their
facilities were located; it was their home and they treated it
accordingly. We could all stand to learn from their example.
[[Page E278]]
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating
Leidos on this momentous occasion and in wishing them great success in
all their future endeavors. I have no doubt that they will continue
their myriad contributions to our economy, our government and our
community for many more decades to come.
____________________