Delaware Resource Group lands $40 million U.S. Air Force contract
January 9th, 2009
The Journal Record
By Brian Brus

OKLAHOMA CITY - Delaware Resource Group of Oklahoma LLC has been awarded a $40 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to provide crew training for AWACS planes based at Tinker Air Force Base, Chief Executive Phil Busey Sr. said Thursday.

Delaware Resource Group, a Busey Group company in Oklahoma City, has been providing the services as a subcontractor for Boeing Aerospace since 2002. The contract is DRG's first major prime contract with the Air Force.

The company specializes in project management, operations maintenance and contract instruction services. Spokesman Phil Busey Jr. said DRG is responsible for training the support crew that rides in the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System, or AWACS, planes in the 552nd Air Control Wing.

Busey Jr. said moving from subcontractor status was possible when the Air Force decided to make the training contract a small business set-aside. Native American-owned DRG is certified as a small disadvantaged business by the Small Business Association. At the end of 2008, the company had $20 million in annual revenues.

"It's not a small contract. This would normally go to a big company like Boeing or Lockheed-Martin," Busey Jr. said. "We've been doing a good job as a subcontractor for the last six years... The Air Force knows that we do a good job. Our past performance speaks for itself."

Joseph D. Temple, president of Delaware Resource Group, said, "Our commitment to provide high quality services at low cost has been one of our strengths since the inception of the company. These strengths coupled with the dedication and experience of our existing workforce gives us the opportunity to continue supporting the military in the vital role that the E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft plays in the protection of our country and its allies. We are proud and honored to be able to provide training to our military men and women."

In a reversal, Boeing Aerospace will continue to provide supporting roles to Delaware Resource Group as a subcontractor, officials said.

The E-3 Sentry contract was the company's first with the military, but DRG also performs training service on several other Air Force platforms as a subcontractor. In 2007, the company expanded into the energy industry and now provides natural gas field services to large energy producers.

"Our business models and flexibility in developing cost effective solutions have fueled our growth in both business sectors and is our platform for reaching into other business segments," Busey Sr. said.

Visit Delaware Resource Group website at www.drgok.com.