FINALIST – TECHNOLOGY
Carol Craig
founder, president, CEO and CFO
Craig Technologies
Carol Craig has never let anything stand in the way of achieving her goals and leads by example.
After graduating from college and despite a fear of flying, Craig joined the U.S. Navy. She flew the P-3 Orion aircraft, which utilized the cockpit software she developed while working for the Department of Defense.
After leaving the Navy, she returned to software engineering and began working from her home as a consultant for government and commercial clients. She started Craig Technologies in her kitchen and began to grow the technical consulting business into a full-scale operation.
When Craig talks about the business and reasons behind its growth and success, she consistently refers to two key terms: situational awareness and unconventionality.
Situational awareness is a term pilots use to describe their state of mind while flying in which they are constantly processing data and anticipating changes in their surroundings.
Craig has instilled this belief in her employees, motivating them to seek out and look for information others may have missed and anticipate changes in the environment in order to place the company in a better position than the competition.
Craig also describes herself as an unconventional CEO.
When she started out, Craig was told she needed to develop a niche in the marketplace in terms of the product she was going to supply to the government or a specific service she would provide.
However, Craig did not want to put the company within a niche market. Instead, she insisted her company become diverse in many different areas of government contracting, and this broad range of services is what has allowed the company to thrive.
Craig Technologies supports many organizations in Brevard County, and Craig devotes countless hours in leadership positions with more than 20 organizations and makes generous financial contributions.
HOW TO REACH: Craig Technologies, www.craigtechinc.com
