Grey Raven Grou

The defense industrial base is a critical component of national security, enabling our country to defend against external threats and maintain peace and stability. Unfortunately, the U.S. and its ally defense industrial bases have seen a recent decline. This downturn results from pandemic-induced industrial halts, a declining number of subject matter experts, a competitive commercial industry dominating employment in the advanced technology market, and consolidated defense-industrial competency that has shrunk in size.

Despite all these challenges, there is an apparent attempt toward a global resurgence. The sector needs carefully crafted solutions to mitigate the overall impact of the challenges and balance the posture of the country’s armed forces while promoting the long-term health of all players within the defense industrial base.

The need to provide a solution to these challenges is what forged the defense advisory team of Grey Raven Group (GRG) in 2019.

Dave Binnarr, president of GRG, noticed the struggle of small and medium-sized businesses over the past decade. Through countless interactions with business leaders and mentors, he took a hard look at the root causes.

“Small businesses run lean. Everyone wears multiple hats, and they do not tend to be very efficient with their business models,” says Binnarr. “They focus on winning a program of record, becoming a Tier 1 supplier to a prime, or sometimes just securing a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award.”

Medium-sized businesses experience similar struggles, such as adapting to the new environment, which brings them closer to experiencing corporate bureaucracy. They compete with the same primes they once supported and larger competitors. They require operational restructuring, new hires, and more financial resources to achieve their bigger dreams.

“It’s a tumultuous transition because they haven’t been here, but the defense acquisition process tends to mold them into what they must become,” says Binnarr.

Understanding these challenges and how to navigate them is a core capability of GRG’s well-seasoned team. Since day one, Binnarr’s vision has been deeply entrenched in employing the right people with the right skill sets and experience to solve client problems.

“The key to success is to surround yourself with brighter people with different experiences and varying backgrounds,” Binnarr says. “It’s about bringing a motivated team together to analyze the scenario and develop winning solutions based on collective knowledge and expertise.”

A Legacy of Excellence

With over 20 years of military and government industry experience, Binnarr understands the value of creating an agile and dynamic team. His extensive service background, operational expertise in “C-Level” roles, and mentoring start-ups pro-bono helped him build a team of agile, diverse, and seasoned professionals who put the customer’s mission first.

“For so many years of our careers, putting our nation’s defenders’ mission first has been the prime focus. Providing advisory work to businesses and government organizations in this space allows us to continue that mission,” says Binnarr. “It remains the centrepiece of our culture—the most important aspect of how we run the business, and probably the vital component to our clients’ ability to achieve success.”

Today, GRG works within a broad domain of focal areas, supporting organizations in AL, ML, nuclear energy, ground vehicle development, aircraft and maritime systems integration, weapons technology, MRO, advanced materials science, and M&A. It also works directly with the government, supporting the DoD, the DHS, and the UN World Food Program. This gives it a natural edge to offer practical solutions that can bridge the capability gap in the defense industry.

GRG’s team of elite strategists, analysts, product specialists, and technology applicators fosters integrity, hard work, and focus on clients. As a result, most of its referrals are word-of-mouth, and more interestingly, a substantial number of clients are other consulting firms. GRG never hesitates to be the support team or take the lead.

“The reputation of our people is what brings people to us,” says Binnarr.

The team boasts over 180 years of know-how in managing billions of dollars in captured business and programs and has an extensive international network of top contract SMEs. They can cover the basics, from market messaging strategies and business development campaigns to engagement planning, capture management, and user-based product development insight, which enables it to act as a force multiplier for its clients.

At the same time, GRG understands that its services are not suitable for all, and differences in values can only result in challenging relationships.

“We’re not a one-size-fits-all advisory team, and we look to work with clients that fit best with us, just like our prospective clients look to see if we’re a good fit,” says Binnarr.

GRG’s initial alignment strategy consists of a series of questions the lead advisor must answer before the engagement, and every question is focused on culture and values. GRG believes that changing the mind-set is crucial to achieving better outcomes. By implementing a new strategy and being open to making changes, businesses can see results and attract new opportunities.

Enhancing the Standard, One Level at a Time

With its passion for innovation and forward-thinking, GRG is committed to keeping up with industry trends and anticipating where the industry will be in the next decade. They aim to help clients gain a competitive edge by incorporating advancements in artificial intelligence/ machine learning (AI/ML) into their business model. By automating solutions, GRG ensures that clients remain at the forefront of how they conduct their operations.

GRG also leverages the expertise of its senior advisors and their proven track record to incorporate virtual reality/ augmented reality (VR/AR) into its toolkit. Implementing VR/AR technology allows for a more immersive and engaging experience for end-users in their rapid tech sprints. It is excited to explore these new possibilities and assist its clients in remaining at the cutting edge of the latest innovations.

Whether helping clients to address year-over-year growth objectives, winning a specific program, or developing a new market, GRG focuses on establishing a sequential but logical path of developing success-focused solutions by assessing and optimizing the five “Ps”: purpose, plan, processes, position, and people.

It typically begins by establishing an organization’s purpose, the foundation of everything they do. The team then works with clients to ensure their purpose is well-defined, internally and externally. After gaining a deep understanding of the organization’s purpose, GRG looks at its plans and assists in refining its campaigns. Following the planning phase, it looks at how the implementation is executed, which is typically the most challenging aspect.

People are an essential part of this equation, as they determine an organization’s success. They are the visionaries, developers, market trendsetters, trailblazers, motivators, and functional performers of all aspects of the business. People outside the organization also play a big role in its success, and the ability to align with its market and customer base is a critical element of winning. A customer’s perception and confidence in an organization’s ability to provide them with a competitive edge can significantly impact its success.

Creating Positive Change, One Soldier at a Time

GRG’s mission goes beyond business innovation and success; the company is committed to positively impacting clients, communities, and the world. It prioritizes giving back to the community, particularly veterans. The team’s outreach program has provided leverage to support veteran-focused programs to help those who have given so much to their country. Binnarr, a board member of Brother’s Keeper Veterans Foundation, is proud of its work to support various charities that provide mental wellness, physical healing, and emotional support to veterans and their families.

The world is changing fast, and our threats are evolving quicker than ever. GRG is not content with simply keeping up - they aim to stay ahead of the curve, anticipate the needs of their clients, and provide innovative solutions that set the industry standards. As GRG envisions its future, it embraces the path of innovation and success, recently securing an equity stake in VIDS Corp, a defensefocused marketing agency. The synergistic collaboration between GRG and VIDS has been brewing behind the scenes, producing a proven solution to address the diverse needs of clients. By integrating VIDS Corp’s cuttingedge marketing in the digital landscape with GRG’s robust strategic advisory group, the partnership sets the stage for unparalleled success. Additionally, GRG recently agreed to provide investment support services and to lead the strategic planning for the launch of 1861 Industries, a trailblazing consortium of multiple start-up companies specializing in the development and production of deep tech solutions and advanced lethality systems for next generation requirements. It comes as no surprise that Grey Raven’s client retention rate is 82 percent and clients that continuously work with them also experience an average 23 percent year over year growth rate.

“With a commitment to innovation, the right team, and the right technology, anything is possible,” says Binnarr.