Executive Mosaic is honored to include Battelle President and CEO Lou Von Thaer in the prestigious roster of 2023 Wash100 awardees. Von Thaer’s eighth Wash100 selection reflects his outstanding leadership of the applied science and technology organization and his staying power in the government contracting sector.
“In the five years since taking the helm of the GovCon industry’s most complex scientific integrator and research colossus, Lou has lifted Battelle’s growth by more than doubling top-line revenue to over $11 billion while overcoming the nation’s limited supply of technologists and engineers. Lou is an enthusiastic and evangelical leader of STEM and environmental solutions, and he leads Battelle with the energetic confidence that comes from decades in the industry,” said Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and creator of the Wash100 Award.
Battelle partnered with Viking Global Investors to establish a company, named Revive Environmental, with the goal of helping communities mitigate water contaminants known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
In a video interview, Von Thaer told Executive Mosaic that patented Battelle technology will work to break PFAS down and convert this group of potentially harmful chemicals into native components that can be removed from the environment.
In 2022, the nonprofit company secured positions on large government acquisition vehicles such as the 10-year, $10 billion medical research and development services contract managed by the Defense Health Agency and the $869 million U.S. Army contract for R&D and engineering support work.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency chose Battelle to participate in the four-year Environmental Microbes as a BioEngineering Resource program, while the Air Force Research Laboratory enlisted the nonprofit company to take part in the Airman Readiness Medical Research effort.
Battelle’s Triad National Security partnership with Texas A&M University and the University of California received a five-year contract extension from the National Nuclear Security Administration in late 2022 to continue operations and management of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico through Oct. 30, 2028.
The Columbus, Ohio-based organization also led the establishment of ARCH2, a coalition of energy and technology companies aimed at fostering hydrogen production, use and delivery in the Appalachian region.
“ARCH2 will be a key foundational component of America’s transition toward decarbonization and we appreciate the support from [Gov. Mike DeWine’s] administration and leaders in our business community throughout the state,” Von Thaer said in December.
Aside from operational milestones, Von Thaer also achieved social responsibility targets, such as impacting 1.7 million children through science, technology, engineering and math education in 2022 alone. He had pledged in 2017 to use the organization’s STEM programs to serve 1 million students annually by 2025.
“Businesses have not only the opportunity but the obligation to support their local communities, especially young people, to ensure they have the education and skills required to effectively enter the workforce,” the eight-time Wash100 honoree noted.
As a testament to Von Thaer’s professional excellence, the online Columbus Business First publication featured him as one of the most admired CEOs in central Ohio.
For his accomplishments in the past year and in the previous years that stimulated Battelle’s growth, Executive Mosaic congratulates Lou Von Thaer and anticipates more positive developments from the Battelle organization moving forward.
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