BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — Allegheny Science & Technology, or AST, based in Bridgeport, which has a 17-year history in the Mountain State, is focused on leading the state, the nation and the science and technology industry into the future.
For AST founder and CEO Arria Hines, originally of Lewis County, the company works twofold in accomplishing her passions by forging ahead on the missions of the federal government and by ensuring that women, who for many years were left behind in the industry, are helping lead the sprint into the future.
But to explain what the company does is a bit of a mouthful, and to some, even the elevator pitch leaves people saying, “‘So, really, what do you do?'” Hines said.
AST is an energy and technology firm that primarily works on behalf of the federal government, especially for the Department of Energy and Department of Defense.
“We support the research and development of advanced energy technologies, such as nuclear engineering, and all levels of what they now call research laboratory work, which is solar, wind and … hydro[electricity],” Hines explained.
Electricity and power generation have been huge for the company in recent years, especially since the growth of the artificial intelligence industry has given rise to the establishment of data centers across the country.
“We know we don’t have the grid to support the type of power pull that those data centers are going to require. So we actually are pulling together teams that can work alongside the Office of Electricity’s federal workers and support them along with the industry partners that are looking to expand the grid, strengthen the grid, and get more scalable power,” Hines said.
In the nuclear space, AST assists with the development of nuclear energy systems as well as radiation safety and transportation of nuclear materials.
Just two years after the company was founded in 2009, it had already entered the nuclear space.
“Nuclear energy early on was very interesting. We had an opportunity to come in and support them and have been working with them closely ever since,” Hines said.
Also early in the company’s history, it supported NASA in its advancement by doing data analytics and knowledge management, Hines said.
“We’ve worked for a lot of the three-letter agencies across the D.C. metro area in different areas of supporting them,” Hines said.
For the Department of Defense, AST does similar work by assisting in the advancement and development of new technologies, Hines said. Defense contract work for the company has mainly focused on warfighter technologies, including missile systems, biometrics and other projects in the Army Research Lab.
“We support all different energy sectors in advancing the technologies in what the government wants,” Hines said.
The company also collaborates with other research and development firms by providing “a broad portfolio” of analysts, consultants and subject matter experts to advance other technologies the company is not itself developing, Hines said.
While the company’s corporate headquarters is in Bridgeport, West Virginia, engineers with the company work out at government research sites, in labs as far away as Idaho Falls, and near home in Germantown, Maryland, and the downtown D.C. metro area.
While Hines was already in the midst of a career in accounting, she found her passion for project management, which led her to start AST.
While working in the D.C. metro area, Hines said she came to love large-scale project management, whether that be larger construction projects or more intensive software development. At that time, before she founded AST, her work ranged in scale from developing software programs for the U.S. Postal Service to the development of defensive warfighter missiles for the Navy, she said.
“I ended up taking a job with SAIC out in D.C., and in that job, I was the deputy program manager on their IV&V contract at the NASA facility in Fairmont. But I also had the opportunity to move up there and support their entire technology and integration business unit. And so that’s what really ignited my passion for working,” Hines said. “My passion is really in technology development, and especially in the energy and defense sector.”
“That’s where my passion started. I just — I love this type of work. I love supporting and advancing technologies and supporting the government’s missions,” she continued. “Seeing that technology come to life and advance is really what drives me and our team.”
Hines called herself “a facilitator,” and commended her employees as “the backbone of the successful work” that the company does in the space.
AST has a strong level of employee retention, AST marketing director Stephanie Pethel touted.
Some employees have been with the company as long as 15 years and continue to pour their hearts and souls into their projects, Hines said.
“Working with the people who also have that passion is what makes this job, [and it’s] what makes you want to build a business and continue to sustain it,” Hines said.
Another driving force behind Hines’ and the company’s work, she said, is giving back to the community and taking the initiative to be the driving force behind the change she wishes to see in her local community.
“We live in a world where you can really work from anywhere, and that’s evolved over time,” she said. “[But] my roots are in West Virginia. I grew up here, and I want to give back to the state, and I want to see the state grow and prosper. So, to me, having a business rooted here is really important, and I love showcasing the great company that we have here in West Virginia and what we’ve built.”
Pethel enumerated the connections AST has fostered within the community by working with community businesses and by attracting more women to join the science, technology, engineering and math — or STEM — fields.
AST, Pethel said, gives back by fostering interest in the STEM fields in young women through mentoring and empowering them and explaining, “you don’t have to know it all to start a business.”
“One of my favorite phrases is, ‘the hard part is not starting a business. It’s maintaining the business,'” Pethel said, noting Hines is “an advocate and cheerleader for other women in this arena.”
Mentorship, empowerment and advocacy are accomplished via speaking engagements for high school and college-age students, as well as career fairs and industry days, Pethel said.
“If we can [get through] to one or two students and keep them here in our backyard in West Virginia, that’s our future workforce,” Pethel said.
Advocating for women in the STEM fields is important, Hines said, as over the past 17 years she’s seen a shift in women joining the industry, but oftentimes they still need a nudge.
Momentum has been built over the years by the women who came before, laying the groundwork and setting an example that such work is possible, she said.
“When I started my career … Most of the time I was the only female at the table in a majority of meetings. Now, I’ve definitely seen that there’s a shift in women, and I think younger women, there’s more confidence being built,” she said.
Pethel agreed, saying: “There’s a lot of opportunities that weren’t [there] back in the day. A lot of women wouldn’t think to go into engineering or technology fields or coding or anything like that. I think social media has helped get the word out, [too.]”
All this recent momentum, Pethel said, “snowballs,” building upon itself and becoming greater and stronger.
“I leave my Women in Energy board meeting or events and — just to see other working women — we just fuel from each other. There’s just a different energy,” Pethel said. “There’s just an excitement in the room.”
Hines said there also seems to be a greater number of “women empowering other women,” who realize that “rising tides lift all ships,” and that “everyone can be a winner; everyone can have a piece of the pie.”
While growth is not always comfortable, Hines said, it’s important for women to get out of their comfort zone in order to grow.
“Because people only grow when they’re uncomfortable … I promote them into roles, and promote them into director positions, and promote them into VP positions, and I’m trying to push them forward so that they grow and develop,” Hines said.
Pethel said these practices are precisely why AST has such a low turnover, high retention rate. And by investing in the employees, the company has been able to grow into the spaces it has.
“[Hines is] a firm believer in lifting up and empowering her staff,” Pethel said, “and making sure we have a family-oriented company where people feel that they have a voice and [are] honestly making a difference … [and] making sure they know they’re an employee with a name to us — not just a badge number — and that goes a long way.”
Because of the tonal shift among women in the workforce, Hines said, women no longer feel that they have to compete with each other.
“It’s really, really important for me at this point in my career to make sure that I’m inspiring young women, [and] midcareer women to move into executive positions to take their seat at the table, because we’ve earned that seat,” Hines said. “People aren’t going to offer you a seat all the time. Sometimes you just have to take the seat and build your own confidence.”
For young women inspired by her success and who aspire to be like her, Hines reminded them, “You just make a commitment and you can do it. You don’t have to have all the answers. And don’t be afraid to call me — or call someone — or ask for help. Because no one does it alone.”