Dr. Norman Witbeck, Senior Advisor and Founder of CRC

Dr. Witbeck is an Aeronautical Engineer with a Doctorate in Physics. His career began with General Electric, where he was responsible for application of the J47-D17 afterburner engine in the Sabrejet fighter, which gave this aircraft the extra power necessary to overwhelm the MIG-15 during the Korean conflict. He later served in OSD, where he was a Technical Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense, providing guidance in regard to aircraft and missile propulsion programs. After a stint as Manager of Engineering Operations for Fairchild, he became Chief Engineer of a Division of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Subsequently, as a Design Consultant to the Douglas Aircraft Company, he made important contributions to the design of the DC-9 aircraft. This resulted in his election to the Fellow level in the American Institute of Aeronautics.

Interested in the challenge of building a small business, Dr. Witbeck participated in the formation of Hydrospace Research Corporation, a firm specializing in sonar and underwater acoustics. Upon its sale to EG&G, he launched Columbia Research Corporation through the consolidation of Radiation Technology, Inc. and a specialty engineering firm which sold steel mill inspection equipment Worldwide. Owning and operating the largest electron accelerator in service use in the country, Radiation Technology became succesful as a subcontractor to such blue chip firms as Dow, Allied, Monsanto, and DuPont. Processing a large portion of all domestic Teflon for cookware and other applications, the firm was renamed Irradiation Industries, Inc.; spun off to the shareholders; and sold to a West Coast public company.

Focusing his efforts primarily on business development for Columbia Research Corporation, Dr. Witbeck was able to capture business in a number of opportunity areas, including acquisition logistics and special operations. He established the Gulf Coast Division, and assisted in the SDV development program there. Now semi-retired and living in Florida, he continues to provide business development assistance as a Senior Advisor to The Columbia Group.