Ryan Abbott, Metrostar
WashingtonExec’s 2024 Pinnacle Awards finalists will be announced on September 20th, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event goes live on November 21st.
Next up is Ryan Abbott, vice president of defense at Metrostar and a finalist in the Department of Defense Executive of the Year, Civil Enterprise category. Here, he talks about his recent accomplishments, shares career advice, and more.
What significant achievements were made in 2024?
One of our standout achievements in 2024 was the successful execution of multiple prototype OTAs through a mature lifecycle from concept to commercialization, exceeding customer expectations and delivering top-level performance that excited customers. The team was formed. There were also many victories that led to great results. For example, we won contracts such as the Integrated Network Operations and CDAO JATIC contracts. This year, we took steps to accelerate Salesforce development with Salesforce practices. Exciting new wins galore! We continue to iterate on achieving operational excellence by expanding and supporting engagements through solution accelerators.
What are your key areas of focus going forward and why are they so important to your mission?
My main focus going forward will be working towards achieving operational excellence. We prioritize operational excellence to ensure project success and continually look for ways to increase customer satisfaction. What’s the point if we’re not delivering the best value we know we can? We’re constantly pushing ourselves to be not just good people, but great people. I have to keep going.
What career advice would you give to those who want to follow in your footsteps?
For me, when I don’t have an answer, I always try to focus on what I do for my customers and how I can do it better. Therefore, my best advice for careers is that the path is not always as clear and easy as it seems, but it is important to put the customer first and continue to deliver excellence. Let your career outcomes flow naturally from your commitment to your mission.
Fun fact: What is something most people don’t know about you?
I love road trips. If I could drive to every small town in America, I would. Open roading with little to no schedule is very exciting. I like to find small donut shops, stop by, and do a quick donut review when I visit. I really see the benefit of the human interaction that you get from visiting a small town store that you can’t find in a busy city with lots of big stores. There’s something special about talking to someone who took a huge risk in their life to open a store in their town because they believed in the place they grew up in and their commitment to the community. I come from the Army, love spending time on the water in Annapolis, and am a passionate dog rescuer.
