Francisco J. Collazo

Last updated
Francisco J. Collazo
Born Utuado, Puerto Rico
Allegiance Flag of the United States.svg United States of America
Service/branch United States Department of the Army Seal.svg   United States Army
Years of service1946- 1976
Rank US-Army-CW2.svg
Chief Warrant Officer
Battles/wars Vietnam War
Awards Bronze Star Medal (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster)

Francisco J. Collazo (born 1931) is the CEO and President of Collazo Enterprises Inc. He is the co-founder of COLSA Corporation, a business enterprise which provides engineering and support services to NASA, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Missile Defense Agency. In 2012, COLSA Corp. was recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as being one of the top 100 Hispanic Businesses in the United States. [1]

Contents

Early years

Collazo was born in the city of Utuado, Puerto Rico and grew up in his father's farm. He received his primary education in his hometown. In 1946, he dropped out of high school and joined the United States Army. He continued his education while serving in the military and retired from the Army after 30 years of service with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. Among his military decorations was the Meritorious Service Medal and the Bronze Star Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster for his service during the Vietnam War. Mr. Collazo is a service-connected disabled veteran. [2]

Collazo attended the University of Texas in Austin, Texas where he earned a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. He later earned a master of Computer Systems Engineering from the Southeastern Institute of Technology. [2]

COLSA Corporation

Collazo and his wife, whom he married in 1955, moved to Huntsville, Alabama. In 1980, they founded COLSA Corporation in the garage of their home. The principal idea behind the foundation of the new company was to provide systems analysis and engineering in support of air defense systems material development. By 1983, the company had 20 employees. [2] That same year, the Government awarded COLSA its first prime contract. [3]

The company moved from Collazo's garage to South Memorial Parkway in Huntsville and later to Sparkman Drive. The company is currently located in Cummings Research Park. [2] In 1997, COLSA was awarded the Cogswell Award for Excellence in Security Operations. In 2003, COLSA acquired Huntsville-based Pace and Waite, Inc., and Digital Wizards, Inc. Among COLSA’s clients are NASA, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Missile Defense Agency. [3]

Under Collazo's leadership the company grew and continued to expand. The company has regional offices in Washington, DC; Orlando, Florida; Shalimar, Florida; San Diego, California, Colorado Springs, Colorado and Sierra Vista, Arizona. [3]

Collazo Enterprises, Inc.

On January 2, 1996, Collazo incorporated Collazo Enterprises the primary holding company that owns all stock in COLSA Corporation, COLSA International, FJC Growth Capital, and FCA Properties. [3] In 2000, Collazo Enterprises, Inc. established the Francisco J. Collazo (COLSA) Scholarship at the University of Alabama. The scholarship is awarded to full-time students majoring in Engineering, Science, Mathematics, or Technology and is based on academic merit, leadership potential, and contributions to school and community. [4]

Personal

Collazo retired from the Army in 1976 and lives together with his wife has three children and seven grandchildren, continues to reside in Huntsville. [2] He continues to be the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of COLSA Corporation. [5] In May 2003, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. [3] On October 25, 2012, COLSA Corp. was recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as being one of the top 100 Hispanic Businesses in the United States. [1]

Military awards and decorations

Among Collazo 's decorations are the following:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Valenzuela</span> United States Army general

MG Alfred A. Valenzuela is a retired United States Army major general who commanded United States Army South (USARSO) at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico and San Antonio, Texas. Served as Deputy Commanding General DCINC ) US Southern Command, Panama/Miami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert L. Stewart</span> American brigadier general and astronaut (born 1942)

Robert Lee Stewart is an American retired military officer and NASA astronaut who was a brigadier general of the United States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James A. Williams</span> United States Army general

James Arthur Williams was a United States Army lieutenant general. Williams served as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in the 1980s. He was a 1987 inductee of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame and was the chairman of the board of directors for the National Military Intelligence Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry E. Soyster</span> United States Army general

Harry Edward Soyster is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George J. Walker</span> United States Army general

George Jerry Walker served as an officer in the U.S. Army, including a stint in 1985 as Deputy Commanding General of the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM).

Awards and decorations of the United States government are civilian awards of the U.S. federal government which are typically issued for sustained meritorious service, in a civilian capacity, while serving in the U.S. federal government. Certain U.S. government awards may also be issued to military personnel of the United States Armed Forces and be worn in conjunction with awards and decorations of the United States military. In order of precedence, those U.S. non-military awards and decorations authorized for wear are worn after U.S. military personal decorations and unit awards and before U.S. military campaign and service awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John R. Dallager</span> United States Air Force general

John Rives Dallager is a retired United States Air Force major general. He served as the fifteenth Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy from 2000 to 2003. He resigned the position in the wake of the sexual assault scandal at the academy and was demoted from the rank of lieutenant general to major general upon his retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Héctor Andrés Negroni</span> US Air Force officer and historian (born 1938)

Colonel Héctor Andrés Negroni is a United States Air Force officer, historian, senior aerospace defense executive, author, and the first Puerto Rican graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. He was commissioned by Spain's Fifth Centennial Commission to write the "Historia Militar de Puerto Rico".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diego E. Hernández</span> Recipient of the Purple Heart medal

Vice Admiral Diego E. Hernandez was a United States Navy officer who was the first Hispanic American to be named Vice Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruben A. Cubero</span> United States general

Ruben A. Cubero is a retired brigadier general of the United States Air Force who became the first Hispanic graduate of the United States Air Force Academy to be named dean of the faculty of the Air Force Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin T. Campbell</span> United States Army general

Lieutenant General Kevin T. Campbell was the commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command from December 2006 to December 2010, replacing Lieutenant General Larry J. Dodgen. In October 2011 Campbell began working for Northrop Grumman Corporation as vice president and corporate lead executive (CLE) for company business after retiring from the Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur E. Brown Jr.</span> United States Army general (born 1929)

Arthur Edmon Brown Jr. is a retired four-star general of the United States Army who served as Vice Chief of Staff (VCSA) from 1987 to 1989.

Brigadier General U.S. Army (ret) Michael C. Flowers, is a former commander of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). The mission of JPAC is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation's past conflicts. Michael C. Flowers is currently the Chief Operating Officer of DigiFlight, Inc. He has been with the company in several roles since 2008. He has been instrumental in the growth of DigiFlight’s Aerospace and Aviation business units and the overall continued growth for the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio J. Ramos</span> United States Air Force general

Brigadier General Antonio J. Ramos was an officer of the United States Air Force. He was the first Hispanic to serve as commander, Air Force Security Assistance Center, Air Force Materiel Command, and dual-hatted as Assistant to the Commander for International Affairs, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hector E. Pagan</span> United States Army officer

Brigadier General Hector E. Pagan is a United States Army officer who is the first Hispanic of Puerto Rican descent to become Deputy Commanding General of the U.S.Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Liberty, North Carolina.

Commencing with World War I, Puerto Ricans and people of Puerto Rican descent have participated as members of the United States Armed Forces in every conflict in which the United States has been involved. Accordingly, thousands of Puerto Ricans served in the Armed Forces of the United States during the Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War. Hundreds of them died, either killed in action (KIA) or while prisoners of war (POW). The Vietnam War started as a Cold War, and escalated into a military conflict that spread to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Ruffin</span>

Paul B. Ruffin is an American scientist and educator. He is active in the field of applied science during his career as a research physicist conducting exploratory and advanced research and development in Fiber-optic communication, Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and Nanotechnology at the U. S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC). In July 2003, Ruffin was promoted to the highest rank for a research scientist — Senior Research Scientist (ST) — that anyone could achieve in Government service, making him the first African American to ever attain such status in the Civilian Army workforce.

DESE Research, Inc., is a veteran-owned, small-business firm conducting theoretical and analytical research services in the fields of Defense, Energy, Space, and Environment. DESE was formed in 1982 by former U.S. Army civil-service executive Dr. Wallace E. Kirkpatrick. In addition to research accomplishments, DESE is recognized for high ethical standards and leadership in community services.

James B. Odom is an American aerospace engineer and NASA official. He served as director for several major programs at the Marshall Space Flight Center, including the Space Telescope and the Space Station. For his career, he was the recipient of NASA's Exceptional and Distinguished Service Medals.

References

  1. 1 2 "Hispanic Business Magazine". Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 CNN
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "The History of COLSA Corporation". Archived from the original on 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  4. ↑ University of Alabama at Huntsville Scholarships
  5. ↑ Businessweek
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.