CEO Hai Tran Triumphs, Mainly Due to Determination (and a Mother’s Love)

By Jennie L. Ilustre

The next time you ride in an airplane, whether for business or for pleasure, think of this as a matter of inspiration and well-placed pride: That a company, owned by an Asian American who triumphed against life’s adversities, helps improve safety and efficiency within the nation’s air traffic management system with its cutting-edge products and services.

           “We help design and implement the air traffic control communication system,” Veracity Engineering Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer Hai Tran says, pausing before he adds, “for the FAA.” The FAA, of course, is the Federal Aviation Agency.

           His company also designs innovative products. AirportInsight^TM has several applications providing an electronic display of airport surface and terminal activity. The operational management and decision support tools, “coupled with real time surveillance data, assist both airport authorities and airlines in running efficient, cost-effective operations.”

           Another innovation: the Aircraft Flight Following (AFF) system, a satellite tracking system for fire-fighting aircraft. Both the U.S. Forestry Department and Canadian Ministry of Forestry have approved it for use. The satellite tracking units are small and portable for use on general aviation aircraft.

           “If I were to share one lesson learned from the past decade of leading Veracity Engineering, it would be that you need to accept that risk is inherent in trying to do great things,” observes Tran. He learned this from his mother.

Mother’s Courage

Tran and his family overcame life-and-death challenges, and he credits his mother, Huong Tran, for her determination and courage.  This is his story in his own words: “With the fall of Saigon in 1975, my father, a colonel in the South Vietnamese Army, was imprisoned as a political prisoner.

“Two years later, to ensure the future of her children, my mother single-handedly organized her escape from Vietnam, along with all seven of her children. Arriving in the US without a dollar in her pocket and not able to speak a word of English, she raised all seven of us to be productive law abiding citizens of our communities, and to help make a difference in the world.”

“Now, any time I feel motivation waning in the face of a huge challenge, I tell myself that it would pale in comparison to the ones she faced. She risked her life and successfully planned and organized our escape from Vietnam.”

This story has a happy ending. When Tran’s father, Hoi Tran, was released from prison in 1986, he “was reunited with us.”

$21M Revenue

Tran founded Veracity Engineering in May 2001. In such a short time, his company has become one of the industry leaders in aviation research and development, as well as communications engineering. Its clientele include corporations and the federal government. In 2012, FAA awarded Veracity Engineering with a $100-million contract. Veracity’s backlog exceeds $120 million.

“We had $21 million in revenue for 2013,” Tran says. He says it with both humility and pride, because when he started his company over a decade ago in a competitive field, he knew he was taking a big risk.

Sam Mok, former Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Labor, knows Tran and other successful Asian American business owners. He says Tran’s success is due to “innovation, good customer service and a good understanding of the American culture.”

Challenges

Success, however, did not come overnight, as Tran recalls in several interviews. Tran started with just one employee (himself). He now has a staff of 110.

“The most difficult time is when a company has about 10 to 15 employees,” he says. “It is tough financially to have the proper management infrastructure, such as dedicated Human Resources, contracts, payroll, accounting–accounts payable, accounts receivable–and other management oversight personnel. The only way to overcome this is to personally put in the long hours.  One has to do this while ensuring the clients are 100% happy with the work and the work products are completed on time, on budget and on target.”

Tran is happily married to his lovely wife Nina, an accountant. He declares he is a proud father of Megan, age 5. From the glint in his eye as he talks about Veracity Engineering, it’s obvious he is proud of his “other baby.” Veracity Engineering, with him at the helm, has shown phenomenal growth.

Career

Tran, an Electrical Engineering graduate from the University of Maryland at College Park, has nearly 25 years of industry knowledge and experience. No wonder that even with keen competition, he continues to provide sure-footed leadership, and the corporate vision and strategy that makes Veracity Engineering remain at the top of its game.

           Before starting Veracity Engineering, Tran personally  provided management support of several large-scale and highly-visible programs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He provided program management and systems engineering support for various mission-critical air traffic control communication, surveillance and flight planning systems.

From 1996 to 1998, Tran was the principal technical consultant for Nextel International. He designed and implemented the Radio Frequency (RF) cellular/trunk radio system for Metro Manila, Philippines.

Q & A

To what would you attribute your company’s success? Veracity Engineering is comprised of exemplary individuals who are not only personally invested in the goals of the company, but our client’s mission as well. The success is directly attributable to the tremendous contributions of our workforce, from the senior management team to the administrative staff.

What are your plans this year? How about long-range plans? This year, Veracity Engineering will continue to support the FAA in transforming the way air traffic management is conducted, as well as modernizing the National Airspace System (NAS).  In addition, we look to broaden our portfolio of projects by leveraging our programmatic and technical skill sets with the goal of adding defense, commercial, and municipal clients.

Our long-range plans are focused on continuing market penetration into new areas of aviation and aerospace, as well as defense and other civilian agencies. This diversification of business lines will increase our ability to withstand fluctuations in federal funding. Veracity Engineering will also look to add to its products division, solving the complex challenges faced by our government and commercial clients.

What is your advice to Asian Americans who want to start their own company?

First, understand the true reason why you want to start a business.  Success means different things to different people, so determine what success truly means to you and not defined by others.   Second, you must recognize and truly understand your strengths and weaknesses.  Also: Be prepared for long hours and hard work, be determined and never give up, and look for a good mentor. There are a lot of great leaders in Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC).

What did you learn from your parents?

My mother told us:  “Always maintain your positive outlook in life and in your career.” My parents truly believe in karma and taught us values from childhood. They related examples of people that they knew. I learned how important a person’s integrity and honesty is, in your personal and professional life.