By Maxine Giller 

In honor of Rockwood Company’s 10th anniversary, we sat down with founder and CEO, Patricia Koopersmith, to reflect on this significant milestone. She shared her motivation behind starting Rockwood, how she measures its success, and some of Rockwood’s key defining moments. She also reinforced her passion for developing people and cultivating a culture of continuous learning. Finally, she shared her vision for how Rockwood will continue to add value for its clients over the next decade.

Was there a moment in your career that you can look back on now as crucial to the inception of Rockwood? 

Yes, the 1401 Tech Transfer Program project. 

In 2004/2005, I was the lead consultant for the 1401 project. During the events of 9/11, numerous first responders died while responding to the attack on the towers; some of these deaths could have been avoided with more sophisticated technology and tools. As a result, Congress directed the DoD to identify ways for the first responder community to leverage the DoD’s research and development to improve responder safety and effectiveness. Bringing together senior executives from across the DoD, DoJ, and DHS, my team created the “1401 Tech Transfer Program” (still in existence today) to make available many of the critical technology and tools the first responders need to protect the homeland. From narrow firetrucks that fit in NYC alleyways to stop-bleeding pens to more effective bullet proof vests to multi-lingual translator boxes, this program has had a significant impact on the effectiveness and safety of our first responder missions.  

This project demonstrated the significant impact I (in partnership with my colleagues and the amazing civil servants I worked with) could have on complex, cross-government challenges that mattered. I saw the success of change management in government and the impact of my work as this program took form and evolved over the long term. That's what really inspired me to create Rockwood Company—a firm where I can enable and drive impactful, meaningful work every day, ensuring diverse stakeholders from different perspectives and with competing agendas come together to collaborate and commit to the mission. 

What critical metrics do you use to evaluate Rockwood’s success? 

The primary way I measure Rockwood’s success is by evaluating whether our clients are happy with our work. I spend as much time as I can out there in the market, talking to our customers. I am always excited when they tell me that Rockwood provides unparalleled talent and approaches they cannot find elsewhere. It’s especially rewarding when I hear that we solved a problem for them that they previously thought unsolvable. 

Second, I measure our success by the health of our company culture. I do this through one-on-one conversations with the staff, discussions with our leadership team, and utilizing an annual “Culture and Engagement Survey.” This year, the results surprised even me, as they were significantly above what our leadership team had projected based on industry comparisons.  

Third, I measure our success by the revenue and employee growth we experience. I pay special attention to how much of that growth comes from client referrals. When our clients not only buy more services from us but also refer us to their colleagues, it speaks volumes. 

Finally, I measure Rockwood’s success by evaluating the professional growth of our staff. I consider it a huge win when staff upgrade our methodologies with new innovations, are promoted because they are operating at the next competency level, or when they successfully navigate a situation that would have seemed overwhelming months before.   

Was there an inflection point in Rockwood’s past performance that you can identify as being particularly significant? 

The inflection point for Rockwood was the Background Investigation Assessment Project. Back in 2017, the Defense Security Service (DSS) contracted Rockwood to help with a fast-turnaround assessment requested by Congress. DSS was tapped to conduct the assessment on whether the personnel background investigation mission should return back to the DoD after nearly 15 years. We evaluated the current state of the background investigations mission, provided recommendations on whether to transfer the mission or leave it where it was, developed a plan to transfer the mission back to the DoD, and created a report for Congress outlining the projected personnel and other resources to successfully conduct DoD background investigations. Based on what he read in our assessment and report, Secretary of Defense Mattis decided to take the background investigation mission back to DoD. This decision led to the formation of the largest security agency in the U.S.–the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). 

This project helped Rockwood understand the critical challenges in the security realm, starting with background investigations and personnel vetting. We gained significant credibility across the DoD–leading to opportunities to help various national security missions overcome complex challenges over the subsequent years.  

What’s your favorite part about building a company?  

Developing people! I love to see people grow professionally and/or taking on a new role. I am thrilled when I see our staff take advantage of all the opportunities to learn at Rockwood—our methodologies, mentors, career managers, and subject matter experts—and apply the learning to make demonstrated progress. Watching someone grow in both capabilities and confidence is very rewarding to me.  

What do you hope to be celebrating at Rockwood’s 20th anniversary? 

While I know it is aspirational, I hope Rockwood is the most sought after and respected consultancy for solving the federal government’s complex and meaningful challenges. I hope to celebrate the expanded reach we’ve achieved across the national security sector and beyond, continuing to add more value for our clients as we understand and solve more and more problems across the community. I hope that many, if not all, of the people working at Rockwood today are celebrating with us on our 20th anniversary as Rockwood employees.