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Hi Tech Solutions, LLC
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History

Hi Tech Solutions - Our Story

2003

Hi Tech Nuclear Founded

Rick Taylor, Chuck Boortz, and Dave Williams left GE to start Hi Tech Nuclear with Columbia Generation Station (Energy Northwest) as their first client. HTN stayed small and focused on people and quality. Chris Hayter joined in 2007.
2013

New Team, New Name, and New Era: Hi Tech Solutions

When two of the three original co-founders of Hi Tech Nuclear retired, Dave Williams partnered with Chris Hayter and Mike Hayter to relaunch the company with the same focus on people and quality but with a new name and vision to bring a fresh and innovative approach to the nuclear power industry, expand globally, and add new services.
2015

Westinghouse Relationship

HTS expanded, building a relaionship with Westinghouse to help fill critical gaps in service delivery to nuclear power customers all over the world.
2018

Holtec International Relationship

HTS began providing augmentation services with Holtec International, an energy technology company and global leader in DCS technology for nuclear power, nuclear decommissioning, and an emerging leader in small modular reactor (SMR) technology with their SMR-160 design. Together, we've completed successful projects across North America, Europe, South America, and Africa.
2019

People First - Healthcare Benefits

HTS added healthcare benefits for our employees, a rarity in the nuclear staff augmentation sector, changing this segment of the industry and emphasizing our People First approach.
2020

Acquisition of RSI

Former GE employee David "Smitty" Smith and Westinghouse employee Bill Elhoff founded Reactor Services, Inc. in 2007, growing it into a premier provider of project management and oversight services for outage, off-outage, and dry cask storage services at Constellation Energy (formerly Exelon), the owner/operator of North America's largest fleet of nuclear reactors. HTS acquired RSI as a wholly-owned subsidiary to continue the legacy of excellence and expand our reach.
2021

Launched Safeguards3 - Security Training & Consulting

S3, our security services subsidiary, was formed with key subject matter experts from military special operations, law enforcement, and DOE / Pacific Northwest National Lab with deep experience in national security, nonproliferation, commercial nuclear, and critical infrastructure to provide consulting and training to the following sectors and industries: electricity, national security (Dept. of State), nuclear power, critical infrastructure, and education.
2021

Framatome Relationship

HTS established a relationship with Framatome to provide critical skills and services for clients in the the North America nuclear sector.
2021

People First - Retirement Benefits

HTS added matching 401K for our employees - continuing the HTS People First approach and raising the bar, again.
2021

Undervessel Services

HTS launched undervessel services with the best team in the industry.
2022

Added Engineering Services

HTS hired key industry experts to offer Engineering & Tooling services
2023

SkillBridge: Opportunities for Transitioning Military Service Members

HTS became a Department of Defense SkillBridge partner to recruit, train, and transition military service members and bring needed talent and skills to the nuclear industry.
Today

Improvement, Growth, & New Opportunities

Nuclear is experiencing a resurgence as the world demands more clean, baseload energy to solve the challenges of intermittent renewables and energy security. Hi Tech continues to expand strategic relationships, drive industry improvements, launch new services, and enter new markets. Stay tuned, we're just getting started...
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Team

People First - Success Follows

Garth Griffen
Nuclear Technician
Garth Griffen was one of the first people to leave the comforts of the big players and join our Under-vessel team. He has shown leadership and a desire to build the best team in our industry from his first job. With high standards, strong workmanship, and excellent attitude, Garth always superbly represents HTS, and many of our clients request him by name. Thank you Garth!
Chris Hayter
Chris Hayter, COO
Scott Anderson
Crane Operator
5+ Years on Team
Scott Anderson has worked with HTS as a Crane Operator, Technician, Advanced Rigger, and leader of people since Fall 2016. One of the first to really open his arms and share some wisdom and advice on my first Westinghouse outage at Duane Arnold many years ago. Scott is kind, has a solid moral compass, and has willing to impart his experience and wisdom to help others. Scott consistently brings a high level of skill and the intangibles to assist any project to a successful conclusion. Once again, we are honored to have such a fine person working with HTS, and we hope for many years to come.
Chris Hayter
Chris Hayter, COO
Shelby Denton
Nuclear Technician
3+ Years on Team
7+ Years Nuclear Experience
Prior Military Service
Shelby Denton has been part of the HTS team for nearly three years. One of the first guys to leap from the comforts of working for the big boys, he showed leadership and a willingness to trust in what we were doing. Since coming over, Shelby has received exceptional feedback on his performance and character on every job we have asked him to do. He is never afraid to try something out of his comfort zone. He quickly learned and transitioned into the PWR refuel and projects and is always requested by our partners. Shelby served our country as a Marine and brought his family values, professional integrity, and service-focused mentality to our team, and we are grateful for him.
Chris Hayter
Chris Hayter, COO
Marcus Vasquez
Supervisor
6+ Years on Team
This is Marcus Vasquez, he has been with Hi-Tech since 2015. Since his very first job he has been a leader and consistently shown a passion for the customers and their projects. He brings an extremely high level of workmanship and is most importantly a good human being. Proud to have him as part of the HTS family.
Chris Hayter
Chris Hayter, COO
Andy Abshire
Supervisor
7+ Years on Team
15+ Years Nuclear Experience
Andy Abshire has been with us for seven (7) years, and what a pleasure it is to work with him. One of the first people to take a minute and introduce himself and show me the ropes on my very first outage at Columbia Station in 2007. Kind and thoughtful are two words that come to mind when I think about Andy and who he is. An exceptional Supervisor, Crane Operator, Rigger, Technician, or whatever we ask of him. Never too much ego to take on any role, as he understands you can be a leader no matter your title. We are grateful for Andy and his contribution to our team and the care he shows for everyone around him. A true leader.
Chris Hayter
Chris Hayter, COO
Kris Hughes
Supervisor
4+ Years on Team
7+ Years Nuclear Experience
Prior Military Service
Kris Hughes has been part of the HTS team for just over four and half years. With his work experience, military background, and excellent character, he quickly fit into our team and made his way from a Technician/Rigger to leadership roles in short order. Kris is a good human being and a faithful team member. We are grateful for his excellent work ethic, high integrity, and overall values. Thank you, Kris.
Chris Hayter
Chris Hayter, COO
Steven Keeter
Director of Client Relations
1+ Years on Team
18+ Years Nuclear Experience
Everyone kept telling me Steven Keeter was both an elite person and a talent, and since joining HTS about 15 months prior, he has never disappointed. I first met Steven in 2011, and we quickly bonded working together during a long job at Columbia Station. Steven is one of those that gives his all in everything he does. I respect leaders who are willing to lead from the front lines, and Steven is always there. He drives his team and those around him to be the best they are capable of, he shows love and respect to everyone, and we are truly blessed to have him.
Chris Hayter
Chris Hayter, COO
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Hi Tech Solutions
Safeguards 3RSI

Companies

Complimentary Capabilities

Reactor Services, Inc. (RSI)

HTS acquired RSI in 2020. RSI was founded in 2007 by David "Smitty" Smith and Bill Elhoff to provide services to Exelon (now Constellation Energy), owner - operator of North America's largest fleet of nuclear power plants with 21 reactors. RSI grew to become a critical partner, supplying project management and oversight services for outage, off-outage, and dry cask storage services.  Smitty retired in 2021 after a lifetime of service in nuclear and Bill continues to work at RSI.

Safeguards3 (S3)

www.safeguards3.com

S3 was launched by subject matter experts from the military, law enforcement, and U.S. DOE / national labs to provide blended physical and cyber security consulting and training services to critical infrastructure sectors including nuclear, national security, electricity, and education (counter active shooter / active assailant). Clients include the U.S. Department of State, NERC's Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC), utilities, and school districts.

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Leadership

Walk the Talk

David Williams

CEO / Co-Founder
David has over 25 years of experience managing outages and special projects throughout North America and globally. He has developed a well-earned reputation as an expert and leader in nuclear power generation services. Previously, he was a partner in Hi Tech Nuclear, the predecessor to Hi Tech Solutions, and started his career at General Electric. David is a proud veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.
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Chris Hayter

President & COO / Co-Founder
Chris leads field and support operations, sales and business development, and strategic partnerships. He brings over 18 years of operations and sales experience, including 16 years in power generation services. Chris has successfully developed our strategic relationships with major service providers and driven revenue growth. Prior to Hi Tech Solutions, Chris began his nuclear career at Hi Tech Nuclear, where he worked in multiple areas of nuclear outages and special projects. He started his professional career in IT and was Director of Business Development for a holding company with businesses in several industries.
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Michael Hayter

CFO / Co-Founder
Mike is responsible for financial and accounting operations, corporate development, IT, and leads our security subsidiary, Safeguards 3 as CEO. He brings 29 years of global experience in the energy and technology industries, and served as a law enforcement officer and detective before retiring from law enforcement to focus on growing Hi Tech Solutions. Previously, he co-founded companies in technology and energy development, and was Director of Project & Business Development for a publicly traded developer of utility-scale clean energy projects. He played a key role in bringing commercial geothermal and solar power plants online and served as Chairman of a joint venture with Indonesia's largest utility, Indonesia Power. Mike began his career with Accenture and later worked with leading technology providers PeopleSoft / Oracle, EMC / Dell), and Verizon Wireless in various leadership roles. Mike has worked in Latin America, Europe, and SE Asia. He holds a BA from Washington State University, is fluent in Spanish, and conversant in Portuguese.
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Steve Hrapchak

EVP, Operations
Steve is a member of Hi Tech Solutions' executive team and leads field and support operations, delivery of client services, and assists with business development activities. He has 38 years of experience in engineering and management. The past 13 years of experience have been supporting the nuclear power industry with management responsibility of the Reactor Component Upgrades and Major Projects group at Westinghouse. He successfully managed growth and changes in product line service demand increasing sales 3X to $90M over a four-year period while exceeding business targets in overall sales, profit, safety performance and quality. Growth in this business was achieved through consistent delivery of innovative high value solutions. Previously Steve was engaged in a variety of leadership roles in engineering and manufacturing mostly with an emphasis on the design, manufacture and testing of military electronic systems and sensors for the defense industry. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.
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Stirling Adams

General Counsel
Stirling oversees the legal function. For the last 28 years he has worked in the enterprise software industry. For the 6 years prior to joining HTS he held the role of vice president, associate general counsel, and head of intellectual property for one of the world’s 10 largest software companies. Though based in the U.S., Stirling has lived and worked as an attorney in South America (Buenos Aires), China (Beijing and Shenzhen), Spain, and Denmark. As an adjunct professor of law Stirling has taught law school courses in intellectual property and technology licensing. He received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science / Statistics from Brigham Young University and his J.D. from Boston University School of Law
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Timothy A. Bridgwater

Senior Advisor, Executive Advisory Board
Tim has over 30 years of commercial and international banking, international finance, and business development experience globally and is a member of the Executive Advisory Committee focused on strategy, M&A, and finance. He played pivotal roles in the acquisition of RSI and obtaining funding for strategic growth and initiatives at Hi Tech.

In 1992, Tim founded Interlink Capital Strategies, an investment bank providing management consulting, financial advisory, and fund managment services where he has advised on over $1.5 billion of debt and private equity investments in industries ranging from mining, building materials, renewable energy, and automotive component manufacturing to electronics and software technologies in the U.S. and Asia. He has also served as Managing Director for a publicly-traded mezzanine fund investing in small and medium-sized companies and served as Managing Director of a $300 million state-sponsored fund of funds investing in private equity and venture capital funds.

He recently served as interim CFO raising $30 million for a successful mining company. In addition to Interlink, he has co-founded five companies, including renewable energy, environmental services, biotechnology, and multimedia/software technology companies. Tim has served on various company and community boards and recently served on the U.S. Ex-Im Bank and U.S. Department of Commerce advisory boards and previously worked at U.S. Ex-Im Bank as a loan officer in Latin America. He has been active in government and politics and ran for the U.S. Senate in Utah. He received a B.S. in Finance from Brigham Young University and completed graduate studies in international economics at the University of Utah.
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Nick Rubis

Vice President, Business Development
Nick leads business development and is responsible for working with our clients and strategic partners, expanding into new services and markets, and leading new initiatives. Previously, he was responsible for our Westinghouse relationship and led client and field services, an organization dedicated to providing top level personnel and expertise throughout the global nuclear fleet. Before joining HTS, Nick served in a series of increasingly responsible roles with Westinghouse focusing on project management and outage services. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.
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Steven Keeter

Director, Field Operations & Services
Steven joined Hi Tech Solutions in 2020 and leads the field operations group, including outage services, special projects, and oversight. He has over 26 years in the nuclear industry, working both PWR and BWR reactors in the U.S. and Mexico, and in Europe (Spain, Slovenia, and Switzerland). He started his career as a contractor, then spent 22 years at Curtiss-Wright serving as Under Vessel technician, Lead Tech, CRD Rebuild Technician, CRD Rebuild Supervisor, CRD Rebuild Project Manager, CRD Exchange Supervisor, CRD Exchange Project Manager, and oversight. Steven was also involved in both PWR/BWR projects, including Refuel Floor support, Steam Generator work, RCP Supervisory positions, and QC Rep. Since coming to Hi Tech Solutions, he played a leading role in the development of a strategic relationship with Framatome and expansion in Europe. Steven enjoys his family, hunting, and being a new grandfather.
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Amy Knox

Director, Staffing
Amy brings over 21 years of nuclear experience to the team. For the past 4 years, she has focused on working with Hi Tech Solutions to help grow and expand our team into the world-class organization it is today. As the Director of Staffing, she works closely with our internal teams and clients to meet their needs, while also working diligently to provide the best and most advantageous schedule for each employee. She strives to assist every technician to meet his/her career goals, following their desired paths. Working in partnership alongside other Directors, Managers and Support Staff, she is integral to ensuring the success of the entire HTS team.
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Rebecca Fletcher

Controller
Becca leads accounting operations for HTS and our companies. She brings over 13 years of experience in both international and domestic business and is a licensed CPA. Prior to joining HTS in 2021, Becca was a Senior Associate at BKD (now FORVIS) and Stayner Bates. She began her career as an international accountant for a global holding and consumer products company. Becca holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Accountancy from Brigham Young University.

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Craig Deah

Manager, Field Engineering & Services
Craig joined Hi Tech Solutions in 2022 and has over 18 years of experience in the nuclear industry. He leads Field Engineering and Services with responsibilities ranging from tooling design to business development and still maintains a field presence supporting utilities and vendors throughout the industry. Craig began his career with Westinghouse in their reactor services tooling division, where he held positions as a design engineer, project manager, technical advisor, and in 2014 was promoted to Engineering Manager. Through his work at Westinghouse, Craig gained extensive experience in PWR refueling, lower Internals movement, and fuel/fuel component handling tools and has become familiar with many other aspects of the industry. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
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Daniel DeStephen

Product Manager, Non-Destructive Examination
Daniel joined Hi Tech Solutions to launch and lead our NDE services group. He is an accomplished management professional with over 21 years of progressive experience in directing projects, managing resources, and leading service organizations. Daniel has an extensive background in NDE and automated inspection solutions. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
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David A. Foglia

Manager, Field Services & Project Managment
Dave has 39 years of experience in the commercial nuclear industry. He joined Hi Tech Solutions in 2022 as a Project Manager, Shift Supervisor, and Look Ahead Advisor. Prior to HTS, Dave was with Westinghouse Electric Company, where he held roles of Level IV Technician, PWR Project Manager for the Refueling at Prairie Island Units 1 & 2 (since 2015), and Tech Lead for his group supervising 20 technicians responsible for turn around and preparation of field equipment for outage deployment. Dave holds an Associate Degree in Applied Science.
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Jeff Idzjotic

Manager, Resource & Operations
Jeff joined Hi Tech Solutions in 2022 as PWR Operations Manager. He currently leads the PWR operations team and is responsible for HTS’s strategic relationship with Westinghouse. He brings 19 years of experience in the commercial nuclear industry. Jeff was previously with Westinghouse Electric Company, where he held leadership roles, including Project Manager in both Steam Generator Services and PWR Refueling Services and, most recently, PWR Refueling Resource Manager. Jeff is a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy submarine service.
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Michael A. Lesko

Product Manager, Engineering & Tooling
Michael launched Hi Tech Solutions’ engineering and products division and leads our exciting vision to provide the industry’s best Tooling and Engineering to make any customer’s project a success. He has 21 years of design, engineering, leadership, and project management experience throughout the nuclear industry. Michael earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.
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William Monroe

Manager, Field Services & Project Management
Bill leads field services for strategic clients, including Southern Company. Previously at Hi Tech Solutions, he was Project Technical Advisor and Production Manager to Constellation Energy, the largest owner / operator of nuclear power plants in North America. Leveraging his 16 years of industry experience, William managed the production of the reactor services department at multiple power plants across the country. Responsibilities included all aspects of preparation, execution, and close out of nuclear plant refueling. A big believer in people, William considers treating people well and building strong personal relationships is the foundation of success both personally and professionally.
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Abraham Nelson

Manager, Field Services & Project Managment
Abe started in the nuclear industry a week after his 18th birthday and has over 27 years of experience throughout the U.S. and overseas, working for several of the best outage services companies and across many areas of reactors, including under vessel, refuel floor, pumps and motors, and dry cask storage. Abe started at Hi Tech in 2008 and for the past 11 years has supervised primarily the refuel floor and dry cask projects. Currently, Abe leads service delivery at Columbia Generation Station for our first client, Energy Northwest.
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Gidion "Tom" Roark

Manager, Business Development
Tom brings more than 40 years of progressive project management experience and success within the nuclear power and industrial industries. A proven team player and resourceful manager recognized by colleagues for excellent dedication, experience, and project vision. Skilled in building cross-functional teams, demonstrating exceptional communication skills, and making critical decisions during challenges. Previously, Tom was Senior Project Manager, Reactor Services at Grand Gulf Generation Station (Entergy) and began his nuclear career with GE. He holds a degrees in Business from the University of Arkansas and Industrial Engineering from the American Technical Institute. Tom is also an FAA licened Private and Remote Pilot.
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Travis Chapman

Manager, Business Development
Travis leads our strategic relationship with the international division of Holtec International, focused on dry cask / spent fuel storage.
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Scott Szendre

Manager, Business Development

Karon Watson

Manager, Operations Support
Karon leads the operations support team and previously worked for Hi Tech Solutions in field services. Prior to HTS, she worked as HuP Oversight for Westinghouse and was the Sr. Project Coordinator and Documentation Control Mgr at Drax Biomass, where she reported to the Sr. Vice President of Project Management and had full responsibilities for project coordination and documentation control of projects up to $300 million in the nuclear and specialty construction markets. At Power Equipment Maintenance (PEM), she was BWR Operations Manager, managing 200+ nuclear service technicians and serving as liaison with Westinghouse Nuclear Services Group executives. She studied Organizational Communciations at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
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Ready for the Next Step?

Don't hesitate if you want to explore career opportunities or have a question about our services.