Published on: October 13, 2010

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"Chemistry" is the first word Scott Herndon, owner of Herndon Products, uses when describing what made him want to hire Dan Rodrigues as his chief operating officer in January 2008. "I wanted someone to get along with and someone to turn the reins over to who shared my goals," says Herndon, whose company provides supply chain solutions in the aerospace and defense industry. "It was a targeted search. I had talked with Dan for several months to try and make sure the chemistry and style would work. From an entrepreneurial point of view, Dan is the first person I talked to with whom I felt comfortable. His pedigree is top-notch, and I quickly learned about his reputation, business acumen and his schema."

Rodrigues was also looking for the right fit and a place where he could apply his years of experience as a leader in corporations working in electronics, defense, government contracting and aerospace. "I'm not an entrepreneur, yet I love the challenge of growing a company," he says. "Herndon Products' success and the opportunity to expand within their market space was a real motivator to me."

In two and half years, Rodrigues has helped grow Herndon Products from a $33 million company to one that is approaching the $100 million mark. 

by Julia Paulus

About Herndon

Herndon Products supplies high quality products and services to the aerospace and defense industries. For more than twenty years, we have been the premier provider of supply chain solutions to both domestic and international companies. Herndon Products is an ISO 9001-2000 and AS9120 certified company based in Saint Louis, Missouri, and our mission is to provide the best integrated solutions for assembly components to the defense industry.