Ann Arbor's Cybernet Systems hires 3 PhDs, looks for staff

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 | Source: Concentrate

When local leaders talk about creating the next generation of start-ups that will create the jobs that carry Washtenaw County into the future, they must have something like Cybernet Systems in mind.

The Ann Arbor-based firm is celebrating its 20th year as a center for local research and development in the medical and defense fields. It employs about 50 people, along with a handful of independent contractors and interns.

Last year it added three PhDs and grew its revenue by 20 percent. It expects to grow its revenue at least another 20 percent this year while adding another 8-9 people. Those are conservative estimates, according to Cybernet Systems' CEO Heidi Jacobus.

"Probably more," she says.

The company plans to build on its existing federal contracts this year to propel its growth in 2009. That's a long way from where Cybernet Systems started on Jacobus' kitchen table two decades ago.

Among its products are the Large Caliber Automated Resupply, which loads ammunition into tanks and unloads unwanted casings or ammunition remotely. Its Automated Tactical Ammunition Classification System sorts ammunition, a costly and time-consuming task in the military.

Cybernet Systems medical division developed a telemedicine service that enables physicians to remotely gather and review outpatient physiological data over the Internet. It was used in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Source: Heidi Jacobus, CEO of Cybernet Systems
Writer: Jon Zemke