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SENEDIA MRC Interview

    What is your company’s history?

    McLaughlin Research Corporation (MRC) was founded in 1941 by Mr. Charles H. McLaughlin, under the name McLaughlin-Carr Associates, and originally specialized in airport engineering and design. While supporting the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, McLaughlin-Carr devised a plan to speed up production at the Naval Aircraft Factory through the use of visual assembly charts (production illustrations). The plan’s success resulted in similar projects for the Naval Gun Factory and Bureau of Ordnance. In 1944, the Navy again sought the help of McLaughlin-Carr to complete a valuable fire control system project; the efforts of which led the firm in receiving the Naval Ordnance Award.

    After World War II, McLaughlin-Carr was incorporated and renamed McLaughlin Research. Starting with a staff of approximately 40 people in 1947, MRC prepared thousands of engineering reports, technical manuals, and provisioning documents and conducted special studies on a wide spectrum of naval equipment. Other customers during that period included the U.S. Army and Air Force, Sperry Gyroscope, Bell Laboratories, and Stromberg Carlson.

    During the 1950s, MRC began providing automatic data processing (ADP) services after assisting the IBM Military Products Division with preparing parts catalogs and provisioning lists using electronic accounting machines. At the same time, MRC developed innovative configuration management techniques to maintain these catalogs up to date following equipment design improvements. As a result of this effort, MRC started introducing ADP parts provisioning documentation to many industrial firms, including IBM Commercial Products, General Electric, Sperry Gyroscope, Collins Radio, Sylvania, RCA, and Grumman.

    Throughout the next 20 years, MRC experienced significant growth, providing a variety of products and services that included award-winning informational and training films for government and industry as well as logistics documentation, program management, and systems acquisition support to the Navy’s Strategic Systems Project Office. In 1970, MRC opened its Middletown, RI, office to provide engineering, technical, and management services to the Naval Underwater Systems Center (NUSC). During the 1980s, MRC expanded its operations to the West Coast with offices in San Diego, CA, and Keyport, WA.

    In 1996, MRC was placed on the Defense Contract Management Command Honor Roll in recognition for “maintaining an excellent reputation for stability, cooperation, and quality products delivered on-time.” MRC was selected as the 2016 National Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year, and in 2017, MRC’s security program was honored by the Defense Security Service (DSS) as one of only 36 national winners of the James S. Cogswell Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement.

    MRC’s rich history of providing high-quality, cost-effective services and establishing long-standing relationships with both customers and other defense contractors are built on the vision of its founder, Charles McLaughlin. As expressed by MRC’s former Board Chair Andra McLaughlin Kelly, her father believed that “if he created the right environment the customers would be well served, the employees would flourish, and the company would prosper.” 

    Today, MRC continues to uphold the philosophy and values of Charles McLaughlin and operates as a small, family-owned business under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 541330, (Engineering Services for Military and Aerospace Equipment and Military Weapons) with more than 400 employees located in Middletown, RI; New London, CT; Keyport, WA; San Diego and Corona, CA; Lexington, MA; and Pearl Harbor, HI.

    What services and/or products does your company provide?

    For more than six decades, MRC has been providing continuous life cycle engineering and technical services from coast to coast for a wide range of Department of Defense (DoD) weapon, sensor, and combat system programs. Our prime contractor experience has been acquired through more than 75 major Navy IDIQ contracts and over 50 Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) SeaPort Enhanced (SeaPort-e) and SeaPort Next Generation (SeaPort NxG) task orders.  We currently provide defense solutions in the following core technology areas: 

    • Systems Engineering
    • Design and Drafting
    • Configuration Management
    • Integrated Logistics Support
    • Information Technology
    • Program Management
    • Environmental Management
    • Technical Documentation
    • Curriculum and Training Support
    • Creative Services and Graphic Design

    Our primary customers include the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC), and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).

    With offices in New London, CT; Middletown, RI; San Diego, CA; and Keyport, WA, we are ideally located to service nearby Naval facilities.

    Why do you consider membership in SENDIA valuable?

    Being a member in SENEDIA allows us to stay informed on current and future DoD initiatives, while giving us the ability to connect with other defense contractors for possible teaming opportunities as well as with highly skilled employment candidates to fill critical talent gaps, thereby ensuring continuous and reliable service to our customers.

    At MRC, our employees are our primary asset and the reason for our reputation of providing unparalleled support to our government customers, most of which have relied on MRC’s services for many years. Being a member of the SENEDIA community ensures that we are able to maintain a highly skilled and diversified workforce that has been the cornerstone of MRC’s success. 

    Even with the current COVID-crisis and the resulting disruptions to normal, everyday communication, SENEDIA has maintained frequent and direct contact with NUWC leadership and continues to provide valuable insight of upcoming opportunities to its member community. This interface between SENEDIA and the government is a vital resource for members and has played an integral role in helping us to sustain both our workforce as well as uninterrupted support for DoD programs.

    If a company wants to do business with yours, whom should they contact?

    Domenic Gargano, President

    dgargano@mrcds.com 401-849-4010

    OR

    Vincent Pinto, Executive Vice President

    vpinto@mrcds.com 401-849-4010