Castellum, Inc. (the "Company" or "Castellum") (NYSE-American:
CTM), a cybersecurity, electronic warfare, and software services
company focused on the federal government, releases this letter to
shareholders from Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), Glen Ives.
Dear Fellow Shareholders:
This letter represents my first formal
communication with you since I was appointed CEO by the Board of
our Company earlier this month. I am greatly honored by the
appointment and feel very humble to take on the responsibility of
serving our employees and you, our shareholders. Let me start by
introducing myself and then sharing a few thoughts about where I
would like to lead us over the coming months and years.
I grew up as an Army brat before attending and
graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. I served 34
years in the Navy, where I met my wife (also a Naval Academy
graduate and a member of the first class of women to enter the
Academy and a far more accomplished graduate than me). Initially, I
was a pilot, flying Navy helicopters from destroyers and carriers,
and I flew many different aircraft later as a test pilot. I served
on several senior joint staffs and in major acquisition roles.
During my final Navy tour, I served as Commanding Officer of the
world's finest Naval Air Station Patuxent River, where I developed
many long-term friendships and became intimately involved in the
local community. Patuxent River is a key Research, Development,
Test, and Evaluation military base where approximately $45 billion
of contracts are executed yearly. In 2008, I retired from the Navy
and transitioned to industry with a government contractor, Sabre
Systems. I helped build that company as President, bringing
together a strong team and overseeing a more than doubling of its
revenue during my tenure and transforming the company into a
leading-edge technology solutions and services company with
numerous prime contracts and new capabilities in Full Spectrum
Offensive and Defensive Cyber, AI/ML, Enterprise Data Management,
Advanced Communications Technologies and Digital Transformation. In
2021, I joined Castellum to help build its Navy Division. I then
became Chief Operating Officer prior to my recent appointment as
CEO.
In my view, Castellum has tremendous potential as
a company. As I write this, we have 254 tremendous employees.
Through their unparalleled dedication, world-class professionalism,
knowledge, experience, and talents, we can provide critically
important services and technology solutions to our mission
customers, who are directly responsible for many vital aspects of
our nation's security and well-being. We could not be more honored
and prouder of our role and mission. We have numerous contracts,
including some very important prime contracts. We have strong and
relevant capabilities, past performance, and solid relationships
based on trust and mutual respect with our government customers. We
have good teaming partners and a top-notch protégé company.
Castellum and our four subsidiary companies, Corvus Consulting,
LLC, Mainnerve Federal Services, Inc., Specialty Systems, Inc., and
Global Technology and Management Resources, Inc., is a
well-grounded platform and rock-solid business poised for real
growth.
Over the next two years, I would like to see
Castellum grow organically faster than we have previously. We have
a good pipeline of opportunities that we are building even
stronger, and we need to convert that pipeline into revenue and
profit growth. At a minimum, I would like to see us grow
organically 25% over the next two years and 40% over the next three
years. This would take us above $56 million in annualized revenue
by mid-2026 and $63 million in annualized revenue by mid-2027. I
would like to see us get to $5 million a year in adjusted earnings
before interest depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") and U.S.
GAAP net income positive during that time. While we are not
currently under a letter of intent with any acquisitions, I would
like to return to making selective acquisitions as our balance
sheet strengthens. I believe we are one good acquisition away from
really accelerating our growth.
Financially, we need to continue to pay down debt
and build financial muscle. We recently announced that we have
retired our Live Oak Banking Company term loan. We plan to retire
the $2.4 million Buckhout Charitable Remainder Trust note over the
next two years (by August 2026) and reduce our other debt as well.
As you know, retiring debt strengthens our balance sheet, gives us
financial flexibility to potentially make acquisitions, reduces
financial risk to our Company, and, someday, will allow us to
return capital to our shareholders. Ideally, we are looking to get
our debt below 15% of revenue and 2.5x adjusted EBITDA. We could be
there in less than a year with just some growth and steady debt
retirement.
If we can achieve these goals, we, the
shareholders, will benefit. I am acutely aware that our stock price
has not done well over the past 20 months. However, if we execute
our plan, I am confident that the next 20 months will be quite
different from the past 20 months to all of our benefit.
In closing, I'd like to say again I could not be
more honored, encouraged, and committed as your CEO. I'm grateful
to have our world-class team here at Castellum and our exceptional
government customers with vital missions we share. I know and
appreciate that we will all work, serve, and pull together with
trust, respect, honesty, and faith in one another and our mission
to achieve our success. I know we can, and I know we will because,
quite simply, that is our character, individually and as a team. I
believe that there is nothing we cannot do and achieve together as
we commit and work to build and institutionalize a true winning
culture here at Castellum for all of us.
I sincerely welcome and encourage your thoughts,
ideas, and help as we build our Company over the coming quarters,
and I look forward to serving you and leading Castellum to many
good things ahead.
Sincerely,
Glen Ives, CEO
About Castellum, Inc.
Castellum, Inc. is a cybersecurity,
electronic warfare, and software engineering services company
focused on the federal government
- http://castellumus.com.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This release contains forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended. These forward-looking statements represent the Company's
expectations or beliefs concerning future events and can generally
be identified by the use of statements that include words such as
"expected," "estimate," "project," "believe," "anticipate,"
"shooting to," "intend," "in a position," "looking to," "pursue,"
"positioned," "will," "likely," "would," or similar words or
phrases. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited
to, statements regarding the Company's expectations for revenue
growth, building value, serving our shareholders, and
profitability. These forward-looking statements are subject to
risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are outside
of the Company's control, that could cause actual results to differ
(sometimes materially) from the results expressed or implied in the
forward-looking statements, including, among others: the Company's
ability to compete against new and existing competitors; its
ability to effectively integrate and grow its acquired companies;
its ability to identify additional acquisition targets and close
additional acquisitions; and the Company's ability to maintain the
listing of its common stock on the NYSE American LLC. For a more
detailed description of these and other risk factors, please refer
to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission ("SEC") which can be viewed at www.sec.gov. All
forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, based on
current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or
the future performance of the Company. Readers are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are
only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. The Company
expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any of the
forward-looking statements made in this release or in any of its
SEC filings except as may be otherwise stated by the Company.
Contact: info@castellumus.com
Glen R. Ives, Chief Executive Officer (703) 752-6157
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/18416872-8fb1-45dd-8c96-b2b92c5647e9
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