A Beavercreek defense contractor recently won a contract with a value of up to $60 million to help Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base find its leaders of tomorrow.

Through the "Next-Gen Innovators" contract, ARCTOS said it will continue a long partnership with AFRL to "identify, inspire, and develop the next generation of science and engineering leaders advancing the future of air and space technologies."

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"ARCTOS members will oversee the effort, in collaboration with Air Force and Space Force participants," Ty Pollak, the company's vice president and division manager of future capabilities, told the Dayton Daily News. "We will organize the activities, to include internships and apprenticeships. And yes, we provide metrics and expertise to advise AFRL on success of the outreach efforts."

The work will vary, involving assistance with finding airmen and Space Force guardians to act mentors, tutors, science fair judges, guest speakers, and hands-on demonstrators.

There will also be support of internships and apprenticeships.

"As the prime contractor, ARCTOS supplies expert personnel, resources, and solutions to support the development and implementation of AFRL's Next-Gen Innovators outreach and activities," Pollak said.

AFRL's STEM work has been ongoing for years and lab leaders have continually emphasized its importance.

"We have a responsibility to help create the next generation of scientists, engineers and technicians for the Air Force, the Space Force and society," Brian Mitchell, pipeline coordinator of the AFRL Munitions Directorate's Workforce Development branch, said in 2024.

"To do that, we have to cast a wide net and find those incredibly smart kids who live in small towns and big cities, rural kids and urban kids," he said.

ARCTOS and its business predecessors have a long Dayton-area history. One predecessor company, Universal Technology Co., operated since 1961. Beavercreek-based "UTC" was rebranded as ARCTOS in 2020, following a 2019 merger between UTC, ARMA Aviation in Tampa and Atlanta's Advanced Core Concepts.

In March, Alexandria, Va.-based DCS Corp. acquired ARCTOS, uniting two companies and some 350 employees in the Dayton area.