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Harry Pape completed 30 years of U.S. military service (active duty and reserve) nine years ago, but never stopped serving his country. As CEO of Windmill International Inc., Pape oversees a team of Armed Forces veterans and others offering professional services and product development to the defense industry.

“We strongly identify with, support and are proud to be citizens of the United States,” he adds. “Many of us have devoted our entire professional lives to supporting our country, and all of this company’s strategic decisions stem from that.”

The veteran-owned company is headquartered in Nashua, N.H. and has offices in Hollis, N.H.; Washington, D.C.; Arlington, Va.; Oklahoma City; Seattle; and Tokyo. Windmill offers support to U.S. and other government entities in acquisition management, engineering services, program management, security assistance and foreign military sales, acquisition logistics and training.

The company also produces a line of satellite communications (SATCOM) products for the U.S. government including a lightweight suitcase system.

Windmill was founded in 1988 with Armed Forces veterans in mind by Air Force veteran Rick Manganello. “The original model for the company was to provide a vehicle for officers who had retired from an active duty career to continue to contribute to the national defense effort, particularly in the area of large systems acquisition,” Pape says.

A Military Background

Pape’s military career began in 1973, when he entered the U.S. Air Force via the ROTC program at Cornell University, where he graduated with both a degree in industrial engineering and an MBA. His first military assignment was as a production officer in the Hughes Aircraft Company AF Plant Representative Office in California.

His second Air Force assignment, as a member of the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) program at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Mass., would prove important to his later career at Windmill. Pape worked to sell the AWACS system to NATO, an experience he drew from when he joined Windmill in 1996 to support the sale of the U.S. Air Force E-8 JointSTARS Air-to-Ground Surveillance System to NATO.

After leaving active duty, Pape entered the Air Force Reserve and worked as Materiel Manager at Nuclear Metals Inc. Later, he co-founded several technology-related businesses.

An interest in technology continues to inform his work as CEO at Windmill, a position he assumed in 2010. “I was a small part of moving the Air Force’s acquisition process into adopting modern IT capabilities,” Pape says. “In my recent work, I’m proud of being one of the thinkers who sorts out Windmill’s use of the technology now available to us.”

A Collaborative Approach

While Pape’s professional and military career extends back almost 40 years, he feels his leadership approach is still developing. “Leadership styles and practices for me are a constant work in progress; I’m not done yet,” he says. “Every leadership position is situational – you have to adapt to your immediate environment.”

One common thread to Pape’s approach regardless of the situation is being collaborative. “I’ve been told many times that I don’t like confrontation, so I try to be collaborative and collegial,” he adds. “Leadership is all about people – you can be as sharp as a tack, but being the smartest person in the room is not always the secret to leadership success, it’s how you work with people.

“Someone I worked for in the Air Force once told me he didn’t believe anyone comes to work not wanting to do a good job, so I take people at face value and assume they’re there to do a good job. I appreciate the skillset and experience everyone brings to the task at hand.”

One key resource Pape has tapped for career advice is Tom Taylor, a member of Windmill’s Board of Directors whom he worked with on the AWACS program. Taylor recruited Pape into the company, Pape says. “He’s always been there to provide me with insight,” he adds. “Part of what I’ve recognized coming in to this job was to be sensitive to personal blind spots and have them pointed out to you, and (Taylor) is very good in that regard.”

Staff Support

Windmill International has a track record of hiring and retaining talented staff. “We’ve always had a reputation as a wonderful place to work, with benefits and a compensation structure that is better than competition,” he says. “Our Members are happy working here.”

One major factor behind the company’s retention of talented staff is its status as an employee-owned company. Windmill established an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) in 2005. “We want to create and retain an environment that allows growth to happen,” Pape says. “The ESOP helps provide immense personal satisfaction to the people involved in our company.”

Windmill supports a number of charitable causes including the United Way and Habitat for Humanity, as well as military-related charities and causes. An active Rotarian, founder Rick Manganello, now Chairman of Windmill’s Board, devotes his post-Windmill energies to Pure Waters for the World, a Rotary-spawned non-profit.

Pape is also personally involved in his home community of Princeton, Mass., where he and his family live on a 250-year-old country farmstead. Pape has served as elected Town Moderator for more than 20 years. “I made the decision a long time ago that I’d rather put down roots in one place and work my career around that rather than moving around with my career,” he says. “Having stability with my home life and being a part of the community is very important to me.”