Building the
Future of American Manufacturing

What is Sustainment?

In the military, 'sustainment' is the process of providing the people, supplies, and logistics support to maintain successful operations over time. As a veteran-owned company, we take inspiration from our customers in military sustainment and apply our technical expertise to complex problems facing the American manufacturing base.

The result is the Sustainment Platform.

The Sustainment Model

Aligning incentives across key government, defense, and industry stakeholders to 10x US manufacturing output.

Support Organizations

Recruiting suppliers to develop regional manufacturing ecosystems

Manufacturing Suppliers

Winning work and accelerating growth via Sustainment projects

Industry Procurement Teams

Using Sustainment SRM to do better work faster with suppliers

DoD Procurement Teams

Automating workflows to increase throughput while expanding the DIB
Business Model Graphic

Our journey so far

2020

Sustainment founded
First major DoD innovation contract

2021

First private sector product in the market supporting US manufacturing suppliers

2022

First state adopts Sustainment to power its manufacturing network
Sustainment designated as a Public Benefit Corporation

2023

SRM product launched to serve public and private sector
Sustainment receives its first SBIR Phase III contract (the first logistics Phase III awarded by the US Air Force)
Sustainment awarded first contract with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)

2024

Sustainment community tops 25K manufacturers
Sustainment is the partner of choice to the DoD and 50+ federal, state, and local organizations
collage with team photos

What We Believe

Sustainment is a Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to helping American manufacturers thrive.
See Our Statement of Purpose

Leadership

Bret Boyd

Bret Boyd

CEO & Co-Founder

Bret Boyd is a technology entrepreneur with a background in machine learning and enterprise data products. He has co-founded two companies and served in executive roles at several other venture capital and private equity-backed software and technology businesses. Bret began his career as an infantry officer in the US Army and served in the Special Operations community as a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment. He is a graduate of West Point, four-tour Iraq veteran, and the co-author of the book Catalyst: Leadership and Strategy in a Changing World.

Chris Hill

Chris Hill

President & General Manager, Federal and Defense

Chris Hill is an entrepreneur and aerospace & defense industry executive. He served in the United States Air Force and retired from active duty as a Brigadier General, having served as the Commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base. Chris’ industry experience includes leadership roles in multiple businesses, including a family-owned engineering, test, and manufacturing firm and a prime aerospace & defense contractor. Chris now serves as President of Federal and Defense for Sustainment, helping transform government procurement and expand the Defense Industrial Base.

Max Valerian

Max Valerian

Vice President of Engineering

Max is a seasoned technologist and Air Force Veteran with diverse expertise across fintech, public benefits, retail, and manufacturing sectors. Starting as an Aircraft Maintenance Specialist in the U.S. Air Force, Max developed a deep passion for technology and problem-solving. His career has evolved into a "Jack of all Trades" approach, where he applies his skills to a wide range of industries. While at SoFi, Max leveraged new and emerging technology to automate and improve efficiency across multiple products. At Sustainment, Max bridges the gap between technical execution and business strategy, ensuring the company's technology roadmap is executed smoothly.

Doug Wick

Doug Wick

Vice President of Product

Doug is a broadly experienced software executive and product leader, with special focus and success in early-stage SaaS businesses. Before Sustainment, he developed and launched successful products in sectors ranging from data security to marketing tech. Doug has a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Doug sets product strategy for Sustainment across the business and leads a diverse team that researches, defines, and designs all of Sustainment's products. Operationally, he also oversees product success and data operations.

Join the Mission

Do you share Sustainment’s commitment to empower communities while also strengthening the US manufacturing economy? Get involved!