Frank Antezana, iTech AG co-founder, shares the biggest turning point in his career

Published by: Washington Business Journal

Frank Antezana launched Arlington technology firm iTech AG in 2008 after his first sonwas born. But it wasn’t his first company. Between 2002 and 2011, Antezana, who grew up in Bolivia, co-founded and sold three companies while he held a full-time positionsmanaging federal and commercial contracts at Oracle Corp., Accenture and ICFInternational Inc.
These days, the company he launched with his brother from the latter’s Centreville basement has grown to just shy of $50 million in revenue.
The 260-employee government service provider now sports a $300 million backlog thanks to wins like a $75 million contract with the Centers for Medicare & MedicaidServices Center for Clinical Standards and Quality.

How would you describe what you do to a kindergartner?

So if I were to Fisher-Price what we do, you’d have a Matchbox car that you would have to push if you want to move it. But then you hire a company called iTech AG that puts in some technology into theMatchbox, and instead of you having to push it for it to move all the time, all you do is doone small stroke back, let go and the car advances on its own. So that’s what we do. We modernize systems for the federal government.

What do you think is your most valuable skill as a leader?

I’m a people’s person. So it’sreally understanding the people that I work with, what motivates them, what drives them. And how can I be an advocate of that particular individual’s interest professionally.

The biggest turning point in your career:

I remember my client made some remark to myboss at the time that I had walked on water or something around those lines. And that really resonated in my mind, which in turn got me to a higher level of management.

How did that change things?

All of a sudden, I was faced with leading, I think I had 60 people. I was at this event, and I remember someone asking, “Why aren’t you so excited for this celebratory moment?” I go, “Well, now I’m not thinking about just feeding and roofing my home.” Now, I got to think about ensuring that my team has everything they need to be successful in what they’re going to do because they probably have children to feed and roofs to put onto their house. That really made me analyze every single element of my new role.

Where would you say is your favorite local hidden gem to eat?

My kids, somehow, they have an exotic palate. They’re not into chicken fingers, french fries or mac and cheese.They like artichokes, believe it or not.

Where do you get great artichokes?

There’s this great place west of Middleburg, they have the best artichokes and we would just go there on a random Sunday to this restaurant just to eat their artichokes. We’ve been doing that for years.

What is the wine that everybody should taste once in their life?

[A Bolivian wine], Crucedel Zorro, it’s a sarroges blend and it’s just phenomenal for the type of wine it is and for how it’s produced. Bolivia is not known for being a large wine producer, although Argentina is, which is our neighboring country, or Chile even. But the altitude of the country just has a different impact to the grapes and it produces a very unique style of grape and wine.

If they had to put one thing on your tombstone, what would it be?

Greater together.