Brubaker leaves Aquilent

Former Defense Department deputy CIO launches a government consulting firm

Citing a philosophical disagreement on the way the company should be managed, Paul Brubaker recently left his position as chief executive officer of Aquilent Inc., an e-government professional services firm, and promptly launched his own consulting firm.

Brubaker said he chose to leave Aquilent about three weeks ago when it became clear that the rest of the company's management team did not share his desire to rapidly and aggressively expand the company.

Brubaker, who is a former Defense Department deputy chief information officer, remains invested in Aquilent with a "pretty good equity stake in the company...and I want to see it do well." However, that is his only association with the Laurel, Md.-based firm. He no longer serves in any management or advisory position, but he is still listed as CEO on the company's Web site.

Although he said that leaving Aquilent was not easy, Brubaker did not waste any time finding a new job. Last week, he launched Beil and Co. LLC, a small government consulting firm.

Brubaker said he named the firm after his grandfather, who ran a pharmacy in Youngstown, Ohio. Brubaker called him the "most important" influence in his life.

"We'll advise government agencies and other firms in the market space on everything from homeland security to procurement reform," Brubaker said.

Brubaker did sign a "specific non-competition" agreement with Aquilent before leaving, but he said there are still plenty of areas where his new consulting business can assist customers without infringing on that. He added that Beil and Co. is close to setting up its headquarters in office space in Reston, Va.

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