The GBS Team

Bob founded The GBS Group in November 2005 and serves as Chairman/CEO. His experience includes thirty years of executive and leadership experience in the engineering and technical services industries, both in government and private firms.

Bob has a diverse background as an entrepreneur and executive in various industries throughout his 30 year career. His expertise is in consulting, systems engineering, project management, and overall business leadership. Bob has been CEO at The GBS Group since he founded the company in 2005. Previously, Bob served successively as CIO, CFO, then COO at SAIC / AMSEC for over ten years, and served 14 years in the Defense / Maritime industry as a field service engineer, marine engineer, and manager. As CEO of The GBS Group in Virginia Beach, Bob has built the company from scratch to become a full service engineering company supporting clients in the US, Canada, and abroad. Bob has led the The GBS team’s  growth int the fields of commercial and navy ship and vessel design engineering and field services; passenger rail reliability, wifi, and custom software solutions; navy and marine engineering support services, and into the home / office automation market.  Bob holds an MBA from the College of William and Mary and a BS in Marine Engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. He has served on numerous boards, both profit and non-profit, and within many professional associations.

Sarah has 25 years of business and engineering experience in software engineering and expert systems development, website and E-Commerce website development, and corporate administration. Currently she serves as Chief Administrative Officer of The GBS Group, and leads all corporate support functions within the corporation. Sarah is also former CEO and co-owner of Advanced Internet Marketing, Inc.(AIM Inc.) a website design and marketing company launched by Bob Golden in 1996. During her years as CEO of AIM Inc. Sarah and her staff designed, built and maintained over 100 websites for customers locally and around the world. Previously, Sarah held technical positions within the Department of Defense working as an engineer doing Expert System development for troubleshooting engineering equipment onboard US Navy ships, and for Deloitte & Touche, LLC in Los Angeles where she worked as a consultant on engagements in the area of Computer Assurance services.

Sarah currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, Old Dominion University (ODU) and serves on the Board of Directors for Samaritan House, a Virginia Beach non-profit organization. In addition Sarah is a member of the Women’s Initiative Network at ODU, a mentor-mentee group focused on helping women students succeed through positive support and reinforcement during their time at ODU and on into their professional careers upon graduation.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from Old Dominion University, graduating Magna Cum Laude.

Steven brings over 16 years of machinery condition assessment and Application Engineering experience in the Power Generation and Government Services industries. Steven is a recognized expert in the development of Remote Monitoring and Diagnostics solutions including software processes, O&M support of installed systems, and the engineering content utilized within these systems.

Prior to joining The GBS Group in late 2012, Steven was the Operations Manager of General Electric’s (GE) Software Solutions Group, Monitoring and Diagnostic Team. Prior to moving in Operations, Steven was the Application Engineering Manager of GE Energy’s Performance & Reliability Center where he led the development of the strategy and vision for all products within their Monitoring & Diagnostics Center. Steven joined GE Energy as a result of its acquisition of IDAX Incorporated in 2001 where he spent five years in field and application engineering roles implementing remote monitoring solutions within the Integrated Condition Assessment System (ICAS).

Peter possesses 20 years of field service in mechanical and electrical engineering and is responsible for management of all Engineering resources, excluding those embedded with our customers at Amtrak and NSWC. This includes TSIMS, Maritime Engineering, Drafting, and Rail HW and integration projects.

Pete has worked on a GBS project assisting the Taiwanese Navy in Taiwan where he led a team of GBS Employees in support of NAVSEA PMS 326 FMS.

Prior to joining GBS, Pete worked as a division manager, HM&E at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC) from 1999-2007, which included overall project management responsibility, participation in command strategic planning initiatives including Command Naval Air Force, Naval Surface Warfare Center, naval shipyards, Supervisors of Shipbuilding, Type Commanders’ organizations, and Regional Maintenance Centers. He worked for both NAVSEACENLANT and Fleet Technical Support Center Atlantic (FTSCLANT) providing onboard technical support to Navy ships. He has experience performing shipboard assessments, installation oversight and troubleshooting hydraulic and deck machinery systems.

Pete is a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia and has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University.

Connie has over ten years’ experience in contract administration, finance and accounting for government contracts. She has also had experience in managing cost plus fixed fee, time and material, and firm fixed price contracts. At The GBS Group, Connie is responsible for contracts administration and management, including compliance, budget adherence, FAR regulations, team member and subcontractor agreements and terms, and company finances and budgets. She also develops cost proposals in support of technical proposals.

Before joining GBS, she worked at both WRSystems, Ltd as a Contracts Administrator and AMSEC, LLC as Senior Contracts Administrator. As a Senior Contracts Administrator at AMSEC, Connie was responsible for monitoring and ensuring contractual compliance for contracts assigned which included multi-million dollar IDIQ CPFF contracts, T&M and FPP type contracts. She also reviewed contracts for FAR clauses, issues and other requirements, oversaw option exercises, funding, deliverable coordination, key personnel, LOE requirement and Wage Determination compliance. Finally she was responsible for responding to RFPs and prepared estimates as required, negotiated subcontract agreements and contract terms and conditions, and reviewed revenue data, and identified potential financial problems. She earned her B.A. from the University of Toledo in Business Administration.

In his role as Vice President of Maritime, Controls and Automation, Seth is responsible for the business development, contract execution, customer relations for all ship control and maritime related efforts reporting directly to Steven Tibbetts, Chief Operating Officer of The GBS Group.

Seth began his career with Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) now known as Huntington Ingalls Industries spending time in Contracts, Sourcing and Engineering. Seth worked 6 years with NNS and then accepted another position with Maersk Line Limited (MLL) which is owned by AP Moller Maersk. At MLL Seth was a General Manager in the Government Ship Management group responsible for Contracting, Procurement and Logistics for all Operation and Maintenance Contracts MLL had with Military Sealift Command (MSC).

Seth holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the College of Engineering at Michigan State University in Applied Engineering Sciences.

In his role as Vice President of Procurement, Rick is responsible for developing system improvements for procurement, purchasing and receiving procedures as well as supporting contracts and projects in our Maritime Division. Rick brings over thirty years of Commercial Maritime and Government experience with purchasing, contracting and inventory management with a record of improving bottom-line results through creative solutions using business and industry contracting practices. He has vast procurement experience including parts, services, major acquisitions and management of vessel overhauls and periodic repair availabilities.

Rick holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Washington & Lee University and an Master of Business Administration from Old Dominion University.

In his role as Vice President of Rail and Transportation, Rick is responsible for the business development, contract execution, customer relations for passenger rail projects and services within The GBS Group. Rick has over 30 years of executive leadership at various levels of responsibility managing financial and operational aspects of large, multi-disciplinary activities conducting complex nuclear and non-nuclear repair and modernization of ships, submarines and aircraft carriers. An experienced leader, problem solver and team builder, he oversees a technologically dynamic and operationally diverse Rail Division.

Before joining GBS, Rick completed over 33 years of service in the Navy, retiring as a Rear Admiral. Rick was commissioned through the NROTC program at Penn State and started his Navy career as a Surface Warfare Officer before transitioning to Engineering Duty. During his naval career, he held various positions at sea including Chief Engineer on USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73); various positions in Naval Shipyards to include Shipyard Commander at Norfolk Naval Shipyard; and various positions on TYPCOM, Fleet, OPNAV and NAVSEA staffs. He was promoted to Flag rank in 2009 and was the Fleet Maintenance Officer at U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii before completing his service as the Fleet Maintenance Officer at U.S. Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk.

Rick holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Penn State, a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia and California.

Brent has been with GBS since October of 2012 initially supporting Amtrak’s Mechanical Department in Washington, D.C., Wilmington, DE and most recently Boston, MA. Brent spent the earlier portion of 2013 building a Continuous Maintenance (DM) program for Amtrak’s HHP8 electronic locomotives and for the past several months has adapted those efforts into the maintenance program for the newly acquired Siemens locomotives. Brent’s pre-GBS experience with Bombardier and his achievements with GBS supporting Amtrak make him an excellent fit for this position.

With an eye to the future, Brent works diligently with Nathan Haywood and our Software Development team to generate a technology roadmap for solutions that our customers really need. Brent works closely with Sarah Golden and Steven Tibbetts to establish career paths for members of the Rail division, as well as look to hire dynamic and experienced individuals to support the growth within the Rail & Transportation Division.

As Controller for the The GBS Group, Chrissy is responsible for establishing and maintaining accounting principles, practices, and initiatives to support the accuracy of the company’s reported financial results. Chrissy brings more than ten years of industry accounting experience, including process improvement and ERP system development and implementation.

Chrissy holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the College of Charleston and a Master of Accountancy from the University of North Florida. Chrissy is also a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, and Chartered Global Management Accountant.

As Talent Acquisition & Employee Retention Manager for The GBS Group, Lexi leads recruiting efforts and our employee career development program, engagement and retention strategies. She is SHRM-CP certified, a Six Sigma Black Belt, and brings more than 18 years of corporate human resources and project management expertise to the team.

Lexi’s previous experience includes development of recruiting strategies using social media, referral programs and working on many corporate-facing HR projects. Lexi has also served in other capacities including HR Generalist, Corporate Relocation Manager and Procurement Manager.

Lexi graduated from Radford University with a Master’s degree in Corporate & Professional Communication and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations.