High Impact Defense & Energy Deals Land Battelle’s Lou Von Thaer 10th Wash100 Win
Executive Mosaic is proud to announce the selection of Lou Von Thaer, the president and CEO of Battelle, as a winner of the 2025 Wash100 Award.
Founded by Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson, the Wash100 Award is a prestigious accolade given out annually to the 100 most influential and impactful members of the government and the government contracting industry in recognition of their accomplishments and in anticipation of future contributions.
Lou Von Thaer’s 10th Wash100 Award
Von Thaer’s win this year is his 10th overall, an achievement shared by only a few other awardees. Commenting on this milestone, Jim Garrettson said, “Lou has become something of a Wash100 legend, with a staggering 10 wins under his belt. As CEO of Battelle, he continues to steer the powerhouse nonprofit R&D organization toward mission-critical innovation. In just the past year, Battelle secured high-impact awards from DOD and SOCOM, advancing work in nerve agent countermeasures and specialized vehicle procurement.”
“With a career that’s spanned top roles at DynCorp, Leidos and General Dynamics, Lou brings unmatched experience and focus to a $6.5 billion science and tech portfolio aimed squarely at national security, health and beyond,” Garrettson added.
Select Lou Von Thaer as your favorite 2025 Wash100 Award winner at Wash100.com! Voting closes on April 30, with the winner of the popular vote competition to be announced soon thereafter.
Battelle Defense Contracts
With Von Thaer at the helm, Battelle secured multiple deals in support of U.S. defense through 2024. These include a potential seven-year, $350 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract from U.S. Special Operations Command, which was issued last April. The award called for lifecycle replacement of USSOCOM’s nonstandard commercial vehicle fleet. The award also called for the modification of ancillary vehicles and the provision of armament, communications and modification packages.
In August, Battelle was named by the Department of Defense as one of several awardees under the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program, which aims to finance the development of plans for the construction of bioindustrial manufacturing production facilities within the country. The construction of facilities will be funded under the Defense Industrial Base Consortium other transaction agreement, which will provide up to $100 million to realize the selected plans.
And in September, Battelle, along with subcontractor CMC Pharmaceuticals, was awarded by the DOD a $53 million contract to develop a nerve agent countermeasure called the Reactivating Nerve Agent Treatment System.
Battelle’s Collaborations With DOE
Under Von Thaer’s leadership, Battelle also worked with the Department of Energy in 2024 to advance clean energy and efforts to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
In July, the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, or ARCH2, entered into a cooperative agreement with the DOE Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to establish in Appalachia a regional cluster of clean hydrogen producers, consumers and infrastructure under the DOE Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program. The cooperative agreement makes it possible for ARCH2, which is co-managed by Battelle, to receive up to $925 million for the effort.
And in March, Project Cypress was awarded by the DOE OCED a contract to establish a direct air capture hub in Louisiana. Powered by renewable energy, the hub will deploy carbon dioxide removal technologies to remove 1 million tons of excess carbon dioxide from the air annually beginning 2030. The contract provides Project Cypress, which is led by Battelle, up to $600 million in matched federal investment.
Battelle’s Participation in the Ohio AFFF Takeback Program
Also in March 2024, Battelle launched alongside industry and government partners the Ohio AFFF Takeback Program, which sought to assist municipal fire departments within the state as they worked to safely dispose of aqueous film-forming foams. AFFFs are firefighting foams that contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of long-lasting chemicals whose high concentrations in the environment may have long-term contamination effects.
The program uses PFAS Annihilator technology to destroy the so-called “forever chemicals” in the firefighting foams. The PFAS Annihilator was developed by Battelle.
Regarding the effort, Von Thaer said, “This is what we do at Battelle: We find the toughest problems and use science to develop solutions that will make an impact and help improve the world.”
Battelle’s Role in the SITG! Initiative
The non-profit research and development organization also joined the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, which seeks to support districts and schools in Ohio to improve student attendance. As part of SITG! Battelle will work to coordinate and facilitate activities and initiatives with partners.
“Education is the foundation upon which we build our future, and at Battelle, we are committed to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed,” Von Thaer said concerning the initiative, adding, “Our partnership with the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network is a strategic investment to reduce chronic absenteeism and foster a culture of consistent school attendance. Together, we can help students succeed.”
Battelle has in the past several months contributed not only to national security and defense but also to clean energy, the environment, health and education, thereby becoming a crucial partner in government and industry efforts on various key concerns. These accomplishments are, without a doubt, attributable to Lou Von Thaer and the guidance and leadership he has exhibited — qualities that the Wash100 Award honors and celebrates.
Congratulations to Lou Von Thaer and his team for this latest win!
Don’t forget to vote for Lou Von Thaer as your esteemed 2025 Wash100 awardee at Wash100.com!