When Len Anderson founded his telecommunications company Renaissance in 2010, he didn’t know it would one day lead to solving a big problem for the Canadian military.
But, after finding success in the after-market repair business – helping companies maintain the functionality of their outdated telecom equipment – the opportunity to translate those skills to a new market presented itself.
“Initially we saw the opportunity to work with military companies to upkeep their aged technology, but it very quickly became clear that we could do so much more,” said Anderson.
In 2016, he purchased TerraNova, enabling the company to develop an after-market repair team dedicated to growing its presence in the military space.
Taking the skills the team developed by servicing telecom equipment, TerraNova has bridged its expertise in circuit cards, electronics, cables, and interconnect to the defence sector.
With the ability to adapt modern technology to fit an older machine, TerraNova is helping keep customers on land, sea and air moving.
After spinning TerraNova off into its own entity in 2022, the team has continued to grow as a trusted partner to military and defence companies.
“The functionality of mission-critical assets is a lot like telecom,” says Doug Kerwin, general manager of TerraNova. “Every drone, ship, armored vehicle, helicopter and fighter jet has technology running throughout it, and our team helps keep that technology functional and up to date – even after the manufacturer deems it obsolete.”
The TerraNova difference
Not only can TerraNova help military giants like Curtiss-Wright, Babcock, General-Dynamics and the Canadian military maintain its machinery, but it can do it in record time.
As a certified military vendor, TerraNova has cut down machine servicing time from over two years in some cases to as little as 20 days. And with the extensive civilian engineering knowledge the team has, they are capable of working on all electronics, no matter the military vertical.
“We are an intersection between new technology solutions and old technology equipment,” says Kerwin. “We are able to be that horizontal provider for electronic and cable repair for planes, ships, tanks, you name it. That didn’t exist before.”
Kerwin also prides TerraNova on having “20/20 foresight” when it comes to predicting potential problems for the military.
“We understand the technology backwards and forwards, so we know how things will function, and also how they may falter over time,” he adds.
The company has also risen in prominence as a go-to partner for other companies looking to secure an RFP contract. As an Ottawa-based, Canadian owned company, TerraNova checks many of the boxes when it comes to compliance with government contractual requirements.
On top of being a locally-owned company, TerraNova is also a Certified Aboriginal Business by the CCAB due to Anderson’s Indigenous heritage.
Given that the government of Canada has committed to supplying five per cent of all contracts to businesses led by Indigenous executives, it’s a win-win situation for companies who partner with TerraNova, says Anderson.
“We’re in a growth period, we are open for business and looking for more opportunities,” he adds. “We have a highly skilled team of engineers on our side and we are ready to be a one-stop-shop for defense solutions.”
