2017 Award Recipient

Highlights

• Stellar has been named a Great Place to Work by Fortune

magazine from 2014 to 2017. Among workforce climate

measures, Stellar ranks above the 95th percentile compared

to Great Place to Work benchmarks for satisfaction with

benefits; employee perceptions that facilities are contributing

to a good working environment; and employee perceptions

of feeling physically, psychologically, and emotionally

healthy at work.

• Nearly 100 percent of the 150 engineering employee

survey respondents agreed that they receive the right

amount of management support, that management

keeps them informed, and that management makes

their expectations clear.

• From 2013 to 2016, 100 percent of customers surveyed

said they would recommend the company to others.

Stellar Solutions consistently has scored in the 4.7 range

in ratings on its customer survey, in which 4 = Very Satisfied

and 5 = Extremely Satisfied. 2017 surveys are currently

being completed.

• Hoping to save lives by forecasting earthquakes, Stellar

used its engineering expertise in 2000 to establish

QuakeFinder, a humanitarian research and development

program. The organization has made significant investments

since deploying a network of sensors to gather and analyze

electromagnetic signals along active fault lines around

the world.

Stellar Solutions

Stellar Solutions is a global provider of systems engineering, 

integration, and program management expertise in government and 

commercial programs related to the aerospace field. A womanowned, professional engineering services business, with locations in 

Palo Alto, CA; Chantilly, VA; and Denver, CO, Stellar was founded 

in 1995 to provide technical expertise and management for national 

and international aerospace programs. The firm supports all phases 

of space systems development and operation, including for defenserelated intelligence projects, international telecommunications 

programs, commercial imagery, and NASA’s planetary and earth 

science missions. The company’s vision, from its inception, is 

to align employees’ dream jobs with customers’ critical needs.

Over 90 percent of the 175 employees work at secure/restricted 

customer sites. 

Employees in Their Dream Jobs

• Part of Stellar Solutions’ vision is for every employee to be in their

dream jobs. New employees complete a new hire checklist and

“dream job” worksheet within the first month of employment,

check in with the respective sector vice president on their 30- and

90-day milestones, and meet face to face with the president/chief

operating officer within the first quarter.

• To obtain external assessment and benchmarking data, Stellar

began applying in 2012 to Fortune magazine’s Great Places to

Work small and medium-size business list and adopted the results

of the top 95th percentile as benchmarks for its own employee

survey data. Stellar has been named a Great Place to Work by

Fortune magazine from 2014 to 2017. Among workforce climate

measures, Stellar ranks above the 95th percentile compared to

Great Place to Work benchmarks for satisfaction with benefits;

employee perceptions that facilities are contributing to a good

working environment; and employee perceptions of feeling

physically, psychologically, and emotionally healthy at work.

• Relevant strategic action plans tied to employee incentive plans are 

reviewed by the employee and sector vice presidents, an approach 

that has increased workforce engagement and retention. Nearly

100 percent of the 150 engineering employee survey respondents

agreed that they receive the right amount of management support,

that management keeps them informed, and that management

makes their expectations clear.

• Stellar’s commitment to the workforce is demonstrated by

extensive health and financial benefits in support of work-life

balance, as well as 40 hours of professional development annually 

for all employees.

• Stellar Solutions’ system of two-way communication throughout

the company is focused on personal interaction with employees.

Employees are motivated by annual, summer, and strategic plan

all-hands meetings; town halls; surveys; and company-wide emails.

Baldrige Performance Excellence Program • National Institute of Standards and Technology • Department of Commerce 
• Sector vice presidents meet one-on-one with all employees 

every month seeking their input and insights on their customers, 

personal accomplishments, and well-being, and what would help 

them progress toward their dream jobs.

• A comprehensive, multiyear succession plan is in place for the 

chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as well as for 

the senior leaders of lines of business and business operations. 

The succession plan provides an assessment of the skill proficiencies 

and potential knowledge and experience gaps to be addressed by 

each possible successor. 

Satisfying Customers’ Critical Needs

• Voice-of-the-customer methods center on regular customer 

visits by senior leaders and directors. Customers are also surveyed 

annually, and resultant data are captured in a customer relationship 

management system.

• From 2013 to 2016, 100 percent of customers surveyed said 

they would recommend the company to others. Stellar Solutions 

consistently has scored in the 4.7 range in ratings on its customer 

survey, in which 4 = Very Satisfied and 5 = Extremely Satisfied.

Helping Others

• In addition to its core services, the company is developing 

technology and methods for forecasting earthquakes, with the goal 

of creating a global warning system. Aiming to save lives, Stellar 

used its engineering expertise to create a humanitarian research 

and development program, QuakeFinder, in 2000 and has made 

significant investments since to build and deploy sensors designed 

to monitor electromagnetic precursors to earthquakes. Stellar and 

QuakeFinder monitor and analyze data from their deployed 

sensors in California, Peru, Chile, Greece, and Indonesia. 

In 2003, Stellar and QuakeFinder launched the first commercial 

triple cubesat, QuakeSat. (A cubesat is a type of miniaturized 

satellite for space research that is made up of multiples of 

10×10×10 cm cubic units.)

• The Stellar Foundation contributes $1,000 on behalf of each 

employee to the charity of his/her choice each year; 100 percent 

of Stellar employees take advantage of this program. Employees 

are also encouraged to get involved in their communities through 

a participation incentive in the organization’s bonus plan.

Growing Revenue and Profitability

• Revenue has grown from a rate of 1.18 percent in 2013 to 

6.81 percent in 2016. Such growth has occurred despite the 

constraints in government funding being identified as a key 

business challenge for the organization.

• Process improvements and cycle time reductions have led to 

Stellar Solutions’ profitability growing consistently.

• The percentage of chargeable employees is consistently higher 

than 90 percent and exceeds the top 5 percent benchmark of 

Service Performance Insight, a global research, consulting, and 

training organization.

Crossing Boundaries to Collaborate

• All key stakeholders and employees are invited to contribute 

input for each strategic planning cycle through “Stellar All” emails 

and meetings. Senior leadership and off-site employees collect 

input from customers, partners, and the community throughout 

the year. Stellar’s “crossing the boundaries” collaboration method 

facilitates leveraging the knowledge base of the entire company to 

identify potential new business as well as to deliver high impact for 

both current and future customers.

Monitoring What is Important to Us

• Stellar Solutions monitors all key work and support processes 

through a “what is important to us” criteria that include multiple 

metrics to measure the status of critical process goals. Each work 

and support process has a design template that also acts as a review 

scorecard. 

• A fully operational IT disaster-recovery plan provides for continuity 

of operations in the event of a local emergency at any of the 

company’s locations. The plan addresses firewall improvements, 

antivirus software, and robust password protocols to strengthen the 

company’s cybersecurity position. A systematic eight-stage 

approach is used to design work processes. It begins with 

understanding stakeholder needs through voice-of-the-customer 

feedback and continues with best practices and defining metrics. 

After senior leadership approval, the process steps are created, 

employees are trained, and the process is deployed and monitored.

2017 Award Recipient

Stellar Solutions 

For more information:

Stellar Solutions

250 Cambridge Ave., Suite 204

Palo Alto, CA 94306

hford@stellarsolutions.com

www.stellarsolutions.com

Baldrige Performance Excellence Program

The Baldrige Program educates organizations of all sizes and 

from all sectors in organizational performance management and 

improvement. We also administer the Malcolm Baldrige National

Quality Award. Our key services are to identify and recognize 

role-model organizations, share best management practices, 

and help organizations achieve best-in-class performance levels.

We are the only public-private partnership and Presidential award 

program dedicated to improving U.S. organizations. 

For more information on Baldrige, visit www.nist.gov/baldrige,

call (301) 975-2036, or email us at baldrige@nist.gov.

Baldrige Performance Excellence Program • National Institute of Standards and Technology • Department of Commerce