1985 - FTI IS FOUNDED
FTI was founded in Santa Barbara, CA by Lavon F. Jordan and Mr. Joseph S. Hashem. A second office in Dayton, OH served the Air Force aircraft community.
Lavon F. Jordan embodied the entrepreneurial spirit at a young age working in his family’s general store in rural Alabama. Lavon would go on to study at Jacksonville State College and Auburn University where he earned degrees in Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering. He spent his early career at Robbins Air Force Base in the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center in Huntsville, AL.
Lavon then headed to California, bringing his experience working with the military and support contractors to General Research Corp. During his tenure, he would be responsible for creating a new department which grew to five offices across the country.
Leveraging his robust experience in the defense industry, Lavon founded Frontier Technology Inc. (FTI) in 1985. He built a strong business while continuing his role as an industry leader, serving on two national committees on the standardized defense modernization process. In 1995, Jordan co-founded the Defense Planning and Analysis Society, a joint government and industry venture.
During his tenure at FTI, he developed new analytical methodologies for the U. S. Air Force, U.S. Army, as well as joint agencies and offices.
Lavon was a dedicated husband and father who loved traveling and spending time with his family. He was a lifelong philanthropist who supported a number of educational institutions, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara and the Royal Family Kids Camp for children who have experienced trauma. Across the globe, he supported an orphanage in Johannesburg, South Africa. Lavon lent his business expertise to churches and non-profits, often helping with strategy and planning.
A pioneer in quantitative planning and systems analysis, Lavon was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2009. FTI established the Lavon Jordan Diversity and Inclusion scholarship program in his honor.
Lavon’s legacy lives on at FTI—in how we make a difference for our customers, how we support each other and how we impact the communities we live in.