Sallyport's leadership team is made up of seasoned former US military field service support working executives who organize quickly and effectively to establish the initial operational capability as per their contract.
Major (USAR) Liaison Officer
Al Basrah Iraq Training Academy
Sallyport's senior management team all have experience operating in remote or hostile environments. Our team has extensive experience in support services, gained through the military, remote oil & gas and hospitality industry:
Tom Charron, Founder and CEO of Sallyport, is a former Special Operations Aviator who has been involved with numerous highly sensitive anti-terrorism and counter-narcotics missions as directed by the National Command Authority. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy, an MBA from the University of North Carolina and was a Washington Campus Fellow at Georgetown University. Tom has over 20 years of general management and strategic technology experience gained in the military, government contracting and commercial sector. He has been solving companies' challenges with business strategy, logistics, security and procurement when working in emerging markets.
John DeBlasio, President has over 15 years of international experience in both the public and private sectors across three different continents and is a Six-Sigma Quality Blackbelt Awardee from the GE Six Sigma Training Program. Prior to joining Sallyport John served as a Major in the US Army with the Iraqi Assistance Center at the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan and later as an Advisor with the Coalition Provisional Authority- Ministry of Trade in Baghdad Iraq in 2003 and 2004. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy as well as a Master of International Business Studies from the University of South Carolina and speaks German fluently. John worked previously in a variety of management positions with GE, Philip Morris, and META Group.
David Garic, Vice President of Operations holds a B.S. in Management (cum laude) from the University of Maryland. He was an Eisenhower Fellow, earning a Master of Arts in Leader Development from The United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. He is a retired Army Armor officer, possessing vast experience in logistics and operations and served in combat units worldwide. He has led small, large, and highly complex organizations including combat units and multi-disciplined matrix organizations. David is a former battalion maintenance officer, battalion logistics officer and garrison (Ft. Knox, KY) executive officer. He is also a former corporate chief operating officer, having overseen all aspects of corporate operations and logistics for a worldwide special event production company. He is highly experienced as a project manager and planner, having managed extensive logistics-based projects in the military and as a civilian, including production of sixty-four simultaneously conducted pyrotechnic displays worldwide.
William (Bill) Burgermeister, Vice President, USAID Programs & Iraq Country Manager based in Baghdad, Iraq has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington, and a Masters degree in Business Administration from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). Bill has more than 20 years of combined private and public sector experience in the international arena working with companies and organizations throughout the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining Sallyport Bill most recently served as Deputy Country Director for Daimler/Mercedes-Benz in Iraq, having had responsibility for operational aspects of the Company's Iraq-based business activities, and for the oversight and management of Mercedes-Benz security-related matters throughout the country. Bill has also held a number of international program management and senior business development positions, both in the US and abroad, with Northrop Grumman, Commerce One, and Agility Logistics Defense & Government Services.
Nick Gross, Vice President, DoD Programs is a former member of the United States Air Force responsible for the delivery and management of our Department of Defense Programs. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration (summa cum laude) from Troy University and brings over 12 years of international experience and strategic planning. He specializes in quickly identifying and deploying resources to meet the needs of clients and emergency situations worldwide. Nick has been planning, mobilizing and executing operational deployment missions for the last eight years in support of U.S. Government Contracts in the states and overseas. Prior to Sallyport, he was with KBR responsible for setting up services at new locations in Kuwait and implemented numerous operational and business plans under the LOGCAP Contract.
Chris Anderson, Deputy AFCAP Program Manager currently based in Baghdad has over 13 years in the commercial construction industry and 4 years in international project management including remote-site construction, project/operations management, remote logistic supply and business development. Chris' experience in supplying dangerous and remote areas came from his 2 years as Country Manager for American/Iraqi Solutions Group based in Karrada, Baghdad in which he was responsible for over 12 life support projects and numerous other procurement, light construction and transportation projects.