What's Happening in Tigard, OR…

PacStar, a military contrary in Tigard, recently announced that it has received two military contracts worth a total of $300m.

The two deals are with the Marines and the Army. Such important announcements are often promoted through flyer printing.

The company originated in Portland 19 years ago reselling information technology equipment to military bases located overseas. As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq grew, so did the need of military units for reliable and rugged communications equipment and this is when PacStar saw the opportunity to develop and sell mobile wireless technology products.

The equipment PacStar makes can be deconstructed and carried in a pocket. A special forces soldier who wants secure communications with another military member can talk only with that solider, or modular units can be added so that a command center can be run.

Many of the parts of the equipment are purchased from companies in the United States, including several from the Pacific Northwest. The company also manufacturers some of its parts in Tigard.

The designer of most of the equipment is the chief technical officer, Charlie Kawasaki, who said that it is a great improvement over the previous equipment used by the military. Capabilities such as sharing images and doing video were previous not available and communications were just voice, but now, all the applications the average consumer has are available to those in the military.