Terri and Tom Richards have worked side by side as husband and wife for nearly 32 years and as business partners for 10 years in their company, Triquetra Technologies, Inc. (T2). The company’s name refers to the belief that the Godhead is expressed by the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Terri is T2’s founder and president and Tom is the chief financial officer.
T2 is a woman-owned small business that is a “technology focused, knowledge management and intelligence-based company. It supports its customers by providing unmatched expertise in operational intelligence, knowledge management, IT support and cyber training anywhere in the world in direct support of warfighters and warfighting operations,” states its website.
In a nutshell, T2 is a government defense contractor that provides service and expertise to clients that include U.S. Central Command, Defense Intelligence Agency, Air Force Research Lab, International Security Assistance Force (UN program) and NATO Training Mission–Afghanistan.
“Defense contractors also want to do business with us, and I think that’s because we don’t compromise in our principles; we hold fast to the highest degree of our integrity, our loyalty and our faith,” says Terri.
It was faith and a desire for a different course that launched Terri, a busy stay-at-home mom with four children, and Tom, a retired Air Force officer who worked for a company that was bought out by a larger company, into entrepreneurship.
T2’s continued accolades, honors and accomplishments demonstrate that they followed the right path. Says Tom, “If there’s success, God has created it. In 2013, we were Hampton Roads Small Business of the Year. And, for the past five years in a row, we’ve been recognized in the top 50 small businesses in Virginia for diversity and E-commerce.”
Tom continues, “In a small company when other people at the executive level say, ‘you’ve got good people,’ then you know we’re supporting the primes well, and that’s what we want to do.”
“We pride ourselves in having a great team. Successful teamwork happens through open communication with our employees. We like to bring them in, give them the vision and hear their input. We’re continuously trying to refine and perfect our processes, and we like to solicit thoughts from all of our employees because it’s not just about what we think as owners, it’s what everyone brings to the table as the team,” Terri says.
T2 continues its commitment to hire military veterans and former Department of Defense employees because of their work ethic and experience. The Richards estimate that about 70 to 80 percent of their employees have been military veterans.
“We’ve consistently given back to our employees through our profit-sharing program because our employees are exceptional and worth every penny,” says Terri with a smile. “That’s pretty significant for a small company.”
As a group, the company volunteers time and resources to benefit the foodbank, blood drives, the Natasha House and Wounded Warriors. It is committed to living its values.
Says Tom, “We like to impress ‘The Father’ and we want to make sure that what we’ve been given is used to its fullest capacity. Whatever He wants to do through us, we don’t want to limit what that’s supposed to be.”
“For Tom and me, we don’t just desire tangible things that can come and go; we want to be able to build ‘the Kingdom’ and have time and resources to invest in people,” says Terri.
Terri and Tom are looking at opportunities with U.S. Aid, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other entities to help feed people and cultivate food sustainment programs in the U.S. and in other countries.
Even though T2 is a for-profit company, Terri and Tom, as a couple and as business owners, are very mission-minded and are continuously exploring opportunities to make a difference in the world.
Says Terri, “For us, success is to say at the end of each day, we gave 100 percent, pleased God in our choices and made a difference in someone’s life.”
TO THE POINT: Triquetra Technologies, Inc. (T2)
Address: 11836 Fishing Point Dr., Ste. 200, Newport News, VA, 23606
Contact: Terri Richards, president
Phone: 757-778-8787
Website: www.t2-inc.com
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