Pasadena-Based Parsons Completes Purchase of Defense, Intelligence Contractor Polaris Alpha

Pasadena-based defense, infrastructure and engineering firm Parsons has completed the acquisition of Polaris Alpha, a defense and intelligence contractor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the company announced.

Parsons acquired the company from private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners, which had bought Intelligent Software Solutions in Colorado Springs and merged it with two other companies in November 2016 to form Polaris Alpha.

The acquisition is expected to accelerate Polaris Alpha’s growth in cybersecurity, battlefield management, small satellites and other advanced technologies, according to a report by The Gazette in Colorado Springs.

Parsons will now take over nearly 800 employees in Colorado, including 350 Polaris Alpha employees in Colorado Springs and 100 in the Denver area. The employees will be merged into Parsons’ federal contracting unit over the next 12 to 18 months.

The acquisition will also accelerate expansion plans announced last month that will add 455 employees over the next eight years and add 100,000 square feet of office space for the company in Denver and Colorado Springs.

“The acquisition of Polaris Alpha is the latest transformative move for Parsons that takes our technology solutions strategy to a new level with customers needing advanced solutions to rapidly evolving threats,” said Chuck Harrington, Parsons’ Chairman and CEO when the acquisition was announced in May.