Defense Tech Insider Reveals Secrets to Strategic Growth & Innovation with John Fiore

In this episode of the Growth Revealed Podcast my guest is John Fiore, Vice President of Strategic Growth at Kitty Hawk Technologies. With an extensive background in defense and technology leadership, including roles at the Missile Defense Agency and Naval Surface Warfare Center, John brings a wealth of experience in driving innovation and strategic partnerships.00:00 Show Introduction00:30 Meet John Fiore01:00 The Kitty Hawk Compass — Threat to War Fighter02:00 Digital Engineering and Mission Integration03:00 The People Behind Kitty Hawk04:00 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Early Career05:00 Smart Ship Program and Systems Leadership06:00 Chief Engineer of the Navy and Missile Defense Agency07:00 Chasing the Mission, Not the Contract08:00 Partnerships and the Defense Ecosystem09:00 Core Value Proposition and Primary Customers10:30 Community, STEM Outreach, and Local Investment11:30 What Differentiates Kitty Hawk12:30 The Threat-First Philosophy13:00 Moral Obligation to the War Fighter14:30 Finding Partners With the Same Ethos15:00 Campaign Taxonomy and Focused Resources16:00 Winning Work and Protecting It17:00 Customer Care and the Working Capital Mindset18:30 Building Brand Loyalty Through Constant Contact19:30 Understanding CPARS and Past Performance21:30 Proactive Customer Engagement22:30 Website, Digital Presence, and Relationship-Based Growth23:30 Expanding Beyond the Region Through Partners25:00 Poseidon — Kitty Hawk's AI Tool for Mission Engineering27:00 Speed Round27:30 Game-Changing Tool: Poseidon29:30 Leadership Advice — Mentors and Lifelong Learning31:00 Structured Decision-Making and Trusting Your Team32:00 Checking the Trap Lines Daily33:30 Campaign Management and Pipeline Focus34:00 Closing and How to Connect