Coggins International is a global leader in Automation and Technology Solutions, specializing in the Aviation, Defense and Energy (Oil & Gas) industries. An elite team of certified engineers, Information Technology (IT) professionals and instructors work hand-in-hand with customers and alliance partners to design, implement and deliver cutting-edge technologies, combined with world-class training and support services. Well known for an unconditional Commitment to Excellence, Coggins International endeavors to earn its customer’s business every day, never taking it for granted!

History

History

Our Headquarters

Headquarters

Executive Team

Leadership

Cafe44

Café 44

Company History

Company History
Company History

The company was officially established in 2006, but its origin can be traced back to the summer of 1978 when Keith Coggins started Coggins Systems, Inc. (now Varec, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Leidos) in response to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) formation of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)—the largest stockpile of government-owned emergency crude oil in the world. This was during the 1970s Energy Crisis that was sweeping the globe. DOE reached out to Keith Coggins – based his reputation for cutting-edge innovations in technology – to develop and install an advanced Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System – on a fast track, turnkey basis – for all of its SPR facilities along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas.

The huge success of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s fast-track automation program catapulted Coggins Systems into the Oil & Gas Industry as a market leader, as well as being recognized in 1983 by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of the Fast Tech 50 companies. By the early 1990s, Keith Coggins had created FuelsManager® (*) software suite of solutions, built around the new Microsoft® Windows® NT multi-tasking operating system. Several major oil companies immediately selected FuelsManager Oil & Gas as their worldwide standard for bulk inventory management, automatic tank gauging (ATG) and custody-transfer applications—making FuelsManager an instant success as a next-generation automated Fuel Management System (FMS). This was during the time when the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) was seeking commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software solutions as the foundation for its new, upcoming Fuels Automated System (FAS) program.

In 1994, Keith Coggins was invited to the Pentagon to present FuelsManager software product to the Air Staff Fuels Group (Air Force Petroleum Office), Navy Petroleum Office (NAVSUP Energy) and Defense Fuel Supply Center (DLA Energy) in consideration of DoD potentially using it as the worldwide Base Level FAS software solution. Shortly after several proof-of-concept implementations in 1995, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) sole-source selected Coggins Systems, and awarded the first FAS Base Level contract in January 1996. By the turn of the century, FuelsManager Defense was installed worldwide at over 600 U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines bases, and Defense Fuel Support Points (DFSPs). This was about the time Keith Coggins started working with SAP® – a global market leader in enterprise application software, and forming a unique alliance that would ultimately lead DLA to converge its Oracle-based Enterprise Level FAS solution to DLA’s new SAP-based Enterprise Business System (EBS).

In the early 2000s, when high Oil prices were driving up the price of Jet fuel for airlines, Keith Coggins created FuelsManager Aviation. Working hand-in-hand with Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines and major aircraft refueling companies, he created ‘paperless fuels ticketing’ for the Aviation Industry, as part of his patented Fuel information messaging system. Also, during this time frame, he merged California-based Varec, Inc. into Atlanta-based Coggins Systems, Inc. (renamed as Varec, Inc.) in preparation of selling the company and starting afresh as Coggins International, which he did concurrently in September 2006. There is no current relationship with Varec or FuelsManager, since the company was sold to SAIC, now Leidos, in 2006.

Year 2009 marked the start of an innovative focus on Enterprise Solutions, leading Coggins International and Accenture National Security Services (Accenture Federal Services) to form an alliance and teaming arrangement, at the recommendation of SAP®. The motivation for this three-way strategic partnership was a mutual interest in the Defense Logistics Agency’s Enterprise Business System (EBS) and its evolving Energy Convergence Systems Integration (EC SI) program. In July 2010, DLA awarded Coggins International a Blanket Purchase Agreement (EPA) under their EC SI program, as a Teaming Member with Accenture (Team Lead). This was the beginning of a new era for the company, an evolution to becoming an SAP-based Enterprise Solutions Provider and Systems Integrator.

Over the years, Keith Coggins has continued to pioneer many legendary innovations in technology, with the latest being FuelsAutomation®, a next-generation Fuel Management System (FMS). Based upon a long-term alliance, Delta Air Lines chose Coggins International to design, host and manage its Enterprise-wide Fuel Inventory Management System (FIMS) as a FuelsAutomation implementation. Another example is FuelsTraining®, a member of the FuelsAutomation suite, which was chosen by DLA Energy as its fuel-related DLA Energy Training Portal.

This is just a glimpse of what is ahead for Coggins International’s future innovations in technology. Join us in the quest, and let’s make history together!

*FuelsManager® is a registered trademark of Varec, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Leidos, in the US and other countries

Headquarters

HQ
HQ

To best serve Government, Defense and International customers, Coggins International is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area. We are located in the prestigious Canal Center Plaza in the quaint, richly historic Old Town Alexandria, Virginia—overlooking the Potomac River and the Nation’s capital. This office campus was chosen due to its central location and easy access to Washington, D.C. (The District), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Department of Defense (DoD) Headquarters (The Pentagon), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Headquarters (Fort Belvoir), and key alliance partners such as Accenture Federal Services (AFS). Taking advantage of the Potomac River waterfront, our Café 44 offers a specular view and captivating venue for our staff and guests.

The company originated in Atlanta, Georgia, where we continue to maintain an office in the heart of Buckhead—an upscale, uptown district within the city of Atlanta—in support of our commercial Aviation and Oil & Gas customers. This is a must, seeing that one of our most distinguished key accounts is Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, and our roots are tied to Georgia Institute of Technology.

Executive Leadership

Keith Coggins
Chairman and Chief Technology Officer

Keith Coggins
Keith Coggins

Keith Coggins is the Chairman & Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Coggins International. As CTO, Keith is Coggins International’s chief technologist and inventor, the driving force behind the company's strategic vision and cutting-edge innovations. He is responsible for all regulatory and Intellectual Property (IP) matters, including patents and trade secrets, research and development (R&D) activities, and aligning the company’s products and solutions architecture with industry demands and trends. Leveraging the latest developments in technologies, Keith manages key alliances and partnerships with market leading and emerging technology companies—combining best-in-class technology with proven expertise.

Keith, “AKA the Rockstar of Fuels”, is renowned throughout the Aviation, Defense, and Energy (Oil & Gas) industries for pioneering many automation and IT solutions. His most recent creation, FuelsAutomation®, a cloud computing application that provides global users with quick access to critical data, applications and services over the Internet, was chosen by Delta Air Lines and the Department of Defense (DoD) immediately upon inception. He created its predecessor, FuelsManager®, in the early 1990s, where it quickly became the corporate standard for major oil companies, such as Shell Oil Company, and is currently installed at over 600 U.S. military bases around the world. In the early 2000s, he pioneered and patented a “paperless fuel ticketing” system for the Aviation Industry, greatly improving Aviation fuels management as an Electronic Point-of-Sale (ePOS) Solution at the aircraft wingtip.

His legacy and the “Coggins” brand dates back to 1978, when he formed Coggins Systems, Inc. One of his first major innovations and accomplishments was the turnkey design, development, and implementation of automated instrumentation and control systems for the Department of Energy’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR)—the largest stockpile of government-owned emergency crude oil in the world. This was during the 1970s Energy Crisis and in response to the need for a fast track automation solution, a first of its kind. A Pipe Line Industry® Magazine article “WHAT'S NEW IN SCADA TECHNOLOGY” featured Keith Coggins’ Series 8100 Distributed Control System, an advanced Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System.

The success of the SPR automation program and development of the FuelsManager suite of solutions led Keith to spearhead the creation of the Base Level Fuels Automated System (FAS) for the Defense Logistics Agency in the mid-1990s, and its later integration starting in 2010 as part of Energy Convergence to the SAP-based Enterprise Business System (EBS). Today, he services as the Program Executive for the company’s DLA EBS contracts and Key Account Manager for the Teaming Partnership with Accenture Federal Services (AFS)—the EBS Team Lead and a long-term strategic alliance partner.

Keith, a proud Electrical & Electronic (EE) Engineer from the Georgia Institute of Technology (“a Ramblin' Wreck from Ga Tech, and a hell of an engineer”), is a strong supporter of industry and professional organizations. He is a Life Member of The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE); Life Member of The International Society of Automation (ISA); Charter Member and Board Member of the National Petroleum Management Association (NPMA); Member of National Fire Protection Association (NPMA, authority for National Electrical Code); Life Member and former Board Member of The Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO); and, Member of Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society – the OSS was Predecessor to the CIA. As a Security Professional, Keith holds a Defense clearance and is Coggins International’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) and DSS Facility Security Officer (FSO), as well as JPAS Account Manager. He is a Life Member of AFCEA International (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International), a professional association with a focus on the advancement of global security; and, a member of both ASIS International – a leading organization for security professionals worldwide, and NCMS – The Society of Industrial Security Professionals.

Jula Jane
President and Chief Executive Officer

Jula Jane
Jula Jane

Jula Jane is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Coggins International. As CEO, Jula oversees the strategic and economic direction of this Washington, D.C. area based, multi-million-dollar company. She is responsible for its overall management and executive leadership, including contract compliance and transparency, financial oversight, and reporting. She manages all revenues, costs, capital expenditures, investments and debt.

Jula has a bold vision, coupled with a diverse set of abilities—a combination of entrepreneurship, business strategy, and operational excellence—that she is using to differentiate the company on a worldwide basis.

Prior to joining Coggins International in 2009, Jula spent 15 years in real estate as an investor and Broker. Her firm was licensed in Georgia, Florida, New York and Virginia, with consulting services spanning the globe. She has a long record of successfully guiding local, national, and multi-national clients with their real estate acquisitions and lease negotiations. Still licensed, she secured a prime location for Coggins International’s headquarters in Buckhead/Atlanta in 2010. And, most recently, she negotiated a long-term, strategic lease for the company’s headquarters relocation to the Washington, DC area.

Jula’s education and lifelong passion is in interior design. She opened her first design firm when she was just 18, while attending the Art Institute of Atlanta. Learning on the job as well as in school, Jula quickly transformed her small start-up into a full-scale, brick and mortar interior design and general contracting firm, with major key accounts and projects. Leveraging her experience and buying power, Jula designed and managed the construction of Coggins International’s new headquarters, to include an in-house, fully-equipped café, saving the company thousands of dollars in the process.

An active participant in professional and charitable organizations, Jula has been recognized for her business acumen, entrepreneurial spirit and generosity. She received Atlanta Business Chronicle’s prestigious “40 Under 40” Award in 2011, which identifies the top forty business leaders in Atlanta under the age of 40. In 2013, she was one of only ten women to receive the Golden Peach Award, which celebrates and honors extraordinary women who inspire and empower others to make a difference in their communities and the rest of the world. Jula was featured in Simply Buckhead’s July/August 2014 cover story: Bold Women of Buckhead, 15 Inspirational Women Who Are Making Waves in Their Industries. She has been featured in numerous magazines and on major networks, including CNN and Headline news, for her work as the Founder of Operation G.I. Jane—a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting deployed single moms in the United States military.

Always willing to lend her time and energy to a good cause, in 2015 Jula strutted on the runway for “Doggies on the Catwalk”, raising the second highest amount for its beneficiary, Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption. To kick off the launch party of Operation GI Jane in 2011, she orchestrated a mock hostage rescue from the Penthouse of the Grand Hyatt hotel, complete with a military helicopter, Transport vehicle, and an active-duty Special Ops team repelling down the side of the building. In 2008, she Chaired Veuve Clicquot’s annual Yelloween Party, turning it into a Studio 54-themed fundraiser and benefitting the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (G-CAPP)—drawing celebrity guests like Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor, Jane Fonda, and Ne-Yo.

As a Security Professional, Jula holds a Defense clearance, and is the company’s alternate JPAS Account Manager. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) and the National Petroleum Management Association (NPMA).

Wayne Hooper
Vice President & Chief Operating Officer

Wayne Hooper
Wayne Hooper

Wayne Hooper is the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Coggins International, responsible for the daily operation of the company. He is actively involved with strategic business planning and establishing initiatives to expand the organization's customer base, product lines and markets. Based in the Washington, DC area, Wayne has extensive experience within the industries that the company operates in, having worked his way up through the ranks over 20 years of dedicated and loyal service. Wayne has strong leadership skills as well as the ability to approach situations from a creative point of view, building on a proven track record of operational excellence, innovative problem solving, and personnel development and training.

Prior to his appointment as COO in 2016, Wayne was the company’s Defense Fuels Program Manager and Director of Training. He was directly responsible for setting up world-class training solutions and services in classroom, virtual and eLearning environments on a global basis. This included his recruitment and management of a team of expert instructors, all CompTIA certified under his leadership. Wayne’s dedicated efforts led to every technical course taught at Coggins International being recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE). The primary courses taught and contracted by DLA Energy are: Joint Responsible Officers and Terminal Managers (1 Week); and, Base Level Defense Fuels Management (3 Weeks), both of which have been recommended for college credit by ACE, a first. Other accomplishments included the development and launching of Coggins International’s FuelsTraining® Learning Management System (LMS) and its adoption by DLA Energy as its fuel-related Training Portal, permitting CAC-enabled access to training resources, tracking and administration in a convenient one-stop solution.

Wayne joined Coggins Systems in 1998, having been recruited by Keith Coggins. At the time and being a true Texan, Wayne had joined a Texas-based Defense Contractor in 1997 as a fuels management expert, immediately following a distinguished 10-year career in the US Air Force spanning from 1987 to 1997. His final military assignment was as the Senior Air Force Representative and Implementation Manager for DLA Energy’s (formerly Defense Energy Support Center, DESC) $102 million Fuels Automated System (FAS) Program, commercially pioneered by Keith Coggins. In these roles, Wayne developed a worldwide Air Force FAS implementation plan, comprehensive training plan, and security accreditation and certification plan. He frequently briefed the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) management and personnel, as well as provided management reports to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. To ensure the successful rollout of FAS software and hardware throughout the Department of Defense (DoD), Wayne led the global deployment, training, customer support, and technical services. Plus, he personally performed initial installations and training of FAS software at the top 15 Air Force bases.

Previous to becoming the FAS Implementation Manager, Wayne was an Air Force Training Manager where he developed training materials and documentation, devised a plan to train four (4) thousand Air Force personnel, worldwide, and provided expert training. He started in the Air Force as a Fuel Specialist, with responsibility for storage, distribution, accounting and quality control of petroleum products. Wayne is one of the most qualified Instructors to teach DLA Energy automated fuels management applications—a true legend in the Fuels Community.

Wayne holds a degree in Industrial Electronics from Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas. His professional certifications include: Microsoft MCSE, Microsoft DBA, Microsoft Certified Trainer, CompTIA Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+), CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, and Information Assurance (per DoD 8570.01-M). He is a member of the American Legion Post 400, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 15011, and the National Petroleum Management Association (NPMA).

Kevin Charles
Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Kevin Charles
Kevin Charles

Kevin Charles is the Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Coggins International. As CIO, Kevin oversees the company’s enterprise infrastructure, information technology (IT) and computer systems in support of both internal and external customer business needs and processes. His key focus is on creating business value through technology, a crucial part of the company’s Enterprise Digital Transformation – cloud computing, big data analytics, cyber security, mobile computing, and collaboration platforms. Being Atlanta-based, he also services as the Key Account Manager and technical lead to Delta Air Lines, the company’s premier aviation strategic partner, for its enterprise Fuel Inventory Management System (FIMS).

Prior to his appointment as CIO in 2016, Kevin served as Director of Information Technology. He joined Coggins Systems in 1996, after being recruited by Keith Coggins from active duty military service in the US Air Force. Kevin’s initial assignment was as a Systems Engineer and fuels management subject-matter expert in support of the software development and technical support of FuelsManager® Defense, which became DLA Energy’s Base–Level Support Application installed at over 600 DoD bases around the world. This achievement led to numerous progressive positions, including Technical Operations Manager and Software Quality Assurance Manager. This accumulative experience made him the ideal choice to work as Keith Coggins’ right-hand in development of the FuelsAutomation® suite of next generation fuel management solutions.

Before joining the Coggins team, Kevin served on active duty in the US Air Force, where his first assignment was Howard Air Base (a former US Air Force base located in Panama). There, he began his career refueling ground vehicles, support tanks and assigned transient aircraft. He quickly progressed into Fuels Accounting and was responsible for procuring ground and jet fuel as well as processing fuels transactions to the Standard Base Supply System. Kevin participated in Operation Just Cause, the removal of General Manual Noriega from Panama, and was selected as the Tactical Air Command’s Professional Provider of the Year for his efforts to maintain a constant fuel supply throughout the entire operation. His next assignment was to Altus AFB, Oklahoma where he continued in his role as a Fuels Accountant and deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm. While stationed at Altus, Kevin attended Airman Leadership School and was the recipient of the John Levitow Award—the pinnacle of success in ALS and Enlisted Professional Military Education.

In early 1992, Kevin went back overseas to Royal Air Force Base Alconbury in England. It was during this assignment his IT skills began to shine. Kevin’s growing expertise with the Air Force Standard Base Supply System led to his attending formal Defense Fuels Automated Management System (DFAMS) training and later Unix Administrator training. He also installed and administered the Air Force’s Fuels Automated Management System – Base Level (FAMS-B) hardware and software, to include a CICSO Router and Unix Computer using the SCO Unix-based MAPPER program to manage and track fuel. Kevin returned to the US in 1995 and attended Air Force Instructor School at Sheppard AFB, Texas to become a fully qualified instructor, teaching courses accredited by the Community College of the Air Force. At MacDill Air Force Base, he was the primary formal instructor for the Air Transportable Refueling Hydrant System (ATHRS) two-week course, and the Aerial Bulk Fuel Delivery System (ABFDS) one-week course. Kevin is considered in the Fuels Community to be one of the most technically qualified Instructors to teach DLA Energy automated fuels management applications. Being a devoted American Patriot, Kevin continued his Air Force career for 24 years, from Active Duty to the Guard and Reserves – spanning from 1988 to 2013, when he retired to devote his full attention to Coggins International.

Kevin received an M.S. Information Systems Management from University of Phoenix, B.S. Information Technology (Summa Cum Laude) from American Intercontinental University, and Associates Degree in Logistics from Community College of the Air Force. His professional certifications include: Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), NDIA Certified Configuration Management Specialist (CMS), CompTIA Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+), CompTIA A+, and Information Assurance Certification (per DoD 8570.01-M).

Café 44 on the Potomac

Cafe44
Cafe44

Coggins International’s headquarters features an internal restaurant—Café 44 on the Potomac. Initially a glorified breakroom for Coggins’ guests and students, Café 44 is now a thriving restaurant open to the public. The menu features breakfast and lunch classics, happy hour comfort food, and a relaxing weekend brunch.

With its sweeping views of the Potomac River and friendly staff, you’re always welcome to—Come for the food and Stay for the view.

For more information, please visit www.cafe44.com.