ANDERSON — His company might be only 6 years old, but Anderson’s Pete Bitar already has a number of accolades under his belt.

The newest — the designation as one of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s “Companies to Watch” — was awarded to Bitar’s company Xtreme Alternative Defense Systems last week.

The company, which does research and development on non-lethal directed energy weapons for military and police use, also won the state’s 2005 Venture Idol competition in its short history, and Bitar has been named Entrepreneur of the Year.

XADS was one of 50 Indiana companies to receive the state’s inaugural “Companies to Watch” recognition and the only one in the Anderson-Muncie area.

“The whole idea of ‘Companies to Watch,’ I just hope they don’t watch too closely,” Bitar joked. “I’m not beyond making mistakes.”

Mistakes were far from the mind of Flagship Enterprise Center President and CEO Chuck Staley when he helped nominate XADS for the recognition earlier this year.

“Pete is an extremely innovative, creative visionary in this area,” Staley said. “He was obviously easy for us to recommend for this award.”

XADS has its administrative offices in the Flagship Center, an Anderson incubator for small businesses and entrepreneurs. It also has shop space at Anderson Tool and Engineering, hangar space at Anderson Municipal Airport and additional office space at the airport’s terminal building — more than 12,500 square feet total.

The company develops cutting-edge technology, such as the StunStrike System, a technology that could allow overseas soldiers to detect and neutralize improvised explosive devices and roadside bombs.

“That’s primarily our mission is to help save lives and to stop those threats against our servicemen overseas,” Bitar said. “The technology is unique and is game-changing in dealing with roadside bombs, which is the biggest killer of soldiers.”

Bitar hopes for his company to go into full-scale production of the system within the next year and is ready to introduce the technology to combat theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan.

XADS, which has seven full-time staff members and employs several Anderson-area contractors, also has developed Threat Assessment Laser Illuminators for use in war situations. The lasers can disorient a potential aggressor from a safe distance, but don’t cause permanent harm.

“(In many war situations) you’ve only got a few seconds to make a decision,” Staley said when describing Bitar’s laser technology. “It hits (an aggressor’s) windshield and turns it opaque. It gives them a little bit longer to make a life or death decision.”

The “Companies to Watch” recognition was presented by the IEDC and its Small Business Development Centers, Purdue University and Michigan-based Edward Lowe Foundation. It recognizes Indiana’s top private businesses that employ up to 150 people and have $750,000 and $100 million in annual revenue or capital.

More than 420 companies in the state were nominated, according to an IEDC press release, and all types of industries were represented in the winners.

“I was humbled,” Bitar said. “We hope it’s an encouragement to our community that good things are happening in Anderson. We’re hoping that translates into something that helps us accomplish the rest of our mission.”

Bitar said the prize is really more indicative of the team effort put in by the company’s employees as opposed to one man’s vision.

“I have been the leader and provided some of the vision for what we’re doing, but the talent is in the team,” he said. “This recognition is really for them and their accomplishments and hard work.”

Anderson is one of the major beneficiaries of Bitar’s company, as it lets the rest of the state know the city can stay ahead of the game and produce cutting-edge technology, Staley said.

“The legacy that we have in Anderson is in the area of electrical engineering,” Staley said. “We try to promote this company to tap into that legacy. By doing that, Pete helps keep that nucleus of that electrical know-how in the state. This is right in our sweet spot.”

Bitar plans to keep his company in Anderson, and in doing so will continue to create jobs for the city and to produce technology not available anywhere else. He plans the growth of XADS to continue to use parts, components and labor from the city and become a long-term asset to Indiana.

“There’s some really unique, cutting-edge technology that’s only found in the state of Indiana,” Bitar said. “The state benefits from having a lock on this technology. That advancement will ultimately drive the high-tech element of what we want to do with the state and the area.

Part of Bitar’s success has been that XADS has been profitable in every year of its existence and has done it without borrowing long-term money or involving investors, Bitar said.

Although he has big dreams, Bitar is a down-home Anderson guy, Staley said, which is part of his charm and success.

“He not only is growing a business, but he also is committed to the community,” Staley said. “He’s part of the fabric of our community, and those are the kind of individuals we need.

“We need more Pete Bitars in this community.”

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BREAKOUT

Indiana cities with businesses making the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s inaugural “Companies to Watch” list include: Indianapolis (20), West Lafayette (4), Carmel (3), Bloomington (2), Noblesville (2), Anderson, Angola, Bargersville, Centerville, Columbia City, Columbus, Evansville, Greenwood, Fort Wayne, Goshen, Madison, Mishawaka, Muncie, Nappanee, Pekin, Portage, South Bend, Terre Haute, Walkerton

Source: Indiana Economic Development Corporation