July 30, 2019
Interview by Tim Thornton, Virginia Business
Bringing the world to their doorstep
Technology and health care are shaping region’s future
The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, a Roanoke-based partnership between Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech, is busy building the future, but it’s making substantial economic contributions right now. The research institute is also a marriage of the two largest forces driving the Roanoke and New River Valley region’s economy: health care and technology.
Formula for the future
While the Fralin Research Institute and its partners are working to launch medical breakthroughs and the companies that will profit from them, 1901 Group is working to bring more work to the relatively rural New River Valley.
The company’s vision, says Brandon Walsh, SVP Partner Relations at 1901 Group, is to handle routine IT activities remotely in a rural area that has access to talent, a high quality of life and an affordable cost of living. When the formula works, customers receive IT services at a relatively low cost performed by a stable work force, since there are fewer potential poachers to lure employees away.
There are other benefits, too. Blacksburg is close enough to Washington, D.C., for people to travel between the two fairly easily and quickly, but far enough away that if something disrupted operations in D.C., work could continue in Blacksburg.
1901 Group is even open to hiring people if they don’t have an IT background (one manager is a former welder). But the steady flow of graduates from Virginia Tech, Radford University and New River Community College provides a pipeline of tech talent that fuels the company.
“I think it is a formula for the future, especially for the public sector. You need U.S. citizens on U.S. soil, and I think the rural sourcing is really a win-win.”
– Brendan Walsh, SVP Partner Relations
Relevant Links:
- Technical.ly: Competition or opportunity... How VT execs feel about Amazon HQ2 coming to NoVa
- theCUBE: Brendan Walsh sits down with Justin Warren & John Walls for AWS re:Invent 2019
- Virginia Tech: Industry advisers see promising ways to expand IT sector in rural Virginia
- Fierce Electronics: Amazon’s HQ2 Arrival Touches Old Virginia Coal Mining Country
- Virginia Tech: Sonu Singh - Building State's Tech Talent Pool More Important Than Ever
- WSLS News: New River Valley growth, 800 more IT jobs expected
- TCN: 1901 Group Provides 24×7 Managed Services, Cybersecurity, Management...
- Blacksburg Expansion Groundbreaking: Ceremony News Coverage, Photos, and Information
- Clearance Jobs: The State of BYOD: The Pros and Cons of Using Your Personal Phone for Work
- Washington Exec: Why are STEM and Cloud Services so Important to Rural America?
- Virginia Business: Bringing the world to their doorstep
- Virginia Business: Highlanders rising
- Roanoke Times: Tech savvy girls from around the world come to Blacksburg
- CRN: Microsoft-ServiceNow Deal is ‘Huge’ Channel Opportunity
- ExecutiveBiz: 1901 Group Awarded Government Competency Status as AWS Partner
- CRN: Lawmakers Seek Improved Cyber Safeguards With IoT Security Bill
- American Security Today: Quality Clouds Improve Citizen Safety
- AWS Partner Network: Say Hello to 79 New AWS Competency, MSP, and Service Delivery Partners Added in May
- Amazon AWS: 20 Public Sector Partners Achieve Government and Education Competencies
- Clearance Jobs: Need to Hire Cyber Talent? Look Beyond the Nation’s Capital
- Clearance Jobs: Understanding the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System
- CityBizList: Peace Corps Awards 1901 Group Prime Contract for Data Center Relocation Services
- CRN: Federal-Focused MSP Finds Groove In Hybrid Offering
- Clearance Jobs: White House Executive Order Aims to Improve the Cybersecurity Workforce
- Webmagspace: Interview with CEO 1901 Group – Sonu Singh
- Roanoke Times: Torc CEO encourages leaders to celebrate more wins ahead of annual technology banquet
- FCEDA: Fairfax County E-Bird for April 25, 2019
- NextGov: Automation’s Impact Today Goes Well Beyond the Obvious
- Washington Exec: 1901 Group Snags Spot on $2.5B SEC Contract
- Clearance Jobs: Partnering with Local Universities to Grow Tomorrow’s Tech Talent
- Clearance Jobs: Virginia Has Second Highest Concentration of Tech Workers
- WashingtonExec: 1901 Group Hires Bob Beck, Zack Orchant for DOD, DHS Business Development
- Clearance Jobs: Is There Really a Cybersecurity Talent Shortage?
- Virginia Career Works Podcast: IT Careers in Virginia - Opportunities and Trends
- FCEDA: 1901 Group thrives with a platform that reduces costs and promotes migration to the cloud
- Virginia Tech Daily: Blacksburg growth to fuel Innovation Campus
- Virginia Business: ‘The next big trend’
- Virginia Business: High tech, high dollar
- Virginia Business: Besides Amazon
- CRN: Automate Or Die: Why IT Services Automation Is Critical For Channel Success
- Roanoke Times: Low unemployment rate putting pressure on local companies in search of workers
- Radford University: Radford partners with 1901 Group to enhance tech talent pipeline
- AWS Public Sector: PTP Video Testimonial - Sonu Singh, CEO of 1901 Group
- WashingtonExec: 1901 Group Partners with Radford University to Help IT Students Prep for Jobs of the Future
- Roanoke Times: Amazon’s impact: Hundreds of new jobs, higher enrollment at Virginia Tech
- WashingtonExec: 2019 Market Outlook: Sonu Singh on Hybrid Cloud, Academia, and Talent Retention
- WashingtonExec: 1901 Group Named ‘Advanced Consulting Partner’ by AWS
- Clearance Jobs: How to Develop Soft Skills in Cybersecurity Professionals
- Clearance Jobs: What Contractors and Government Employees Should Do During the Government Shutdown
- Clearance Jobs: What the Government Shutdown Means for Contractors
- Washington Business Journal: Government Contractor to watch: Meet 1901 Group
- WVFT Radio: “Collaboration Culture” Builds Businesses at VTCRC Center
- Clearance Jobs: Finding a Workaround to the Defense Talent Shortage
- WashingtonExec: 1901 Group Investment to Expand Will Bring New Jobs
- Government Matters: Impact of the Cloud Smart Strategy on Industry
- CRN: Amazon Intros Intelligent Tiering to Optimize Cost
- FCEDA: 1901 Group to expand in Fairfax and Montgomery Counties, create 805 new jobs
- VEDP: Governor Northam Announces 805 New Jobs in Montgomery and Fairfax Counties
- WashingtonExec: What’s Behind A Successful Approach to Cloud?
- AWS Guest Blog: Focus First: “How” and “Where” to Start Application Migration
- Fairfax County Economic Development Authority: 1901 Group Spotlight
- CRN, NetApp Channel Connect: CEO Kurian Tells Partners NetApp Ready To Lead In Cloud, HCI, Flash
- Interconnections: How Government Goes All-in On the Cloud
- WashingtonExec: New EVPs
- Washington Technology: Promotes Pair of Execs
- Washington Business Journal: Enlightenment Capital Investments
- Washington Technology: Privates Equity Group Takes Stake in Managed Services Provider
- Data Sheet: Proven Tactics to Handle Evidentiary Information in the Cloud
- White Paper: Cloud Considerations for Managing Evidentiary Information

Sonu Singh
CEO
Sonu is the founder of 1901 Group and corporate leader responsible for our strategic vision, innovative business model, and financial performance.

Paul Wilkinson
EVP, Corporate Strategy and BD
Paul leads Business Development, Capture Management, Marketing, and Channel Partners. Paul provides leadership for 1901 Group’s growth initiatives by supporting the development of new markets and services.

James Christopher
EVP, Operations and Engineering
James brings over 25 years of industry experience to 1901 with a focus on delivering Information Technology business solutions and managed services.

Dana Pittman
SVP, Talent Strategy & Human Resources
Dana is the leader of our Human Capital Management function for providing organizational growth, performance, and profitability.

Brendan Walsh
SVP, Partner Relations
Brendan leads our partner relations and management efforts and supports business development activities in addition to establishing strategic business alliances with leading cloud service providers and security solutions.