A new top-level industry certification will allow Virginia Beach-based defense contractor ADS to better compete for valuable contracts in the aerospace industry.

Awarded in February after months of meticulous preparation, the “AS9100” certification – “Quality Management Systems - Requirements for Aviation, Space, and Defense Organizations” - is the pinnacle for companies looking to succeed in the aerospace industry. It ensures that ADS meets the industry’s highest quality performance standards and satisfies all internal, governmental, and regulatory requirements.

“This is next-level for ADS,” said ADS Director of Corporate Quality Kim Hulin. “We had to look at our processes, product safety, suppliers, everything – our entire quality system had to be compliant.”

And it was. The certification now gives ADS the ability to compete for new contracts in the aerospace industry that weren’t previously available to the company, Hulin said. It also represents yet another major accomplishment for a company that started inside the small Lynnhaven Dive Center serving Navy divers in the late 1990s.

“ADS has succeeded over the last two decades by finding uniquely valuable supply chain solutions for clients in the U.S. military, law enforcement and first responder communities,” said ADS Chief Executive Officer Jason Wallace. “This certification expands our ability to do that, and we know that when we succeed, the entire Hampton Roads economy succeeds. And we’re very proud to call this military community home.”