From hay bailing and driving a combine as a teenager in Oregon, to earning an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, Angelique X. Irvin came a long way – and that was only the beginning.  As the first woman to win an engineering award in ceramic sciences, Irvin landed a job at prestigious Bell Labs, working in a mostly male-dominated industry dotted with Nobel laureates. She ultimately became CEO of Clear Align, a successful and thriving optical engineering and systems integration company strategically focused on imaging and lasers.

Formed in 2003 with a select group of her Bell Labs colleagues, the Eagleville, PA-based company supplies advanced optical engineering, prototyping and manufacturing for the defense, space and medical markets. Its laser and sensor systems are used in the exceedingly competitive intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance markets for satellites, helicopters, drones, submarines and man-portable devices (items capable of being carried by a soldier), among others.

Fresh developments include a product family that reduces the weight of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle lenses 20-50% and a covert, no-glare illuminator that helps identify troop movements in the dark. “We have talented staff developing innovative solutions to our customers problems. With the ability to align things to plus-or-minus a tenth of a micron, 1/60th of the diameter of a human hair, Clear Align understands precision.   This provides a core advantage of making highly sensitive products smaller and lighter than competitors’. Our rapid program deployment is also a strength. The defense industry can be slow in bringing on new suppliers, but our great pipeline, unique talent and stellar reputation has earned their business,” Irvin explained.

Selective in the projects it undertakes, Clear Align turns down 23-36% of business that comes its way. “All projects we take on must meet our core mission to utilize optical technology to protect human life; it must showcase our competitive advantages and provide long-term profitability. We focus on products that are moving this highly challenging and technical industry forward. Our specialized capability has fueled greater than a 38% growth rate over the last 3 years, and operational strategy is key to maintaining this growth.  Our teams huddle 15-minute daily in sales, manufacturing and engineering disciplines to ensure that we are meeting our customers’ needs.  This enables quick problem solving and more nimble service,” Irvin added.

When Congress shut down amid stalled budget talks, Clear Align lost a large number of contracts in a matter of days, but the pace soon picked up again. Even as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, threats to national security remain, and Clear Align’s prowess with military optics remains in great demand. “The capability to identify risks is growing,” Irvin shared. From humble beginnings in the fields of Oregon, to receiving a personal thank you for her work from President Barack Obama, Angelique Irvin clearly has the stars aligned in her favor.

For more information, please visit: www.clearalign.com