Cambria Solutions: Technology Leaders Supporting Government Innovation

We are proud to be introducing emerging technologies such as chatbot, agile platforms, and cloud services to our government clients: Robert Rodriguez, CEO & Founder Cambria Solutions 

Complexity is rife in any growing business. As companies innovate, add new business lines and products, or expand their international presence, processes proliferate, and the discipline around them can go out the window. Meanwhile, the IT that underpins these processes can also become more entangled as aging legacy systems jostle with new applications to support the needs of the business. Over time, this kind of complexity can unravel technology standards and undermine the coherence of the architectural blueprint. As application volumes grow in response to a fast-changing economic, regulatory, and business environment, the issue of complexity is becoming acute for many organizations. Enterprise architecture management, a framework to manage IT architecture and ensure that both the business and IT are well aligned, aims to restore order to this landscape.

In light of the above mentioned, we are excited to present Cambria Solutions, an information-technology and management-consulting firm.

The implementation of leading-edge methodologies, such as agile, human-centered design, and cloud computing, coupled with resoundingly positive results, has earned Cambria considerable recognition in both the private and public sectors.

The firm was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Sacramento, California. It has additional offices in Los Angeles, California; Olympia, Washington; Jackson, Mississippi; Washington, DC; Tallahassee, Florida; and Atlanta, Georgia. 

Proud Moments

Under Robert’s executive leadership, Cambria has been recognized seven times by Inc. Magazine, as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies. In 2014, Consulting Magazine, which honors the country’s best niche firms, recognized Cambria as one of the nation’s ‘Seven Small Jewels.’ A national IT association, LISTA, named Cambria in 2015 as the California IT Company of the Year.

Interview Excerpt: Robert Rodriguez, CEO & Founder

Why was the company set up? 

When we founded the company, there had been a gap in technology service offerings for government agencies. Technology delivery companies were either too large and broad in their offerings or just niche players in the market. There was a real need for a firm that could advise, as well as produce and deliver, technologies for government clients in an innovative and creative way.

How did you select the vertical and decide to be a part of the global platform?

We entered the government sector because many of our key team leads had a strong background in supporting government systems and technologies. We were particularly adept at identifying an agency’s core needs, possible solutions, and new technologies to address these needs. More importantly, we were innovators. This was key because the government was also entering into a place where innovation and the opportunity to deliver results through innovation was becoming more widely accepted. One unexpected item to note is that nearly all of the people I came in contact with had a general affection for public service. They had a strong desire to serve the public good in the best way possible. This is a consistent value across our team today.

Tell us about your first product launch.

Our first engagements were with one of the largest transportation organizations in the world. They were very successfully executed, which gave us us the confidence to keep building out our model. One of our initial projects was internationally-recognized and award-winning, including a global award (beating out other Fortune 500 companies) and recognition by Computerworld magazine. As newcomers, we just kept building on this initial success and were committed to adapting to new opportunities. 

What were the grounds on which you have expanded your company and its offerings over the years?

We have always been human-centered with a focus on serving the public. Critical to that is hiring the right people, and engaging with clients, specifically in the government sector, who get it and are primed to innovate and deliver results in new and different ways through emerging technologies. Our clients now demand innovation, and it drives all of us to collaborate with innovation and results as top priorities. Over the past two years, our clients have worked alongside us to develop systems and processes that perform. These clients, who are emerging technology enablers, are allowing us to build more creatively and expand all of our horizons. These decisions to work smart and creatively are validated by the results we deliver.

If you have to list five factors that have been/are the biggest asset to your organization, what would they be, and why?

Our people – Every decision we make is dependent on our ability to serving our team members so they can excel in serving the client. I would also add that our people are not just creative, but fun and great to work with on a day-to-day basis.

Our ability to innovate – It’s definitely been a differentiator. Not only is the tech available, but our clients are being assertive in using it alongside us. The government has moved into a new era of innovation, and we are well positioned to support and serve in this space.

Our ability to be the architects and the builders on projects –

Rarely does an architect have the opportunity to construct the project step by step with the team. Usually, there is a distinct hand-off. We are fortunate that our team has the expertise and experience that enables us to manage the process from conception to program deliverable.

The trust our clients have in us is critical – We gain new clients based on our people, their expertise, and experience. But we retain clients over time because of the deep trust that we earn through our collaboration with the client teams. It is truly a gift to be able to guide them in the right direction, and they are 100 percent on board before the plan is created.

We can be flexible – One of the things we tend to hear is even though we are growing, we are flexible in terms of our responsiveness with our clients and ability to move quickly through an opportunity or challenge. We still have that personal touch and the  characteristics of a small firm. Our flexibility and one-on-one approach have been underlying assets that have supported our success.

Where do you see your company a couple of years from now?

I would say, in a couple of years we may have doubled again in size, but more importantly, we will continue to be an exceptional team delivering emerging technologies and agile services to better support government agencies.

Meet the CEO

Robert Rodriguez, CEO & Founder: Robert has led various high-profile, multi-million dollar technology projects, two of which won prestigious national and international awards from Computerworld magazine. He is a true entrepreneur whose passion is sharply focused on innovation, and sharing this innovation with clients and partners.

Under Robert’s executive leadership, Cambria has been recognized seven times by Inc.

Magazine as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies. In a little more than a decade as an innovator and entrepreneur, he has grown Cambria from a fledgling start-up to a thriv­ing firm with more than 100 employees strategically located across the United States. 

A graduate of CSU Northridge, Robert holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California (USC), and executive education certificates from the Harvard School of Business and the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Most recently, he participated in the Stanford Latino Entrepreneur Leadership Program. Robert has accumulated 25 advanced trainings in his 20+ years in the technology industry.