Francisco J. Collazo (born 1931) is the CEO and President of Collazo Enterprises Inc. He is the co-founder of COLSA Corporation, a business enterprise which provides engineering and support services to

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, specializing in defense and military intelligence. A component of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the ...

, and the

Missile Defense Agency The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is the section of the United States government's Department of Defense responsible for developing a layered defense against ballistic missiles. It had its origins in the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) which w ...

. In 2012, COLSA Corp. was recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as being one of the top 100 Hispanic Businesses in the United States.Hispanic Business Magazine
/ref>

Early years

Collazo was born in the city of

Utuado, Puerto Rico Utuado () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central mountainous region of the island known as the '' Cordillera Central''. It is located north of Adjuntas and Ponce; south of Hatillo and Arecibo; east of Lares; and we ...

and grew up in his father's farm. He received his primary education in his hometown. In 1946, he dropped out of high school and joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. He continued his education while serving in the military and retired from the Army after 30 years of service with the rank of

Chief Warrant Officer Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Pakistan Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces, the South African National Defence Force, the Lebanese Armed Forces and, since 2012, th ...

. Among his military decorations was the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

and the Bronze Star Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster for his service during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. Mr. Collazo is a service-connected disabled veteran.CNN
/ref> Collazo attended the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

where he earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Mathematics and Computer Science. He later earned a master of Computer Systems Engineering from the

Southeastern Institute of Technology Southeastern Institute of Technology (SIT), Huntsville, Alabama, was a professional school from 1976 to 2004 providing continuing education and granting professional degrees focusing on application. SIT was formed in 1976 as a private, not-for ...

COLSA Corporation

Collazo and his wife, whom he married in 1955, moved to

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

. In 1980, they founded COLSA Corporation in the garage of their home. The principal idea behind the foundation of the new company was to provide systems analysis and engineering in support of air defense systems material development. By 1983, the company had 20 employees. That same year, the Government awarded COLSA its first prime contract.The History of COLSA Corporation
/ref> The company moved from Collazo's garage to South Memorial Parkway in Huntsville and later to Sparkman Drive. The company is current;y located in Cummings Research Park. In 1997, COLSA was awarded the Cogswell Award for Excellence in Security Operations. In 2003, COLSA acquired Huntsville-based Pace and Waite, Inc., and Digital Wizards, Inc. Among COLSA’s clients are NASA, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Missile Defense Agency. Under Collazo's leadership the company grew and continued to expand. The company has regional offices in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

; Orlando, Florida;

Shalimar, Florida Shalimar is a town in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 717 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Fort Walton Beach– Crestview– Destin Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Shalimar is located at (3 ...

;

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, Colorado Springs, Colorado and Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Collazo Enterprises, Inc.

On January 2, 1996, Collazo incorporated Collazo Enterprises the primary holding company that owns all stock in COLSA Corporation, COLSA International, FJC Growth Capital, and FCA Properties. In 2000, Collazo Enterprises, Inc. established the Francisco J. Collazo (COLSA) Scholarship at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

. The scholarship is awarded to full-time students majoring in Engineering, Science, Mathematics, or Technology and is based on academic merit, leadership potential, and contributions to school and community.

Personal

Collazo retired from the Army in 1976 and lives together with his wife has three children and seven grandchildren, continues to reside in Huntsville. He continues to be the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of COLSA Corporation.Businessweek
/ref> In May 2003, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. On October 25, 2012, COLSA Corp. was recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as being one of the top 100 Hispanic Businesses in the United States.

Military awards and decorations

Among Collazo 's decorations are the following: * Bronze Star Medal (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster) * Meritorious Service ribbon

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

(with 1 bronze Service Star) *

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. Arm ...

(with 4 bronze Service Stars) * Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon

Vietnam Campaign Medal The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal ( vi, Chiến Dịch Bội Tinh), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949, and awarded to French military personnel during the First ...

References