The Unlikely Blueprint: What Defense Tech Can Learn from a Home Remodeler

CHESTER, PA – December 09, 2025 – In the relentless global competition for technological superiority, the most critical insights can emerge from the most unexpected quarters. This year, the top prize for a midsize organization in Computerworld’s prestigious ‘Best Places to Work in IT’ list didn’t go to a flashy software startup or an established tech giant. It went to Power Home Remodeling, the nation’s largest exterior home remodeler. While on the surface this seems irrelevant to the high-stakes world of defense and aerospace, a closer look reveals a strategic blueprint that the defense industrial base would be negligent to ignore.

Power’s ascent to the #1 spot, rising from sixth place the previous year, is not an anomaly. It is the result of a deliberate, long-term strategy centered on two pillars that are becoming existential for national security: cultivating in-house tech talent and building proprietary technology. As the Pentagon and its partners grapple with a severe shortage of software engineers, data scientists, and AI specialists, the story of how a construction-focused company became a tech talent magnet offers a powerful, and perhaps necessary, wake-up call.

Building a Workforce from Within

The most significant challenge facing the defense sector today is not a lack of funding for advanced systems, but a deficit of the human capital required to build them. The competition with Silicon Valley is fierce, and the cumbersome bureaucracy and slow-moving culture of many defense contractors can be a major deterrent for top-tier tech professionals. Power Home Remodeling tackled this exact problem not by simply offering higher salaries, but by building its talent from the ground up.

The cornerstone of this strategy is the Power Coding Academy (PCA), an immersive, six-month in-house training course designed to turn non-technical employees into skilled software developers. To date, over 35 employees have graduated from the academy, transitioning into roles like apprentice developer. This isn't just a corporate training program; it's a strategic talent pipeline. By investing in their existing workforce, Power creates a loyal, highly skilled technical team that understands the company’s core business from a unique perspective.

Imagine this model applied to the defense industry. Contractors could identify promising individuals already within their ranks—personnel who already possess security clearances and a foundational understanding of the mission—and retrain them for critical tech roles. This approach would dramatically shorten the onboarding process, mitigate the security risks of external hiring, and create powerful career pathways that foster long-term employee loyalty. As a 2026 report from Foundry, Computerworld's publisher, notes, leading organizations are proactively evolving their talent strategies to fill skills gaps. Power’s PCA is a masterclass in this principle, demonstrating a tangible return on investment that no off-the-shelf system or external recruiting drive can match.

The Strategic Imperative of In-House Innovation

Power’s commitment to technology extends far beyond training. The company operates on a ‘build-versus-buy’ philosophy, a stark contrast to the defense sector's complex and often fragmented acquisition process. The heart of Power's operations is ‘Nitro,’ a proprietary platform developed in-house using Ruby on Rails. Described by the company as the “operating system of the business,” this single integrated system touches every facet of their work, from lead generation and hiring to project management and customer communication via their ‘Pulse’ app.

This approach has profound strategic implications. By building their own tools, Power’s engineers feel a deep sense of ownership and purpose, directly connecting their work to business outcomes. This is precisely the kind of environment that attracts and retains innovative thinkers. Furthermore, the company is not resting on its laurels; it is developing ‘Nitro Intelligence,’ an in-house AI platform to embed generative AI capabilities securely across its technology stack. This demonstrates a forward-looking commitment to owning the next generation of technology, not just licensing it.

For the defense and space sectors, where systems must be secure, resilient, and perfectly aligned with unique operational needs, this model is critically relevant. A reliance on third-party, black-box solutions can introduce security vulnerabilities and create dependencies that are unacceptable in a national security context. Fostering an engineering culture that builds, customizes, and fully controls its own software stack is not a luxury—it is a strategic imperative for maintaining a technological edge over adversaries. As Power’s Chief Business Technology Officer, Marc Sule, stated, “When you create an environment where engineers feel ownership, purpose, and opportunity to grow, you get business outcomes no off-the-shelf system can match.” For defense, those business outcomes translate directly to mission success and national security.

Culture as a Decisive Strategic Asset

Ultimately, Power’s success is built on a foundation that many traditional industries, including defense, often overlook: a genuinely people-first culture. The Computerworld award is not an isolated accolade; the company has also been recognized by Fortune and Military Times as a top workplace. The award itself is based on a comprehensive analysis of benefits, career development, workplace culture, and employee engagement—areas where the defense industry has historically struggled to compete with the allure of commercial tech.

As Barbara Call, global director of content strategy at Foundry, noted, “AI is having a disruptive impact on IT operations and IT talent.” In this environment, the companies that win are those that invest in their people, offering clear pathways for growth and reskilling. The defense mission itself—protecting the nation—is a powerful recruiting tool, but it is no longer sufficient on its own. The next generation of technologists demands a modern workplace culture that values their skills, provides them with cutting-edge challenges, and empowers them to make a tangible impact.

The lesson from Power Home Remodeling is clear: technological superiority is inseparable from talent superiority. While the defense sector rightly focuses on developing next-generation satellites, hypersonic weapons, and AI-driven command systems, the most crucial innovation may need to happen within its own human resources and IT departments. The blueprint for building a world-class technology team may not be found in a Silicon Valley boardroom, but in the operational model of a home remodeler from Pennsylvania that decided to become a technology organization at its core.