Mr. Rich Hendel is a Senior Principal Specialist in the Enterprise Supplier Diversity Program Office at The Boeing Company and is located in St. Louis.  Rich is the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program manager for The Boeing Company.  As such he has the responsibility for developing and implementing strategies that will expand utilization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, the companies and their technologies and products across the Boeing Enterprise (Businesses and Functions).  To accomplish this he works with various programs and personnel in the Boeing Phantom Works organizations and the Boeing Integrated Defense Systems business units, as well as small businesses, concerning SBIR projects and activities.  He represents the company at national SBIR conferences and has made presentations on the subject at national, regional, and local conferences.

Rich has been with Boeing for 30 years and held various positions in the Subcontract Management and Procurement organization prior to joining the Supplier Diversity Program in 1989.  He received MDA Teammate of Distinction awards in 1994 and 1995; and an MDA Leadership Award in 1996 for his contributions to the, at the time, McDonnell Douglas small business program.  He received a 2006 Tibbetts Award from the Small Business Technology Council.  This national award recognizes those small firms, projects, organizations and individuals judged to exemplify the very best in SBIR achievement.