TranTech Celebrates 18 Lucky Years

TiTi McNeill launched TranTech in 1989. Now the Alexandria information technology firm has about 150 employees and $30 million in annual revenue. (By Susan Biddle -- The Washington Post)

TiTi McNeill is a mess. Her desk is buried in piles of paper. Shelves are overflowing with books and boxes. And stacks of Christmas presents -- packages full of gift baskets and wine for clients -- line the walls.

Soon the president and chief executive of TranTech, an information technology firm in Alexandria, will be getting new furniture. But, to her, it'll be more of a distraction than a luxury.

"I consider myself a worker bee," she said. "Nice furniture is not important to me."

On Friday night, McNeill took a break from her typical 17-hour work day to celebrate her company's 18th anniversary. Employees and clients gathered at the International Country Club in Fairfax for a night of dinner and dancing, complete with a performance by Terry Fator, winner of reality television show "America's Got Talent."

McNeill has plenty to celebrate. In 1975, McNeill left Vietnam when the country fell under communist control. With just a few dollars in her pocket, she began her career as a keypunch operator in Northern Virginia, riding her bike home at 2 a.m. after the bus stopped running. A few years later, she landed her big break as a junior computer programmer, putting herself through Northern Virginia Community College on $5.25 an hour. She continued to work part time in various programming jobs while she attended graduate school at American University at night.

In 1989, McNeill launched her own technology company, TranTech. Today the firm has about 150 employees, seven Department of Defense clients and $30 million in annual revenue. The company recently spun off its MediaSolv unit, which captures and catalogues video evidence for criminal justice agencies. Clients include the District, Chicago and Toronto police departments.

So, why throw a huge 18th anniversary party a couple of years before the big 20? Well, McNeill admits, sometimes a bit of luck doesn't hurt.

Nine is an auspicious number in Asian cultures. McNeill's father gave her a personalized license plate with three nines for good luck. She likes to play "bai cao," a Vietnamese card game where adding up the cards to nine determines the winner.

A little numerology shows that 18 breaks down to 1+8=9.

McNeill's company was also founded in 1989: 1+9+8+9=27. And 27 splits into 2+7= 9. Plus, the year 2007 also adds up to nine.

"And I thought, I have got to do a big party. It's just so funny," she said, grinning.

But don't get her wrong. Numerology never trumps hard work. McNeill wakes up at 6 a.m. and heads straight for her double-monitor computer. She arrives at TranTech by 7 a.m., checking off to-do items on her long daily schedule.

McNeill gets home at 8 p.m. to have dinner with her husband for an hour. Sometimes they'll watch a taped episode of "America's Got Talent," but most nights the industrious couple splits off into separate home offices, often working till midnight.

"When you love something so much, all your energy comes from that," she said.

-- Kendra Marr