By Kimberly Ballard

Ashok Singhal, Founder and Chairman of CFD Research Corp.

Sitdown with Success is a feature of the Huntsville Business Journal on entrepreneurs and their keys to success. This month’s subject is Ashok Singhal, founder and chairman of CFD Research Corp. For the complete interview, visit huntsvillebusinessjournal.com.

According to textbooks, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) uses complex computer algorithms for modeling and simulating the flow of fluids, gases, heat, and electric currents to make technological advances.

Ashok Singhal started CFD Research in the basement of his home in Huntsville in 1987.

Today, in addition to their headquarters located in Cummings Research Park, Singhal’s company just broke ground on a 13,265 square-foot laboratory that will expand their research and development capabilities in the areas of biomedical and energy, while providing new space to support growth in electronics, virology, and biomechanics.

What is it like to start a company in the basement of your home?

In the beginning, we were very poor. We had one idea and one IBM clone computer that cost $1,000. We could have used hundreds of computers, but we couldn’t afford them.

Two things happened in the basement. My son Sameer (now the company CEO) made our first business sign that said CFD Research Corporation using a dot matrix printer and he hung it on the wall.

In 1987, you bought everything from Service Merchandise because it was moderately priced. We bought these furniture kits and Sameer and his twin brother formed an assembly line to put together the office furniture. It was free labor.

Did you ever expect it to get this

big?

Yes, and so much more. We’re not done yet.

In my head it was always the case. Even though we are computer nerds - computational dynamics is a hardcore science for computer simulations, but I always wanted to expand the company to do more than fluid simulations, structural controls, and everything multidisciplinary; but I always wanted to do experiments.

What would you say is the secret to your success?

Sangeeta, my wife is the true secret to the success of this company, and I mean every word of it, honestly.

Not only did she write all my proposals for many years, but she took on other responsibilities for her crazy scientist husband. She allowed me to start the business with two 10-year-old boys and no medical insurance.

As we, in her words, continued to go crazy from one field to another field to another, she understood the passion and her resolution allowed me to sleep peacefully through it all.

What have been your biggest challenges?

My biggest challenge in the business overall is championing new technologies, breaking the barriers whereby people don’t believe you. That is very challenging.

How do you handle being in a business most people don’t understand?

When I started the company in 1987, I never spelled out the words Computational Fluid Dynamics. Those who know what it is will appreciate it. Those who don’t know what it is, won’t get it and it won’t matter anyway.

To solve the problem, you’re saying you have a shot at looking at things objectively and coming up with some ideas - some of them may work, some of them may not work, but you’re here to test them experimentally through computer simulation, and to explore possibilities not allowed in the conventional world.

The first thing you have to do is open your mind. It is a rare entity, common sense. It takes persistence and patience, patience, patience, and more patience. u

By Kimberly Ballard / Photo by Steve Babin

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Pressing on Through Pandemic, Marvinia Adams Named Catalyst Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year

By Lori Connors / Photos by Steve Babin

Marvinia Adams, owner of Martinizing dry-cleaning and this year’s Catalyst Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year award winner, has plenty of reasons to celebrate.

After taking over the local drycleaning franchise in June 2019, Adams recently passed the two-year mark. In any other given year, this would be noteworthy, but during one of the most daunting times in modern history, it has been quite a feat.

With nearly everyone working from home during the pandemic, dry cleaning was not a much-needed service.

Martinizing took a huge hit.

Almost overnight, Adams shifted gears from counter service to route service. At first, sales were down 94%, then steadied at 75% below target for several months. Eventually, it leveled out at 40%.

It took until April 2021 for the business to get back to pre-pandemic sales numbers.

It took a combination of faith and patience for Adams to weather the storm.

“Last year was unique, it was challenging,” said Adams. “I needed to have a lot of patience to ride out the moment. It was very frustrating. The hardest thing was the unknown, things kept changing all the time. I knew that I wasn’t in it alone. My spirituality kept me going.”

Adams has always had a heart for service, especially to her country. Having enough credits to graduate high school early, Adams left school and enlisted in the Army at just 17 years old. After her four-year stint with the Army, Adams went on to spend another seven years with the National Guard.

With 11 years in service to her country under her belt, Adams stepped out of the fatigues and entered the world of contracting as a military civilian. Originally based in Columbia, S.C., Adams has held a variety of contracting positions with the Department of Defense, the Army, the Corps of Engineers, and ACC.

In 2015, Adams relocated to the “mecca for contracting jobs” - Redstone Arsenal. Her family stayed behind. Every other weekend, Adams made the six-hour drive back home.

It was in 2016, when the unthinkable happened – her husband was diagnosed with cancer. He soldiered on for 15 months before succumbing to the disease. As a widow, Adams found herself in the position of “What next?”

Enterpreneurship a way of life

Adams and her husband had been bitten early on by the entrepreneur bug. They had started two businesses, a lawn care service and Nhance Revolutionary Wood Renewal, which was mainly her husband’s business.

“As an entrepreneur, you never want a 9-5,” said Adams.

To that end, she researched various entrepreneurial avenues. “I looked at a whole lot of things,” she said.

Then, her daughter reminded her of her early dreams of owning a laundromat.

Since there was a much better return on investment for a drycleaning service than there was for a laundromat, Adams seriously began looking into dry-cleaning businesses. She wasn’t sure whether she would ultimately land in Columbia or remain in Huntsville. She decided to take root wherever there was a dry cleaner that was ready to sell their franchise.

One thing Adams noticed was that none of Huntsville area dry cleaners offered pickup and delivery services, something that was a plus in favor for her.

When 5 Points Dry Cleaners was for sale, Adams jumped at the opportunity and acquired its three locations: Pratt Avenue and Providence Main in Huntsville and, in Madison, at the corner of Shelton Road and Madison Boulevard.

Community service valued

The Catalyst Center places a high value on community service and Adams was also recognized for her involvement with several local organizations, including the Women’s Economic Development Council, the Huntsville-Madison Chamber of Commerce, Tennessee Valley Networking, Pathway2Success, and Heals for Real.

“As a contracting professional, I knew of the Catalyst,” said Adams. “I got involved with the Catalyst and their training workshops. A friend saw the award and nominated me and I got to pick the category.

“I selected ‘Veteran’ to honor my late husband, as well as my own 11 years in the military.”

Adams, a mother to three – a 31-year-old stepson, a 29-year-old daughter and a 25-year-old son – said service is important to her.

“Martinizing Dry Cleaning prides itself on customer service,” she said. “It’s how we differentiate ourselves from other dry cleaners.

“Service has been the story of my public sector career and I’ve made it one with my business.” u