Rita Peterson is a busy woman. She runs a truly 21st-century company, one of the only woman-owned, Native American– owned, HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone)-certified engineering services firms serving the Department of Defense around the country, around the globe, and even into space. Her brainchild, Caribou Th under LLC, is headquartered on the Lac Courte d’Oreilles Ojibwe Reservation in Hayward, Wis.
Since she started the enterprise 11 years ago, Peterson has seen her star rise steadily. In 2015 she was honored as HUBZone Owner of the Year by the Small Business Administration and recognized for her outstanding service to the Native American community — including STEM educational outreach initiatives. “Th e award is definitely an honor, and I credit our strong commitment to service, and that of our partners,” says Peterson. “Commitment and partnership are really at the heart of our business.”
While she often finds herself in the spotlight these days, Peterson was far from the center of attention while growing up in suburban Ham Lake, Minn. In the public schools there — about 200 miles from the White Earth Reservation where her father grew up — Peterson’s talents went largely unnoticed from elementary school through 12th grade. “I was determined, but teachers never really encouraged me,” she recalls. “I felt almost invisible. Th ere weren’t any other Native students; I was one of only four minorities in a graduating class of almost 700.”
After high school, Peterson enrolled at a local community college. Two years later, she left to get married and moved to southern Minnesota with her husband, and then had a baby daughter. She took an administrative assistant job working for the state’s Department of Health, which led to a higher-level post at a nearby state prison. Meanwhile, by the time her daughter turned five, Peterson also had a three-year-old son and was raising both children on her own as a single mom.
Make that a very talented single mom. “An associate warden at the prison said to me, ‘I don’t want to lose you, but you’re not a receptionist,’” recalls Peterson. “He said, ‘You really should be in marketing or sales or both because that’s what you’re gifted at; you really need to leave here.’” Soon thereafter, another warden told her virtually the same thing. Peterson took their advice, got a job selling copiers, and ended up being one of her new employer’s top national salespeople. From there, she was recruited to sell consulting solutions during the dot-com boom of the 1990s.
She continued to connect the dots. In 2000 Peterson met her future business partner, Dan Dokman, and soon thereafter they started a company specializing in IT consulting placements. That led to an introduction to Lockheed Martin, which in turn led Peterson to become cofounder and CEO of Caribou Thunder (also known as CTL Resources). The company has gained an international reputation for its engineering expertise working alongside heavyweights such as Lockheed and Northrop Grumman, supporting defense programs globally.
On a typical day, Peterson’s company manages nearly 90 engineers highly trained in technologies including cyber security, command and control systems, surveillance, underwater programs, and ground-to-air defense systems, as well as data distribution from NASA Earth observing satellites. Their classified work takes place in 29 states as well as in countries from the Middle East to Asia and Europe. “If you work really hard, eventually you will find yourself surrounded by other people who work just as hard. It can be a wonderful thing to be aligned with the right people who are willing to show up for you,” says Peterson. “And we have terrific customers with strong diversity programs, which I believe really makes a difference.”
Just as gratifying, this CEO who was never able to finish college has dedicated herself to helping others achieve that goal. Caribou Thunder sponsors STEM-related scholarships for White Earth Reservation elementary school students to go to NASA Space Camp, as well as undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral AISES scholarships. “I didn’t have anyone to recognize my abilities when I was growing up, and I want young people to have that,” she explains. “We want to see Native kids graduate with high school diplomas.”
The company has also extended financial “scholarships” to small businesses and advised in their development and growth. “We want to generate interest in — and passion for — STEM careers,” says Peterson, a Sequoyah Fellow who cofounded the North Star AISES Alliance and Professional Chapter with Dr. Mark Bellcourt.
“It has to start with you,” she adds. “Never let somebody tell you what you can and cannot be. Not every day is going to be easy, and some days might be very hard — and that’s when attitude can make all the difference. It certainly has for me.”
