Melpar

The story of how Washington’s technology business unfolded during the 20th century would be incomplete without a discussion of Melpar. From the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s Melpar Inc was the preeminent technological company in Washington–not only was it the largest private employer in the capital area; it was also one of the nation’s top electronics research firms. For a ten-year period it served as a national asset that was heavily relied upon by the Government to solve a wide range of scientific, military and technological problems during the Cold War period.