Eren Ozmen: The Dream Chaser

Her family didn’t have TV until she turned 17. Now, with her Dream Chaser space shuttle she is ready to send astronauts to space.

Razi Canikligil

Eren Ozmen is the driving force behind Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), transforming it from a small startup to a global leader in aerospace and defense. Eren’s journey from a small town in Turkey to the United States showcases resilience and determination. Despite facing challenges as an immigrant woman in a male-dominated industry, she persisted, leveraging her skills to contribute to SNC’s success. Eren emphasizes the importance of resilience, dreaming big, and staying true to values. At SNC, diversity and inclusion are prioritized through various initiatives, reflecting Eren’s belief in empowering everyone to reach their full potential. She draws inspiration from her mother, whose perseverance in the face of adversity taught her valuable life lessons. Eren’s leadership style emphasizes trust, transparency, and continuous personal and professional growth, driving SNC’s mission-focused approach to fostering innovation.

Eren Ozmen and her husband Fatih Ozmen are the driving force behind Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) the company’s remarkable journey, growing SNC from a small high-tech startup to a multi-billion-dollar global leader in aerospace and defense.

What motivated you to immigrate to the United States?

My family always prized education. We didn’t have a TV until I turned 17, so my sisters and I were encouraged to read as much as we could. It was very important to my parents that we focused on school. From everything that I read, America represented a country where anything was possible if you worked hard. I wanted to experience that, so I did everything in my power to make my dream a reality.

What role did resilience play in your journey to success?

For me, resilience is the ability to stand up stronger in the face of challenges. Resilience is something we all have and the more we practice it, the stronger we get.

I was born in Izmir but grew up in Diyarbakir, a small town in the eastern part of Turkiye. My parents were health workers and insisted my sisters and I pursue our education and instilled in us the importance of working hard. At the time, less than 1% of the girls in my small hometown made it through college. The year I graduated from high school, I lost my father in a car accident. I didn’t have any financial means to go to college, but-. I traveled to Ankara because there were no universities in my hometown. I was only 18 years old, but I was determined. I found a full-time job to pay for my own education and went to school at night. 

Jan. 14, 2016: NASA selected three commercial companies for the next round of missions to resupply the International Space Station, giving a vote of confidence to incumbents SpaceX and Orbital ATK and choosing a new player, Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC.) Unlike SpaceX and Orbital, which use capsules to deliver cargo, SNC has built an entirely different spacecraft called the Dream Chaser, a sort of miniature space shuttle that can land on runways like a commercial airplane.

During college, I spent all my time studying, working, and saving money to come to America for my MBA – something that was nearly unheard of for young girls from my hometown at the time. Finally, I saved enough for a one-way ticket to America. When I arrived here, I was only 22 years old, didn’t speak English and again had to work my way through my MBA. These were the hardest times, but it was the resilience I built in college which allowed me to make it through each day and every challenge, rising again just a little stronger than I had been before. There was no easy day, but I was young and doing what I believed was best for my future. After graduating, the computer skills I learned during my MBA helped me to get a job. Later, I joined SNC to help the company automate their business systems. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of my journey. Fatih and I were newly married and both working at SNC. In 1994, Fatih and I acquired SNC when it had only about 20 employees. We worked hard to turn the struggling company around while also raising two young children. These challenges made me stronger and more committed to my family and SNC.

Headquartered in Nevada, SNC’s diverse global team spans more than 40 locations worldwide. From engineers and scientists to cybersecurity experts and software developers, SNC’s highly skilled professionals dream, innovate, inspire and empower the next generation to transform humanity through technology and imagination.

She was on Forbes cover as an 
“America’s Richest Self-Made Women”
in May 2017

For me, resilience is one of the most important traits we can foster within ourselves. Resilience can take you from the bottom 1% to the top 1% — it’s not about luck. It’s about tenacity, hard work and believing in yourself.

How did you overcome challenges as an immigrant woman in a male-dominated industry?

As an immigrant, you often have to work harder than those around you. While completing my MBA, in addition to studying complex topics, I had to overcome language barriers. And later when I started working in the A&D industry, I had to work hard to prove and then re-prove myself as most of the time I was the only female in the room.

The constant state of working hard and rising above challenges instills a very strong work ethic. This work ethic is still a core driver for me today – nearly four decades later.   

What inspired Eren Ozmen to pursue ownership of SNC?

Fatih and I acquired SNC in 1994, but that story actually starts much earlier. I joined SNC in 1988 as a financial consultant. Late one night, I was at my desk working on converting SNC’s accounting system to an automated platform, and I realized that SNC was on the verge of going out of business. I realized SNC was miscalculating expenses in their estimates and as a result losing money on every contract. Immediately fixing this allowed the company to slowly become profitable again. Had the miscalculation not been fixed, the company would have likely gone out of business within a few months. A few years years later, we had the opportunity to acquire SNC. Fatih and I took a loan on our home to acquire the company and assumed all the company’s existing liabilities. This was a big risk for us, especially since our children were very young, but we knew that SNC’s best days were ahead and that with enough determination we could realize that vision. With my business, computer and financial abilities, and Fatih’s strategic vision, technical and engineering skills, we won our first major contract and then our next, slowly earning the trust of our customers by focusing on agility, affordability and performance. Once we brought the company to a healthy financial state, we redirected our focus to expand our capabilities and push the envelope by acquiring high potential, unique and diverse technologies and grew an extremely talented workforce. We acquired 20 other technology companies to diversify SNC. Nearly 40 years later, SNC is now a multi-billion global leader in aerospace and defense.

In 2014, Eren and Fatih Ozmen donated $5 million to the University of Nevada, Reno to create a permanent center for entrepreneurship at the university’s college of business.  And, launched a Women’s Initiative aimed at connecting innovative female entrepreneurs with leaders and established professionals and business owners in the community.

How do you empower other immigrant women in the workforce?

I have been fortunate to experience amazing opportunities and great success. My experiences have taught me many things such as:

Persist against all odds: Have the passion, the drive and the endurance to persist against all odds. There is no easy day. But any goal worth pursuing is worth the sacrifices to make it a reality. Allow your passion to drive you and give purpose to your actions each day. Dream big, and never stop dreaming: Have the courage to dream beyond your circumstances and never stop dreaming. Throughout my life, I worked to push past limited expectations for what was considered normal at the time. Even after setbacks, don’t lose sight of your dream, as it’s often in the times we face adversity that we actually achieve the most.

Stay true to your values: Stand for your principles. Tell it like it is. Make decisions based on the positive impact you will make. Always focus on the win-win for both sides and walk away from deals or partners or situations when they don’t feel right. In closing, stay focused, work harder than others do, never give up, and continuously advance and grow yourself to become an expert in your domain.

What values or principles guide your leadership style at Sierra Nevada Corporation?

At SNC, we are mission-focused and customers-first, always. The work we do saves lives and safeguards freedom. As a leader, I focus on building a team and culture rooted in trust, truth and transparency. In terms of company growth, I have always looked for win-win opportunities where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I like to say these are rare opportunities where 1+1=11. This has always been our approach to acquisitions and SNC’s growth, and has served us very well.

In terms of professional growth, I strive to always be a little better than the day before. This principle of continually challenging yourself is integral to how Fatih and I have accomplished all that we have over the years. I also challenge SNC employees—regardless of position or title—to embody this principle. This is how we grew SNC into a leading global company.

Can you discuss any specific initiatives or programs you have implemented to support diversity and inclusion?

Diversity and inclusion is very important to us at SNC. I believe that when we foster environments that empower and support everyone to reach their full potential, we create a better world. At SNC we have a number of initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion including various Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), an annual Women’s Conference, as well as an annual Women in STEM scholarship that provides financial support to women pursuing STEM-related degrees and matches them with a mentor at SNC.

What advice would you give to aspiring immigrant women entrepreneurs? Who are the most inspiring women for you and why?

Perhaps the person who has had the biggest impact on me is my mother. She showed me that there are no challenges too great to overcome. It just takes dedication, passion and hard work. She lost both her parents when she was only two years old. She went to boarding school for nursing and graduated top of her class. She was then sent to London to work as the lead nurse for the Turkish ambassador when she was only 20 years old.  When my sisters and I were young, my mother always made sure we focused on our studies, we were prepped and ready for school in pristine ironed clothes and we came home to a full family dinner – even though we didn’t have a kitchen or appliances at home and she was working full time. I still don’t know how she did it all. She was a living example to me every day that there are no challenges you can’t overcome – as long as you have a strong driving spirit inside of you.

Air Force awards SNC $13B contract for new ‘Doomsday’ plane

Ozmen’s company SNC will replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of four E-4B planes, known as Nightwatch or the National Airborne Operations Center, which typically transport the Defense Secretary but can also act as a mobile nuclear command and control outpost. This contract provides for the development and production of the SAOC Weapon System to include the delivery of engineering and manufacturing development aircraft, associated ground systems, production aircraft, and interim contractor support. Work is expected to be completed by 2036.

What is the secret for being happy power couple and stay together?

Fatih and I really are the ideal pair and complement each other. It’s really about being best friends first, building mutual trust and respect, humility and always finding ways to meet in the middle. Fatih is a creative thinker and problem solver. He has never-ending enthusiasm, broad knowledge, and technical expertise that guides SNC and our path forward. I am actively involved in SNC’s business management to ensure our continued growth and success. Fatih often has big, bold innovative ideas. Then I’m the one that makes sure we have the financial and business structure to execute and bring the idea to life. 

You are among the Top 10 Most Successful Self-Made Women as featured by Forbes Magazine, and have made the list since its inception in 2015. How did it happen?

I often think back to the young girl in our small home in Diyarbakir reading as many books as I could get my hands on. In my imagination, I traveled the world and experienced so many things through the characters in the books I read. I remember being inspired by America and the Land of Opportunity it represented. I am grateful for the incredible American Dream I’ve been fortunate to live. Now, what I hope for is that my story — a young girl who felt empowered to chase her dreams and didn’t shy away from working hard to accomplish them — can inspire a new world of possibility for the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs.