John Ladd spent nearly 30 years working at SMS, culminating as Chief Operations Officer before his retirement in June 2026. However, his career began at the Pentagon, which is where he was during the September 11, 2001 attack. Below is an article based on an interview with John just before his retirement.
In September 2001, SMS was a small company, barely sixty people. Yet on September 11, when the Pentagon was struck and the impossible became immediate, SMS was everywhere. Not because of size. Not because of titles. But because of trust, preparation, and people.
Twenty-five years later, as SMS marks its 50th year, John Ladd’s memory of that time offers a powerful reminder of what the company has always stood for.
Before the Day That Changed Everything
Long before September 11, SMS was deeply embedded in one of the most complex engineering efforts in the federal Government: the Pentagon Renovation Program. At the time, SMS supported the program under multiple prime contracts, supplying key leaders across architecture, networking, and operational teams. Though small, SMS engineers served in critical roles, often as the connective tissue across competing organizations.
“We were tiny,” Ladd recalls. “But we were influential.”
SMS personnel were present across nearly every major IT group in the building. Internally, they joked about the purple lanyards they wore—earning the nickname “the Purple Mafia.” Externally, they were trusted advisors with deep institutional knowledge of how the Pentagon’s systems actually worked. That preparation would matter more than anyone knew.
September 11, 2001
John Ladd was inside the Pentagon Renovation Program’s modular office complex when he saw the explosion outside his window. At first, he assumed it was a helicopter accident, but within minutes, reality set in. As communications collapsed and cell networks failed under massive load, SMS leadership focused on one thing: accountability. They needed to find their people and confirm who was safe.
Within an hour, the Modular Office Complex was evacuated. Employees were forced to leave laptops, vehicles, and personal items behind. With no access to phones, computers, or television, the group walked toward Arlington Cemetery, watching smoke billow from the building.
“It was surreal,” Ladd says. “The weirdest part came later – driving past the Pentagon at 3:30 in the afternoon on I‑395 with no traffic at all.”
Recovery Begins Immediately
Even before employees reached home, planning had started. Because SMS engineers were deeply involved across Pentagon networking, communications, and operations programs, recovery responsibilities aligned naturally with existing roles. The Pentagon’s Wedge 1, recently renovated and into operational turnover, was destroyed. Thousands of displaced personnel needed to be relocated. Critical communications systems were damaged. Underground fiber paths were severed.
Within 72 hours, recovery teams were standing up. Within days, empty buildings in Crystal City were identified as emergency “swing space” for displaced Pentagon workers. They had no IT infrastructure. No cabling. No network. No phones. SMS was tasked with building them anyway.
Five Days, No Sleep, One Mission
Ladd was asked to lead the effort. Drawing on his prior experience as a government employee within the Pentagon Renovation Program, and his detailed technical knowledge of the environment, he coordinated SMS engineers, General Dynamics teams, and numerous partners across contracts. For five days, the work ran continuously.
“I didn’t sleep,” Ladd recalls. “None of us did.”
Over 30 SMS engineers worked 24/7, many of them not assigned to the contract, volunteering simply because the mission mattered. Cisco equipment was ordered, approved, and shipped at a time when all flights nationwide were grounded. One exception was made: a cargo flight delivering network infrastructure for Pentagon recovery. Fiber lines had to be secured. When no clear authority existed, the government invoked eminent domain. John, an SMS contractor, found himself explaining national security requirements directly to Verizon leadership. Days later, connectivity was restored and thousands of workers returned to operations. The mission continued.
A Culture Revealed, Not Created
When asked whether 9/11 reshaped SMS’ culture, Ladd pauses.
“I don’t know which came first,” he says. “The culture—or the moment.”
Even before 2001, SMS operated with a simple ethos: see a problem, fix it. We actually had coffee mugs made that ‘borrowed’ the Apollo 13 theme “Failure is not an option”. Titles didn’t matter and contracts didn’t matter; what mattered was getting it done. September 11 didn’t invent that mindset, but it revealed it under the most extreme conditions imaginable.
Fifty Years Forward
Not many people have heard the full story of SMS’ role after September 11, which may be intentional. SMS has never measured success by headlines, but by trust earned over time. As SMS celebrates 50 years in business, SMS’ story serves not as a look backward alone, but as a guide forward. When the mission matters most, preparation, teamwork, and integrity are what endure. That was true in 2001 and remains true today.
In the March 2002 issue of VARBusiness, author Carl Lindemann interviewed John Ladd about his experience during Sept. 11 and the following days. Read the original article below:
