Virginia Chamber’s DuVal to lead new ITA venture

Newport-News based government contractor ITA International announced Wednesday that Virginia Chamber of Commerce CEO Barry DuVal will be the new president and CEO of ITA Growth Partners, a newly created acquisition company designed to help ITA International expand.

ITA International CEO Mike Melo said ITA Growth Partners will officially launch operations on April 1. The goal of this new company is to acquire and grow small veteran-owned businesses across all sectors on behalf of ITA International. Melo told Virginia Business the target companies would complement ITA International and its existing customer base.

DuVal announced in September 2024 that he planned to retire from the chamber in early 2025.  Cathie J. Vick will take over as the chamber’s new leader, starting April 1.

In his new role with ITA, DuVal will lead outreach to veteran-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs and focus on owner transitions, acquisition strategies, evaluations and exit strategies.

“I am excited to begin this new chapter with ITA International and to lead ITA Growth Partners in its mission to support veteran-owned small businesses,” said DuVal in a statement. “ITA has a proven track record of turning challenges into opportunities, and I look forward to working with this talented team.”

DuVal has decades of public and private sector experience, having previously served as mayor of Newport News from 1990 to 1996, Secretary of Commerce and Trade for Virginia from 1998 to 2002 and most recently as the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s president and CEO.

During his almost 15 years with the Chamber of Commerce, the chamber grew from under 1,000 members to over 33,000 and launched key initiatives like the Blueprint Virginia economic development plan and the WiseChoice Healthcare Alliance.

“We are thrilled to welcome Barry to the ITA family,” said Melo in a statement. “Barry’s reputation as a dynamic leader who has transformed organizations and championed economic development aligns perfectly with our vision to support veterans in the government contracting community.”

In a previous announcement about the formation of ITA Growth Partners, Melo described veteran entrepreneurs as “the kind of high-performance leaders we want to invest in,” saying they are trained to solve complex problems, lead under pressure and adapt to change.

“ITA Growth Partners is our way of betting on their success and providing the capital and resources to accelerate their growth,” he said in a statement.

Headquartered in Newport News, ITA International offers services in a wide variety of areas, including data analytics, intelligence, logistics and technical support. It has 185 employees. The newly formed ITA Growth Partners will initially have five or six employees, some of which will also be working for ITA International.