Blackwood Associates, Inc. was founded by Linda and Bob Blackwood in Ashton, MD on January 1st, 1977 with the vision of creating a stronger connection between the unique needs of our industry and the technology manufacturers that support it. Blackwood began focusing on developing a highly technical sales channel that would allow new technology manufacturers to connect with the entities that could most strongly benefit from their innovation. After signing Tri-Com, additional manufacturers such as Reaction Instruments, TRAK Systems, Triton Engineering, and Hekimian Labs quickly jumped on board.

In 1979, Mr. Blackwood hired Rick Morris directly out of college to focus on sales development for Triton Engineering and Hekimian Labs as a Manufacturer’s Representative in the Mid-Atlantic region. He had no idea at the time that Rick would go on to marry his oldest daughter Pam- They have now been happily married for over 40 years.

Blackwood quickly became synonymous with cutting-edge technology and as industry became more dependent on large computer networks, we led the charge with products that made monitoring these networks possible. Working with companies such as Digilog, Navtel, Datatel, Tekelec, and IXIA, Blackwood quickly became a trusted advisor for Network Monitoring and Operations. With increased reliance on PCs and more widespread use of the internet, an industry that was once very specialized now enjoyed a much larger audience, and as the industry changed so did Blackwood.

Pam and Rick Morris purchased Blackwood in 2002 and expanded corporate competencies to include proactive network monitoring, network automation and network security. Multiple contract vehicles were added and as our reputation fostered expansion, Blackwood restructured to better meet the needs of its expanding customer base. The Commercial division was formed to provide greater domain expertise in highly regulated verticals as the Federal team continued to focus on Civilian, DOD, and Special Programs.