Team

Katie Bigelow, President and Founder

With the vision of Warfighters Serving Warfighters, this defense contracting company focuses on three primary competencies including program management, engineering, and business development. Mettle Ops launched in 2013 and now holds $52 million in contracts that focus on materials and solutions for soldier survivability.  Katie’s nontraditional approach continues to redefine the government defense space.

Katie served her country as a soldier for more than 10 years. As an Army Aviator, she piloted and commanded missions in Korea and Iraq as well as the United States. Katie spent the bulk of her aviation career as a medical evacuation pilot carrying injured American heroes from the battlefield to safety.

The Bigelow family motto is “Never Give Up”. Katie and Mark raise their own army of eight children in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

Mark Bigelow, Vice President of Growth and Strategy

As a strong leader, mentor, manager, and business developer, Mark Bigelow manages programs and develops Mettle Ops to cultivate company growth. He’s a visionary who specializes in building strong relationships, strategic thinking, and creative solutions. Mark’s accomplishments range from serving as the first Manager for Michigan Area Operation to capturing a $9 million sole source contract to support TARDEC with T&E Survivability support. Mark brings dynamic project management skills and leadership experience while serving as the Vice President of Operations at Mettle Ops.

Mark served his country as a US Army Artillery officer and Acquisition Corps officer and bravely led 100 soldiers and 27 combat vehicles in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has retired after more than 23 years of active duty and will always be a leader of soldiers at heart.

Kurt H. Ansorge, Chief Engineer

Kurt is the engineering leader and technical project manager for Mettle Ops. He has over 25 years of experience as an engineer serving the defense industry. He is a goal-oriented leader with extensive experience in engineering, research, and project management. Kurt has worked on numerous programs including robotics, hybrid vehicles, armor, mobility, and automotive systems. He has managed both automotive and military projects from planning through execution and delivery. He is well versed in testing and test support for Government programs including on-site support.

Kurt and his wife, Christine, have six children.

P.J. McMullen, Senior Program Manager

P.J. joined the Mettle Ops team in 2021 as a senior program manager. He has over 20 years of senior leadership experience in managing projects/programs comprised of companies and staff with diverse engineering and scientific backgrounds on R&D and design, development, and prototyping efforts. P.J. has been directly responsible for over $30M in project revenue and budgets throughout his career. He also has a multi-discipline engineering background with primary expertise in mechanical and welding engineering. He has a strong business development background with experience in military and commercial sector solicitation, including US Army, Air Force, Navy, and National Guard programs and projects.

P.J. and his wife, Amy, have seven children.

Danielle Birchard, Operations Manager

Danielle joined Mettle Ops in 2016 and has added her expertise to the organization over her years with the company. She took over the Human Resource and Security functions early in her career, and now manages those departments, as well as several others. Her knowledge of the company and its industry is utilized in employee relations, business development, customer and vendor support, contracts, marketing, security, and general administration.

Danielle has two Bachelors of Science from Oakland University in both Operations Management and Human Resources Management.