Aqwest Technology Portfolio
About Us

Cutting Edge Technologies

for US Government and Other Prestigious Organizations

Aqwest LLC is a science and technology innovations company that develops and commercializes cutting-edge solutions in photonics, thermal management and energy efficiency. Our objective is to make new generations of electronic, photonic, thermal, and energy systems vastly more compact, lightweight, and efficient than current designs.

With customers such as US Army ARDEC, US Air Force Research Laboratory, Missile Defense Agency, US Navy, NASA, and US Department of Energy, Aqwest is well respected in the laser photonics, thermal management, and energy efficiency sectors.

We are a United States-based small business, in operation since 2008. We are not owned by a large corporate entity or a venture capital group. Our main, wholly-owned facility is nested in the beautiful Front Range foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, USA; about halfway between Denver and Colorado Springs, and 15 miles North of the US Air Force Academy. Our laser laboratory is in Newbury Park, California, about 7 miles southeast of the Point Mugu Naval Air Station.

We have a passion for innovation. Our team members are inventors / co-inventors to over 100 US patents.

Charged People, Cool Technology, Excellence as a Way of Life

The Aqwest team is composed of highly-experienced professionals with a passion for excellence who are experts within scientific, business, and legal fields. Our technical team includes senior scientists and engineers, many at PhD level, with a proven track record in innovation and superior expertise in physics, chemistry, fluid dynamics, electro-optics, heat transfer, and other relevant disciplines. Our external associates include distinguished university scholars.

Aqwest Founder and President

Aqwest LLC was founded by John Vetrovec, an internationally recognized scientist with a rich history of innovation and commercialization of breakthrough technologies.  His inventions have enabled hundreds of millions of new business revenues.  John has been recognized as a versatile and prolific innovator/author with over 50 US patents issued or pending and over 70 publications in refereed journals and conference proceedings. His prior appointments include Technical Fellowship at The Boeing Company (1988-2006), research project management at TRW Inc. (now Northrop-Grumman Space Technologies) (1978-1988), and technical leadership of projects at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) (1983-1988).  John has a BA and MA in mathematics and an MS in Electrical Engineering / Plasma Physics; all from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).  John is currently the president of Aqwest LLC.

Aqwest Chief Engineer

David Filgas, Aqwest Chief Engineer, is a widely respected technical leader and innovator in photonics where he specializes in the development of cutting edge laser systems for applications including defense, high energy lasers, remote sensing, material processing, and free space communications. Dave is the world authority on high power planar waveguide (PWG) lasers. He is a proven leader capable of managing and motivating cross-functional teams in fast-paced environments with challenging technical objectives. He holds over 30 patents and authored numerous publications. His prior appointments include Senior Engineering Fellowship at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (2002-2017) and technical leadership at industrial laser developers GSI Lumonics, Hobart, and Martek (1990-2002). Dave has a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering, both from the Stanford University.

Careers

We’re a different kind of R&D company. We hire top talent as we hold ourselves accountable – to our customers and to each other. We form teams with our customers to ensure their success – delivering unique solutions that get the job done far better and more cost-effectively than ever thought possible.

Supported by energizing, fast-paced environment, our employees solve problems that affect millions of people every day! Our products and solutions are extraordinary examples of American ingenuity combined with roll-up-your-sleeves hard work and a steady focus on purpose.

At this time, there are no specific open positions

  • laser physics engineering, and modeling, including the use of codes such as ZEMAX and GLAD codes
  • general physics & modeling, especially using COMSOL code suite
  • mechanical, electrical, electronic, and chemical engineering
  • intellectual property management
  • business development
  • project and contract management

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