Executive Leadership

Bryan’s personal philosophy is to go the extra mile for employees, customers, and business partners. As an Ironman triathlete and marathoner, he knows exactly what that means! Combined with this philosophy, Bryan’s entrepreneurial spirit has propelled Epsilon Systems from its original 1998 Mail Boxes Etc. address to a company with over 1,000 employees and 20 locations around the country.

He and Epsilon Systems have been recognized for various outstanding military, community service, and business achievements, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the Small Business of the Year awards.

Concurrently with Epsilon Systems, he established the ESSential Foundation, which funds military support organizations, wounded warrior caregivers, international micro-finance, religious, educational, and sports organizations, and programs supporting troubled youth.

Born in South Korea, Bryan came to America in 1972. One of his proudest career accomplishments is having served our nation. Upon completing his NROTC and nuclear power training, he served aboard USS Pogy (SSN-647) and completed his active duty service at Naval Sea Systems Command.

He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California and Virginia Tech, respectively. He also holds a Master in Public Administration (MPA) degree from Harvard Kennedy School and completed Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management (OPM) Program. Complementing his academic achievements, he has served on numerous business, community, and school boards; he is currently on the boards of Endeavor Bank, USC Viterbi School of Engineering, and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

Bryan resides in San Diego with his wife, Julie, and together they helped co-found a Bible church. They are also the benefactors of the Min Family Challenge, an annual social entrepreneurship engineering competition they helped establish in partnership with USC.

Jim serves as the Senior Vice President of Administration, overseeing Human Resources, Contracts, Purchasing, Security, Information Technology, and Facilities. He joined Epsilon Systems in 2019 as the Director of Contracts and has over 20 years of defense industry experience.

Jim is a strong believer in the “Servant Leadership” philosophy where the leader shares power, puts the needs of employees first, and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. He also embraces the concept that “Learning by Doing” is the best way to tackle both the opportunities and challenges that come with running the day-to-day operations of any type of entrepreneurial business.

As a San Diego native, Jim loves a wide variety of outdoor activities that are ideally suited to the Southern California climate including hiking, biking, paddleboarding, and strength training. He enjoys frequent trips up the California Coast with his family which includes his wife, daughter, and two golden retrievers. As an avid music buff, Jim loves attending outdoor concerts and music festivals, especially classic and modern rock.

Prior to entering the defense industry, Jim served as an officer in the U.S. Navy and received his commission through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University of San Diego.

Jim holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of San Diego, a Master of Science Degree in Business Administration from San Diego State University (SDSU), and is a National Contract Management Association (NCMA) Certified Professional Contract Manager.

Away from work, Jim is a part-time faculty member at SDSU’s Global Campus where he teaches contract management courses in support of its professional certificate program which he believes is the perfect platform to share his “Servant Leadership” philosophy and “Learning by Doing” approach.

Alyx Schmidt serves Epsilon Systems as Senior Vice President of Finance. Alyx began her career at Epsilon Systems in 2007, serving in positions including Business Development Associate for the Chief Operating Officer, Program Manager for the company’s largest contract, and Corporate Financial Manager for the Chief Financial Officer. Most recently, Alyx served as the Director of Finance responsible for oversight of the financial planning and analysis as well as the rates and budgets functions at Epsilon Systems.

Alyx is a California native. However, her adult education started abroad with a certificate in International Protocol from Institut Villa Pierrefeu in Glion, Switzerland. Upon returning to the U.S., she obtained her undergraduate degree in International Business, followed by a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from San Diego State University.

Throughout her career, Alyx continued to dedicate herself to the defense industry through volunteer work at organizations such as the San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC) and National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). Today, Alyx serves a Past President of the San Diego Chapter of NDIA.

Jim Achenbach is the Senior Vice President of the Ship Repair Sector. In this role, Jim oversees the company’s ship repair business and he also acts as General Manager of the Southwest Region in San Diego and Hawaii. Before this appointment, Jim served as our Director of Operations for Fleet Sustainment San Diego.

Prior to joining Epsilon Systems, Jim served in leadership positions at BAE Jacksonville, Mayport, and San Diego. Before entering the defense industry, he served in a number of positions as a career Civil Servant for the U.S. Navy with his last position as Executive Director, Southwest Regional Maintenance Center.

Jim holds a Bachelor’s Degree from New York Maritime and is a licensed Chief Engineer in the United States Merchant Marine.

John is driven every day by the duty to exceed our customers’ expectations and the duty we have to the welfare of our employees and their families. As an employee-owned company, we are all in this together and John strives every day to make a difference in the lives of our customers and employees.

John has over 30 years of experience in acquisition and program management, including extensive experience and technical knowledge in program management, contract and financial management, proposal preparation and evaluation, earned value management, value stream mapping, supply chain management, operational logistics, and graduate-level instruction/facilitation. With his 18 years of experience at Epsilon Systems, John sets his focus on the development of the company’s next generation. Having served as an adjunct professor at various colleges for years, he takes the opportunity to share his experience and give back to the organization that took a chance on him years ago.

John is a retired Naval Supply Corps Officer, having served onboard a submarine, cruiser, aircraft carrier, and a deployment supporting the U.S. Army in Bosnia. He holds degrees in economics from the University of Buffalo, masters from the Naval Post Graduate School and is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM). John is a member the Tidewater Community College Management Advisory board. He resides in Virginia Beach, devoted to his family and especially his two grandchildren.

Mike Fabel, a U.S. Navy and defense industry veteran, serves as the Executive Vice President of Epsilon Systems’ Technology and Technical Services. In this role, he oversees Mission Services, Epsilon C5I, Advanced Products, and Technology Solutions.

Prior to joining Epsilon Systems, Mike was Site Executive for the Raytheon facility in San Diego, CA. During his two-decade tenure with Raytheon, he has served in various roles, including engineering, program leadership, business capture lead, as well as Senior Program Manager for the U.S. Navy's Ship Self Defense System (SSDS) program, responsible for development, delivery, and integration of the combat management system used on aircraft carriers and amphibious ships. Part of Raytheon's strategic business development group, Mike led teams responsible for developing and proposing solutions for the United States military and its global allies, providing integrated systems, installation, and training support for maritime surface and subsurface warfare, command and control, combat systems, navigation, and ship integration for naval combatants. He also served as capture manager and program manager for integrated combat systems opportunities with the U.S. Navy, where he led the development of multiple strategic partnerships across the industry to create solutions for international combat systems.

Before joining Raytheon, Mike served for six years as a nuclear-trained submarine officer in the U.S. Navy, completing multiple deployments to the western Pacific. He continued to serve as a reserve submarine officer while working for Raytheon, supporting underway Submarine Advisory Teams and submarine rescue until he retired from the Navy in 2012.

Mike holds an MBA from Chaminade University in Honolulu, HI, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara.

During his free time, Mike enjoys road trips with his family and working on classic cars and motorcycles. He is active with the San Diego Navy League and helps his daughter raise puppies as a volunteer with Guide Dogs for the Blind.