Year Inducted: 2023
Angel R. “Rey” Almodóvar is an engineer, entrepreneur, business executive, philanthropist, mentor, and servant of mankind. A visionary and life-long learner, he was the product of a working-class family from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Before co-founding INTUITIVE, Almodóvar worked 14 years as a civilian in the United States Army, working his way from an intern for the Army Material Command in Texarkana, Texas, to a manager for the Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal. He began his Army civilian career after graduating with a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Puerto Rico in 1984. He later earned a master’s degree in business administration from Texas A&M University-Texarkana in 1985 and a master’s in engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1991. He became a licensed Professional Engineer in 1991.
His civilian assignments in Texas, Arkansas, and Alabama included technical, production, and programmatic support to weapon systems such as the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), the PATRIOT Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3), and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile systems. Arriving in Huntsville in 1998, Almodóvar was selected as manager for the Aviation Manufacturing Technology Center, or ManTech, where he was responsible for the air vehicle project portfolio.
Stepping into entrepreneurship in 1999, Harold Brewer and Almodóvar co-founded INTUITIVE, which grew to be one of the premiere engineering and technology companies in Cummings Research Park, supporting critical projects while steering the company to be socially minded in efforts to strengthen northern Alabama.
As INTUITIVE’s first employee, president, chief executive, and chairman, Almodóvar was the driving force behind the company’s goal to provide technically sound and competitively priced services that deliver value for government and commercial customers. He spearheaded innovations in the company’s services in data analytics, cloud engineering, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and digital engineering, as well as data science and visualization.
Appointed to the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission (ASSEC) in 2016 and serving as the commission chair, he guided a partnership between the U.S. Space and Rocket Center to install the state-of-the-art INTUITIVE® Planetarium in 2019.
Almodóvar’s other leadership roles were with the Business Council of Alabama, where he served as a member of the executive commitee. He has worked on two governor-appointed commissions and has been instrumental in workforce development in North Alabama on the advisory board for the Advanced Manufacturing Integration Center. He served as economic
development vice chair and board chair of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce.
Almodóvar’s individual awards and recognition for INTUITIVE include Entrepreneur of the Year by the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC), the national and regional Prime Contractor and CEO of the Year awards by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Medaris Award for excellence in industrial preparedness, the Association of the U.S. Army(AUSA) Cocklin Award for his lifetime support of the U.S. Army, the Davidson Award for leadership in missile defense and space technology, and the Best Place to Work at the local and national level. Almodóvar and his family have been recognized with philanthropy awards by the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville, the Red Cross, and the American Heart Association.
Over his 38-year career, he has made a significant mark in Alabama as an engineer, business executive, innovator, and servant leader. Rey Almodóvar is a role model known for leading with not only a brilliant mind but with tremendous heart. Rey and his wife, Cynthia, reside in Huntsville and are proud parents and enjoy being grandparents.
