Blue Sky Innovators plans to add more than 30 employees and build a classified facility at its Reston headquarters. The defense technology firm is expanding to take on more work for the Department of Defense and intelligence community.

Founder and CEO Tim Tkacz told WTOP, which first reported the expansion, that the company hopes to grow by at least 25%. "We're about 120 people right now, and hope to be north of 150 or so by the end of next year," Tkacz said.

The firm is constructing a sensitive compartmented information facility, known as a SCIF, at its Reston headquarters. SCIFs are secure rooms where government and commercial clients with proper security clearances can handle classified material. Tkacz said the facility is tentatively set for completion in December, using the word "notionally" to describe the timeline.

He said the SCIF would accelerate the company's growth once operational.

Blue Sky Innovators has roughly two decades of experience in defense technology. The company's website lists core capabilities including electronic warfare, airborne intelligence, AI and machine learning, space and cyber operations. Beyond Reston, the firm operates offices in Tampa, Florida; Dayton, Ohio; Colorado Springs and Los Angeles.

The hiring push stands out against a cautious backdrop for the region's business community. A third-quarter survey by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Pinkston, which polled 169 CEOs and executives across Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington and Prince William counties, found only 32% of business leaders plan to add staff heading into the new year. Meanwhile, 58% expect to hold payrolls steady. Two-thirds of executives said they are optimistic about their own company, down from 77% in the second quarter, as we reported Oct. 9.

Tkacz told WTOP he considers himself "cautiously optimistic" and in "the continued growth camp." Asked whether the company's help-wanted sign is out, he confirmed it is.

No specific Reston address, square footage or permit details for the headquarters expansion have been disclosed. The next milestone is the tentative December completion of the SCIF.