The Right Stuff is a book from 1979 that was later made into a blockbuster 1983 movie of the same name.

Nearly a half-century later, Radiance Technologies CEO William C. Bailey Jr. turned the phrase again during a ribbon-cutting ceremony that drew luminaries from near and far Monday at the engineering contractor’s campus in Cummings Research Park.

Bailey took late author Thomas Wolfe’s book title and expanded on it while addressing a crowd gathered to celebrate the opening of the Research & Innovation Center that bears Bailey’s name.

“The keys to Radiance’s success are the right place at the right time and with the right stuff,’’ Bailey said on a sun-splashed but cool mid-morning two days after the defense-oriented company celebrated its 26th birthday.

The moment drew Congressmen Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) and Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) while the U.S. House of Representatives was in recess. Others in attendance included representatives from the offices of Alabama senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville.

State representatives Rex Reynolds, Andy Witt and Parker Moore made appearances as did all the usual local suspects — mayors Tommy Battle of Huntsville and Paul Finely of Madison and Madison County Commission Chair Mac McCutcheon.

Jeff Samz, Huntsville Hospital Health System president and CEO, served as emcee. He is also the board chair for the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce.

“This is a company that’s not only dedicated to national security,’’ he said, “but also making this a better place to live here locally.’’

The Right Place

Bailey’s three ingredients to Radiance’s success starts with the “right place — Huntsville, Alabama,’’ he said. “There’s no better place to start a company in this world than Huntsville, Alabama. We are in 10 different states and we have people in 22 different states, and the one thing I can tell you is the secret sauce in Huntsville is you nurture start-ups, you nurture your small businesses, everybody pulls in the same direction.’’

Bailey researched other companies nation-wide and concluded the percentage of those surviving at least 25 years is in single digits, and the number shrinks when considering over a hundred million dollars in sales.

“There’s no place like Huntsville, Alabama,’’ he added.

The Right Time

Radiance took flight in a four-office suite at the now-shuttered Executive Plaza Office Park off Sparkman Drive, before moving to Cummings Research Park. The company’s growth, which included the 2022 ground-breaking for the new center, has roots in Congress.

“We had Senator (Richard) Shelby, we’ve got Robert Aderholt, we’ve got Dale Strong, we’ve got Katie Britt, we’ve got Coach (Tuberville),’’ Bailey said. “The time has been right for the last 25 years. We have the City of Huntsville, we have Redstone (Arsenal). But one thing we do well is we take care of each other. We pull in the same direction and we make sure that this ecosystem we call Huntsville, Alabama stays robust and stays where it needs to be.’’

The Right Stuff

The heroes in the book and movie were astronauts and test pilots, but in Bailey’s usage they keep their feet on the ground.

“That right stuff is employee ownership,’’ he said. “We’re a hundred percent owned by our employees. Nobody owns stock in Radiance except for somebody who has been an employee. And that motivates people. That gives people purpose. You know, in today’s world they say the thing that drives the younger generation is purpose. And so the employee ownership provides that. It provides the rocket fuel that is needed for us to be able to do what we do.’’

As a show of company solidarity, the four most senior and four newest employees were among the ribbon holders for the cutting.

Meanwhile, Strong (R-Monrovia), a Sparkman High School graduate whose District 5 includes Madison County, said Bailey and Radiance employees deserve a “thank you’’ for their defense work and as ambassadors for the Rocket City.

“Radiance does great work for our national security, the US war fighter intelligence, cyber directed energy, AI, hypersonics and space,’’ he said. “(They’re) working to make sure the rest of the country knows what Huntsville and Radiance has to offer.’’

Aderholt, whose District 4 includes Marshall County, works alongside Strong on the House Committee on Appropriations.

“I just want to say it’s a real pleasure for me to represent our state and our nation’s capital, but also to represent North Alabama and to work with the rest of my delegation to make sure that our region of the state stands strong and stands for our national offense,’’ he said.

“So congratulations to Radiance on this new facility.’’