NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA — Delphinus Engineering has created a chief strategy officer role and added a former senior Navy procurement official to its board as the defense contractor positions for growth in naval maintenance, modernization and sustainment amid rising demand for fleet readiness work.
Gray Beck will serve as chief strategy officer, overseeing corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and integration across Delphinus. Jerry Punderson has joined the company’s board of directors.
Delphinus, a portfolio company of Bluestone Investment Partners, provides maintenance, modernization and industrial services to the U.S. Navy and maritime defense sector. The company is expanding its leadership team as federal investment in maritime industrial capacity increases demand for ship maintenance and modernization capabilities.
“Together, they strengthen both how we build our company and how we serve our customers,” Delphinus Chief Executive Officer Roby Lentz stated, referring to Beck and Punderson.
Beck most recently served as chief financial officer of cBEYONData, another former Bluestone portfolio company, where he led the finance organization through its 2025 sale to SMX.
Before that, Beck was chief financial officer of Quadel Consulting and helped lead the company through its 2021 sale to System One. He previously held the same role at Klein-Hersh International.
At Delphinus, Beck will focus on organic growth and acquisitions intended to broaden the company’s technical capabilities and support its Navy-focused operations.
Punderson brings more than four decades of government and defense-industry experience. He spent 33 years in federal service and served as director of contracts at Naval Sea Systems Command from 2009 to 2014.
In that role, Punderson oversaw more than $30 billion in annual obligations tied to Navy shipbuilding and weapons programs.
After leaving government, he served as senior vice president of defense and intelligence at the Professional Services Council and later as chief operating officer and executive vice president of Gryphon Technologies.
At Gryphon, Punderson helped guide the company through investment by AE Industrial Partners and its acquisition by ManTech in 2021.
“Fleet readiness depends on the industrial base’s ability to maintain and modernize ships at the pace the Navy requires,” Punderson stated.
Bluestone Managing Partner John Allen stated that the appointments support Delphinus’ acquisition strategy and broader expansion across naval maintenance and modernization.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.