About Us

Critical Ops is a woman-owned business founded and led by Chelsea Treboniak, a 2006 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

In 2011, Chelsea found herself staring down a long and unpaved road.

She had recently moved to Twinsburg, Ohio, after her husband, Chad, a United States Army Veteran, received a new duty station. She was restarting in a new town with new people in a new state. Again. But she’d been in those boots before as a West Point graduate and a U.S. Army veteran herself.

Chelsea decided to use her military background and the discipline it taught her to found Critical Ops in 2012. The business started as a two-person operation and experienced rapid growth in highly regulated industries. Chelsea decided early that she wanted Critical Ops to be an all-remote business so families like hers that were moving roughly every three years didn’t have to interrupt their employment. Today, we have teammates in 5 states working to push the envelope of innovation.

At the core of Critical Ops is our commitment to discovering new opportunities to effectively blend the human element with technology. To meet this goal, we focus on the integration needs of highly regulated industries and their vendors. We operate in a fail forward environment designing highly customized products and services at a best value to the client. We believe in a security first, human-centric approach and doing the little things, always.

The Team

Critical Ops’ all-star bench includes diligent and grounded workers who prove their passions every day. Our diverse team helps create a culture where people can embrace their talents and grow personally and professionally. We celebrate the wonderful things our team does, both at work and outside of it, because it means they can bring their true selves to work every day and put their strengths to good use, helping our clients foster their own strengths.

Our Community-Focused, Nationwide Reach

Living in five states in less than ten years, Chelsea became attuned to the communities’ unique needs in which she’s lived and worked and realized there isn’t a one-size-fits-all, prefabricated answer to any organization’s most pressing questions and challenges, regardless of its location or industry. Our integration services customize everything down to the most delicate details, and when we understand you and the legacy you want to leave, we can design your roadmap to achieve results. That means we take the time to really get to know our clients in a granular way.

Charging Forward

Now in our second decade of business, Critical Ops has evolved from its humble roots to serve as long-term partners in your success. We are the unbiased and extra set of eyes and ears to track your strategy’s full scope, from entry-level employees to the top brass. We aren’t afraid to turn risk into an opportunity or to make calculated and informed decisions. Let us be your partner in a people-driven, technology-supported future.

Our Leadership

Critical Ops is dedicated to helping businesses use technology to find a better way forward. With the continued integration of emerging technologies into the government and private sectors, like machine learning, blockchain, and artificial intelligence, we remain focused on ensuring future work is purpose-driven. Our vision is to make technology do your work so you can enjoy life. This is accomplished when routine tasks are removed, and we have the freedom to pursue our passion. Our leadership team brings their diverse backgrounds and wide array of specialties and talents to each client project to unravel challenges and complexities and ensure that better way is found.

Chelsea Treboniak

President

Chelsea is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, veteran researcher, and published author, and founded Critical Ops in 2012 with a vision to lead in the critical infrastructure sectors. Under her leadership, Critical Ops has carved out a niche, offering specialized integration consulting services and products, including remote sensing, blockchain for occupational health, and e-crime intelligence.

Beyond her role at Critical Ops, Chelsea is deeply involved in the industry, serving on Advisory Councils and the Board of Directors for organizations dedicated to Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), blockchain implementation, and critical infrastructure security. Her commitment to these fields is matched by her passion for continuous learning, a dedication to fitness, and an unwavering focus on family.

Chad Treboniak

Strategic Planner

As a proud graduate of John Carroll University, Chad serves as the Strategic Planner for Critical Ops, where his focus on staying ahead of the curve has been key to the company’s success. His passion for forward-thinking strategy is matched only by his love for coaching baseball and supporting Cleveland sports.

In addition to his professional role, he actively contributes to several advisory boards, bringing a blend of experience and insight from his diverse background. As an Army Reserve Psychological Operations Officer, a position that aligns with his deep interest in psychology, sociology, anthropology, and language, he enjoys looking for creative ways to generate behavioral change in challenging environments—a passion that continues to drive his military service.

Chad is honored to continue serving his country while applying the same principles of strategic planning and behavioral science in both his military and civilian careers.

Dan Maurer

Director of Defense Operations and Geospatial Intelligence

Since the founding of Critical Ops in 2012, Dan has been an integral part of the team, leading the Defense Operations line of business with a focus on Geospatial Intelligence. Over the years, Dan has planned and participated in over 250 DoD exercise-related events, showcasing his dedication and powerful intellect in the defense sector. His expertise is further demonstrated through numerous HSEEP-related training courses, highlighting his commitment to operational excellence.

As a retired United States Army Master Sergeant, Dan is known for his calm demeanor, exceptional problem-solving skills, and ability to work effectively with minimal guidance. A true self-motivator and team player, he consistently achieves results, driven by his energy and professional focus.

Beyond his professional achievements, Dan is also a beekeeper, a role that reflects his dedication to nurturing and managing complex systems—much like a hive.

Scott Ross

Director of Flight Operations

Scott brings over three decades of aviation experience to his role as Director of Flight Operations at Critical Ops. His distinguished career with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Airspace System (NAS) includes significant contributions to numerous programs and projects, both developed and implemented.

A seasoned aviation professional, Scott has held a Private Pilot Certification since 1984 with multiple endorsements. He served as a Traffic Management Coordinator at the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center, where he ensured the efficient flow of high traffic volumes and played a key role in developing and implementing the Traffic Management Advisor (TMA) project, integrating new traffic management technologies with operational needs.

At Critical Ops, Scott advises on regulatory issues in flight operations, focusing on land management, data collection, and educational outreach. His passion for the outdoors fuels both his personal and professional life.

Our Values

Giving your best is what the rest aim for. At Critical Ops, we don’t aim. We deliver. Every project, every client, without fail. We do that by being:

Personal

We strive to build deep relationships with our clients that last well beyond our first engagement. Our desire to help people drives us to go the extra mile in everything we do.

Innovative

We approach every project with diligence, intent, and inventiveness. No two industries are alike, yet often systems used in one create a competitive advantage in another. We find those and disrupt the status quo.

Experience Focused

Our focus on your employee experience improves how people use technology and opens the door for growth in your organization.

Certifications

Federal Designations

• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)
• Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB)

State/Local Designations

• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) in Ohio DOT
• Port Authority of NY & NJ
• NJT Woman Business Enterprise (WBE)
• Cleveland Small Business (CSB)
• Veteran-friendly Business Enterprise (VBE) in Ohio

Differentiators

Critical Ops is comfortable on the forward edge of technology and operations, so we hesitate to refer to ourselves as consultants because we refuse to passively sit by as our recommendations may, or may not be acted upon. We prefer to dig in and just do; it’s in our DNA. We do what our clients need done and we do it better than anybody else. Nothing is templated, boilerplate or slapdash.

Call it our manifesto. Or our project blueprint. Or even our client constitution. No matter what we do, this is how Critical Ops approaches every project:

We are puzzle solvers. By seeing the big picture, we’re able to ask the right questions to find the separate – and sometimes missing - pieces and fit them together to make things work.
We concentrate on identifying the root cause of issues through comprehensive customer discovery to solve problems at their core rather than applying temporary fixes.
We employ military-like precision and bring focus, determination, analytical decision making, and critical thinking skills to seek out the right path forward to solve your challenges.
We get to know clients as people and know their first names and understand what drives them. That’s how we’re able to provide completely custom-fit solutions and build long-lasting partnerships.

This doctrine of work reflects our commitment to your satisfaction, delivering exceptional results, and consistently exceeding expectations. See for yourself by scheduling an initial conversation!