Serco has a unique history, one that dates back to 1929 when we began as the Service Division of the notable cinema and broadcasting company RCA.
Our Roots
In 1897, when Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” was published, the first subway system in North America was opened in Boston, and the term “computer” was first used to mean an electronic calculation device, radio communications were being developed by Italian-born Marconi in Great Britain. The successful development of trans-Atlantic radio communications and the drive to expand this capability resulted in the establishment of an American communications company named Radio Corporation of America (RCA). RCA was empowered to take over all the assets of the Marconi Wireless Company in America so that all technological development of radio communications for the U.S. armed services would come under the auspices of the U.S. Government via a wholly owned American entity.
RCA’s success in America soon turned to the market on the other side of the Atlantic. On September 10, 1929, RCA set up the first RCA subsidiary in the UK—this is what we traditionally consider to be the “start” of Serco.
Our Evolution: From Cinema to Service
In the years that followed, RCA was the powerhouse in cinema and sound industry. In 1959, the RCA subsidiary in Great Britain negotiated a contract to install and commission an early warning radar station at RAF Flyingdales as part of the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System project. This contract, awarded in 1960, secured the future for RCA in the UK. RCA now had evolved with demonstrable capabilities in the field of technical support of the most complex antenna and radar communication networks.
In 1969, RCA organized itself into operational divisions, one of these divisions was concerned with service, and so it came about that the RCA Service Division was formed—the part of the company that would eventually be purchased by its management and staff and renamed Serco.
Our Focus: Bringing Service to Life
In 2005, Serco Inc. acquired Resource Consultants Inc. (RCI), which instantaneously expanded our capabilities in a number of service areas within North America.
Today, we continue to bring real solutions and meaningful results to challenges faced by our customers worldwide.
Serco Inc. is the North American business of Serco Group plc. In North America, we design and deliver human capital management, enterprise management, transportation management, homeland security operations and C4I solutions to the U.S. federal government, military, state and local governments, and commercial industry.
At Serco, we not only deliver the expert solution you need. We transform that solution into a meaningful service experience that brings service to life.
