Governor Cox Visits Teal Drones
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox recently toured the headquarters of Teal Drones in Salt Lake City. Teal Drones was founded in 2015 by then 17 year old George Matus. 
The company started out as a consumer-focused startup and has since expanded its sales into enterprise and government sectors. Teal Drones developed the Golden Eagle, a small unmanned system with high resolution and thermal imaging via FLIR technology (purple and orange image below) for increased visibility in nighttime operations. It also developed Skypersonic, an unmanned aircraft for interior spaces and other dangerous environments. In 2021, Teal Drones was acquired by Red Cat Holdings, Inc., initially based in Hemet, CA and now located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Red Cat is a military technology provider to the drone industry, as mentioned in September 2021 by TechBuzz.
For the Governor's visit, Teal Drones presented the company's drone technology, discussed both the company’s impact on the national aerospace and defense industries and the opportunities and challenges facing local defense industries in Utah. The Governor also piloted a new Teal military drone under development,
“We discussed ways in which the state can support our efforts across regulation and deployments,” said Teal Founder and CEO George Matus. “The sky is literally the limit for Teal, and we’re grateful for the governor’s interest in aiding the growth of our company and Utah’s broader aerospace and defense sector.”
Gov. Cox’s tour of Teal’s facilities included meet-and-greets with various department heads, enabling the governor to learn more about engineering, testing, manufacturing, supply chain and compliance for Teal’s military-grade drone products.
"For far too long, we have ceded the building of drones to China and other places,” said Gov. Cox. “We are bringing that back and Utah is at the center of that. Teal is an incredible company that is making a difference with defense-focused drones.”
Teal is certified as “Blue UAS,” a designation awarded to select manufacturers authorized to provide equipment to the U.S. military. Teal is also one of only three drone manufacturers invited to participate in the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance Tranche 2 (SRR T2). The SRR T2 program seeks to deliver a portable small uncrewed aerial system (sUAS) that can be used by army platoons for surveillance and reconnaissance duties, as well as to improve situational awareness.
Gov. Cox’s visit to Teal headquarters was organized by the newly created Utah Aerospace and Defense Association (UADA). UADA was established in 2022 to solve challenges associated with innovation, entrepreneurship, workforce development and supply chains for companies in the aerospace and defense industries. According to its website, UADA is working with the governor’s office, the Utah System of Higher Education and industry leaders in “Building the World’s Premier Ecosystem for Aerospace & Defense Companies in Utah.”
“Teal is deepening its relationship with UADA to help accelerate the rebuilding of America’s defense industrial base, specifically for drones,” said Matus. “UADA has expressed its support for our company and we look forward to a continued relationship with the association and the governor’s office.”