The Family

Meet the Family…

Patrick Hood

Patrick Hood is the CEO and founder of the Rushlight enterprise. He started the first business, Cornerstone Research Group (CRG), in 1997 in his basement, with no contracts and no customers—only a dream and a lot of drive. More than 25 years later, that company has over 100 employees and has spun off multiple new entities and subsidiaries based on innovative technologies.

The state-of-the-art headquarters for CRG, Rushlight Ventures (the commercialization arm), and Rushlight Assets are near each other in Miamisburg, Ohio. Patrick has over 37 years of experience in defense and aerospace R&D, operations, entrepreneurship, business strategy, and management. He has founded or co-founded multiple operating start-ups and has been recognized eight times as an awardee of the INC 5000 fastest growing private companies. He is a local fixture in the Dayton Business Journal’s annual “Who’s Who in Aerospace and Defense” list. Patrick holds a B.S., a M.S., and a Ph.D. from the University of California–Davis in materials science. Patrick has a heart for encouraging other entrepreneurs and mentoring professionals in their careers. In addition, he desires to give back to and support the region where he built his businesses.

Brenda Hood

Brenda Hood holds a bachelor’s in English and sociology from Houghton College. Her work experience includes 23 years of technical editing and science writing, public relations, and web design and development. For seven years she served as vice president of public relations and managed a team of creative professionals in charge of corporate marketing efforts at CRG.

Now retired, Brenda enjoys gardening, singing, and crocheting, and has written a novel and a memoir. Although her career involved technical writing, her real passion is creative writing, and she has published a play, two short stories, and an essay, two of which won awards. She met Patrick in 2000, and they blended a family and have worked alongside each other for more than two decades, building the companies that would become the basis for Rushlight Assets. She and her husband are both active in their church, lead a DivorceCare support group and live life with their church small group. They love traveling and spending time with their six children and eight grandchildren. Like Patrick, Brenda has a heart for building community and supporting the underserved and those going through difficult transition.