Once I decided to start a company, the next question was “what do we call it?”  I had several specific criteria: It had to be simple, one or two syllables, easy to remember, and could not include the words “systems,” “solutions,” “integrators,” or “technology.”  (No offense to all of our friends who DO include these words in their names.) 

While I was serving in Iraq, I had occasion to work with an Air Force engineering unit known as the REDHORSE Squadron, their version of the Navy Seabees.  The men and women of this unit did a remarkable job and were an impressive and dedicated group of professionals.  REDHORSE is an acronym that means “Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operations Repair Squadron Engineers.”  (The RED HORSE units have a sister organization known Prime Beef squadrons.  For obvious reasons, this name was never much of a contender, although it certainly would have been memorable.) 

During our “what do we call it” discussions, “Redhorse” kept coming to mind.  It met my criteria, and as luck would have it, Ms. Inmon’s favorite color is red.  After carefully weighing all of these factors (over a glass or two of red wine), the choice was made!  Redhorse is it, and the rest, as they say, is history.

            - David Inmon