Mashantucket ― The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation announced this week that its non-gaming investment arm acquired a government contracting firm with nearly $100 million in annual revenue.

Command Holdings ― a tribal-owned holding company focused on IT, professional services, health care, and facilities management ― acquired WWC Global and its more than 350 employees located across 17 time zones, bringing total employees to more than 400.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Command Holdings CEO Jon Panamaroff said this is the largest acquisition to date for the company, which was established in 2017.

“With the addition of WWC Global to our family of companies, we think we can be a market leader and a thought leader in the same way we have done with the gaming industry,” said Angelina Casanova, chairwoman of the Command Holdings Board of Directors. The tribe owns Foxwoods Resort Casino.

She also noted in a press release that the expansion “provides greater sustainment for the tribe’s economy, as well as career opportunities for generations of Pequots to come.”

Former WWC Global CEO Lauren Weiner is now the chief growth officer of Command Holdings. The other former principals of WWC Global, Donna Huneycutt and Heidi Snell, also joined Command Holdings as members of the executive team.

Weiner explained that WWC Global does financial management and program management for the federal government, having run or helped run programs for the departments of Defense, Energy, State, Homeland Security and more.

“This opens up new markets, this opens up new opportunities and it opens up new team members for us,” she said.

Panamaroff said the acquisition was a strategic move due to the significance of the defense industry in Connecticut. Casanova said Command Holdings hopes to partner with the large defense contractors in Connecticut and bring more jobs to the area.

Casanova said Command Holdings was looking for companies that had similar values to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and provided similar services to clients.

“Being in the hospitality and gaming industry for over 30 years, hospitality and customer service is paramount to us” and WWC “has a reputation for providing the same,” she said. Casanova also said Command Holdings was compelled by WWC’s commitment to hiring military veterans and by its background of being founded by three women.

e.moser@theday.com