“Our market is truly global. We do have a steady customer base within Canada and the United States. I would say we’re the go-to solution for a SWAT [special weapons and tactics] vehicle with Canadian law enforcement,” notes President and Chief Executive Officer Durward Smith proudly.

Terradyne offers a variety of armored vehicles under what it calls the GURKHA line, named after the famously tough soldiers from Nepal who have served in the British Army since the early 1800s. The lineup includes the 16,000-pound Light-Armored Patrol Vehicle (LAPV), the 16,500-pound Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV), and the 15,500-pound Rapid-Patrol Vehicle (RPV). They feature six-speed automatic transmissions and V8 turbo diesel engines capable of 330 horsepower.

“Government law enforcement are the main end users in all the categories,” says Smith, of the LAPV, MPV, and RPV.

The company’s vehicles protect more than just police officers. The Multi-Purpose Vehicle, for example, “is not necessarily a front-line fighting vehicle, but it’s an important supply type vehicle. We have, for example, supplied it into Ukraine where the medical forces are using it as a frontline evacuation vehicle. It does an awfully good job of keeping everyone safe,” Smith states.

The company also makes a Civilian Limited Edition Vehicle (CIV) which weighs 13,500 pounds. The CIV closely resembles its GURKHA counterparts but is the only vehicle Terradyne produces that can be purchased by members of the public.

While it stocks and sells spare parts and components made by its global supply base, the company’s vehicles are developed and made in-house. “We design them,” says Smith. “We have a pre-determined option list; however, we are open to special requests within reason. We obviously like to work with the needs of our customers.”

GURKHA vehicles offer military-grade protection against all manner of threats, and to prove their worth, the vehicles are put through ferocious testing. The company hires third-party laboratories to test and inspect if its wares meet National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standards. The NIJ is the self-described “research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice,” while NATO is a coalition of European nations which banded together in a mutually supportive military pact.

Testing can literally involve firing weapons at vehicles or subjecting them to explosions. “To start, you test the material, and once the material has proven it works, they fire at the vehicle looking for what are termed ‘structural weak areas’. We’ve had armor-piercing rounds shot at [our vehicles] with zero penetration,” says Smith. “We’ve done full-vehicle destructive testing, both ballistic and blast. Not only are the test reports available for customers, the test vehicle itself is available at our factory for them to review.”

He notes that Terradyne vehicles recently passed some extreme side-blast tests. These tests were conducted in the United States and involved “a significant amount of TNT equivalent and a large blast,” he says.

“People who are experienced in the industry don’t use the term ‘bulletproof,’” he adds. “It’s about manufacturing the armor to protect against a pre-determined threat level.” GURKHA vehicles are “armored to the highest level within our class of vehicle,” with the company using an “engineered, metallic solution using steel especially formulated for armor plate.”

According to Terradyne specifications, protective armor on the LAPV, MPV, and RPV meets NIJ IV / B7 / STANAG 2 levels. This stands for ‘standardization agreement’ and is a term used for NATO testing.

While strong, Terradyne’s armor plating is relatively light, which makes for improved vehicle dynamics, driving performance, and durability. The vehicles also feature extremely tough glass and run-flat inserts on the wheels. The latter enable the vehicle to keep driving even after a rubber tire has been punctured or shot out, explains Smith.

The Civilian Limited Edition Vehicle has optional armor and an upgraded interior. “We initially were not servicing that market, kind of intentionally staying away from it. However, we were still getting a fairly strong demand signal from the customer side,” he says of the CIV. “So, we came up with a product for them.”

Some people purchase a CIV because they like the “security aspect to it—where it could function as a rolling ‘panic room’ type of application, should that ever be needed. [Other customers] have means and they are maybe a little bored with typical things,” he continues. “They are unique, and they are looking for a unique vehicle.”

The company’s armored vehicles are built upon a Ford Super Duty truck chassis, and all manufacturing is done in Newmarket. Supplier loyalty is a core element of the company’s quality assurance program, and Terradyne maintains ISO 9000 and 14000 certification and extremely high standards. Each workstation in the plant has specific instructions on which operators are trained. There are quality checks at each station along the way, a final inspection, and annual third-party audits. The company only works with suppliers who are equally quality-focused. “We’re loyal to our supply base and they’re loyal back to us,” says Smith.

“We like to know for the sake of our customers that what we’re providing works well and is proven. We take changes in key components very seriously. We tend to stay with suppliers long-term, and we pick vendors that we consider to offer the best product globally,” he adds.

The company has produced up to 100 vehicles in a year, with the capacity to go higher. Completed armored vehicles are either sold directly to clients or through dealers. The U.S. military is not using any Terradyne vehicles at present, although the company is in discussions with Canadian defense officials regarding possible sales.

The company maintains an inventory of tires and spare components and can also make a replacement part if need be. “If someone needs a new door, we can manufacture a door here and send it out to them and it’s going to fit their vehicle.”

Terradyne was founded in 2011 as a subsidiary of Magna International, a huge Canadian auto parts manufacturer, and from the start, Terradyne’s work was centered on armored vehicles. Three years after it was launched, it became an independent outfit.

In terms of new hires, “We definitely want people who are flexible, able to take on different tasks, with a focus on quality. Obviously, we have a lot of welders as well as assemblers and people doing electrical work. So, our range of workers can go from an entry-level assembly type of job up to someone who is pretty advanced and skilled on welding or vehicle electronics,” Smith explains.

The company is registered with the Controlled Goods Program, a Canadian initiative that enables it to export products or data that have “military or national security significance,” according to the Government of Canada website. Under Canadian regulations, GURKHA armored vehicles are also street legal, adds Smith.

To promote itself, Terradyne attends trade shows and industry events around the world for law enforcement groups and places advertisements in specialty trade publications. On occasion, the company will produce prototypes for potential clients. “We will sometimes make demonstrator vehicles available to select customers,” Smith explains. “It’s a big purchase for them, and sometimes, just having the ability to try it out provides the experience and the evidence they need to say, ‘Yeah, this is the product we want.’”

Educating the market about the benefits of GURKHA armored vehicles is the company’s biggest challenge at present, he adds. Over the next few years, “I would say we will be continuing to increase market share. I think customers are becoming more conscious and aware of the quality that they’re buying, not to mention the standing of the company they’re dealing with—the product reputation. And we will also continue to develop and incorporate new technologies and integrate those into our vehicles—increasing the tool kit within the vehicle, if you will.”

The post Providing Protection With Unique Vehicles<p class="company">Terradyne Armored Vehicles</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Traditionally serving the WISP and ISP communities in Canada with numerous installation clients, TDL Canada acquired Gentek—a leading distributor of unified communications and connectivity products—two years ago, and even more recently acquired Microcel, a value-added distributor of consumer goods products.

“During COVID, we all raced to get more connected and flexible on work areas and work-from-home scenarios, and with that both businesses—TDL and Gentek—were in a position to provide customers with the solutions they needed,” says Tina Furlan, Vice President of Marketing. “When TDL Canada acquired Gentek, the customer base and product categories were very complementary.”

Now well into the merger of the two companies, both are finding that the two work “really well” in the Canadian market and the different product categories carried, she adds. This includes broadband, networking, security—which is a growth focus—cybersecurity solutions, and consumer goods, a wide array of products overall for TDL Canada.

With about 75 employees providing service across Canada, TDL Gentek is one of the only distributors in the country that “is Canadian-owned,” says Furlan. “We only service Canadians and all of our products are housed in Canada. Everything ships from a Canadian distributor. Often you have cross-border imports of various products, but we really try to focus on making sure everything is in Canada and available and all the import is taken care of.”

In addition to the company’s already expansive product offering, it is also delving into an evolving expansion in the security scene. “Security is important in the market,” says Furlan. “With changes in regulations, there’s a big opportunity for us to really dive into the security sector.”

With respect to that category, TDL Gentek offers a wide variety of reliable products and several very popular brands, including Uniview and Ubiquiti that provide products such as IP cameras, NVRs, and access control solutions. “Our team is able to help customers integrate and map out the ideal security solution and give our customers robust, reliable security solutions,” she adds.

When looking at the security landscape in Canada, and into the U.S. as well, a lot of MSPs actually have an entire securities division, which is something the company focuses on. And when looking at TDL Gentek, each of its categories and brands offers training and certification, so the company can help its partners with that element. “We think it’s very important for everybody to be well trained and understand the product for their customers and have the opportunity to train their end users.” Furlan says.

To that end, TDL Gentek has several certification programs from Uniview, Ubiquiti, Grandstream, and many others as well. “Certainly, from that value-add perspective, we work to make sure that our customers are going to succeed,” she says.

This value-added approach is very comprehensive, she adds. Within every category, including security, TDL Gentek ensures customers have everything they need, from cabling to point-to-point antennas to the cameras to monitor an entire facility. Not only that, but they can also do it through LTE (Long-Term Evolution, a fourth-generation [4G] wireless standard) because they carry an LTE line of products which will service very remote business locations.

“If there’s a mine in the north that needs connectivity, we can accommodate that. We can get them LTE devices that allow the facility to have fully functioning security, unified communications, and networking capabilities.” says Furlan. “And we have the experts in-house to help spec those solutions out.”

Providing and maintaining customer service is high priority for the company, she adds. “I think that’s what makes us truly value-added, because we can help our customers put together the solutions, map out and plan what they’re going to need for their networks and for specific deployments,” she says. “It’s very hands-on, one-on-one, and ‘white glove service.’ We support our customers with a number of services and do more than just ship out products. It’s important to our business.”

Whether it’s site assessments, installation, support, or ongoing technical assistance, all of that and more applies across the board, as well as the company’s security category of products. Additionally, to combat the automation and AI generation of customer service, TDL Gentek strives to maintain a personal, human connection with clients and companies.

“We have people who answer the phone,” Furlan says. “It’s something we pride ourselves on, because it’s not always the way anymore. Some companies do that, and some companies don’t. But this is what we think is important.”

Along with that dedication to personalized and expert customer care, TDL Gentek’s commitment to remaining a Canadian brand is another reason it stands out in the industry. “When working with a Canadian company, you’ll get a great deal of local expertise,” Furlan says. “TDL Gentek has more than 45 years of experience of distributing product in Canada with a deep understanding of how to get product in easily, how to manage the tax implications, the imports. But not only that—when you talk about local expertise, TDL Gentek understands the regulations around every aspect of our business. It’s really another value-add for our customers.”

This means faster delivery times as the company stocks products in Canada with warehouses located across the country. In short, buying local is faster than going international. “It helps with operational efficiency for all of our customers.”

Challenges the company has faced recently have been both operational and marketing-related but are likely not much different than what many other businesses in this current economy have to deal with. “Operationally, scaling our operations, ensuring product availability, and bringing in new brands, all while improving our systems has been challenging,” Furlan says. “It’s a delicate balance and we’ve seen success.”

Of course, there have also been numerous accomplishments for the company, such as maintaining revenue growth over the last couple of years in the face of other challenges and forging strong partnerships.

“In terms of strategic partnerships, we have some great brands that we work with, like Teltonika, Ubiquiti, and Uniview, and it’s important to all of our vendors that new products go to market smoothly,” says Furlan. “It’s about staying on top of trends and making sure we’re bringing in the right products and the right partnerships,” she shares.

Plans for the upcoming years include a focus on product expansion and operational excellence while remaining true to the Canadian channel. “It’s very important for our customers that we remain true to the channel while we grow our market share,” Furlan says. “We don’t go direct to end user; we work through the channel.”

When it comes to innovative products, the company will continually strive to stay at the forefront, and clients will see TDL Gentek’s services continue to evolve and expand. The team is always on the lookout for places where it can add value. “We want to make sure we maintain and expand appropriately, to make sure that we’re servicing our customers properly,” says Furlan.

While TDL Gentek continues to focus on the diversity of its product portfolio, its strong Canadian presence, and its value-added services, its customer-centric approach is also one of the many attributes that truly sets it apart from other industry leaders, and one it takes immense pride in.

This means supporting customers after the sale is complete as well, adds Furlan. “It’s not just about that sale; the relationship continues on. And because we carry some very prominent brands and because we’re in distribution, we can help our customers take advantage of vendor-supported programs.” This includes initiatives for upgrading networks, volume, and pricing—all of the standard services found at that distribution level.

Ultimately, “We want all of our customers be very successful,” Furlan says. “We want them to understand the product and trust us to be their distributor.”

The post Making Connections Through Reliable Communication Solutions<p class="company">TDL Gentek</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The company has grown steadily since its 1971 launch in Salzburg, Austria. “Over the course of those 50-plus years, we have really expanded to cover the globe and expanded in a couple different directions from a technical, innovative perspective,” says President of Commend Americas, Tom Reilly. “We have expanded to cover the world in a very entrepreneurial way, where we have local leadership and local presence to cover and support our customers. So, we have maintained a very responsible way of scaling so that we can be very consultative and present with our end users.”

Commend’s global headquarters, R&D, and production remain in Salzburg, while the American division is run out of Mahwah, New Jersey.

Cybersecurity experts
Commend “established cybersecurity as one of our core development and organizational principles, frankly before it was really the buzzword it is today,” says Reilly. “What we realized is our devices are uniquely positioned, in that we were one of the first companies to really offer IP-based network audio communication for enterprises. Essentially, it’s intercom devices on unprotected parts of buildings, on the outside perimeter, to control restricted access. We decided to take a very, very firm stance in establishing privacy and security by design.”

After developing an expertise in cybersecurity, the company has “pioneered advancements in the years since then,” Reilly says. “We were one of the first manufacturers—definitely the first in our market segment—to obtain ISO 27001 certification and also IEC 62443, which demonstrates our very rounded and principled base focus on cybersecurity for the way we run our business and the way we develop our products. This commitment to cybersecurity is integral to our operations, from securing our supply chain to developing our go-to-market strategy. So, we have the ability to demonstrate cybersecurity from the start of product consideration into the final development and deployment on our customers’ networks.”

Cybersecurity is paramount because Commend supports critical infrastructure around the world, including international corporate campuses, leading education campuses, healthcare institutions, correctional facilities, and data centers. “All critical infrastructure with really high network security requirements,” Reilly says. “We want to not only be compliant; we want to be the manufacturer that can lead with best practices, and that is the focus of what we have established.”

Commend also boasts a “powerful presence” across a variety of sectors that are not considered critical infrastructure. There is a “need for high-quality, cybersecure audio in every other professional use case beyond that,” Reilly points out.

“What we really want the market to understand is that we take a hybrid approach of focusing on certain markets where we can be that consultative partner, but we have also developed our product line so that it can be that professional audio solution for everything in between,” he explains. “Think from one device or one public address speaker all the way up to a networked collection of facilities together.”

The team has “developed a unique cloud hybrid methodology,” Reilly shares. “So we have a cloud technology that can be deployed seamlessly from one device to thousands—all one managed system—but we also have on-premise solutions that can be seamlessly networked together into the same solution.”

Artificial intelligence
As with cybersecurity, the team made the decision to focus on AI early in the game, “especially compared to other players,” Reilly says. “We felt like it was important for the value proposition we provided.” This has led to “continuous evolution” with the goal of “delivering the highest quality, most secure and trusted audio communication for our customers.”

One key challenge that AI helps resolve is clarity of communication. Commend products are placed in “tough acoustical environments,” from noisy train platforms to bustling city streets, “all areas that have really challenging acoustical profiles,” Reilly points out. “So, we have always been a leader in developing traditional audio algorithms to enable clear communication.”

The team recognized that, with the help of AI, they could elevate the audio experience for the client by removing background noise. “We have deployed AI in a really exciting way for that use case,” says Reilly.

The U.S. Security Industry Association (SIA) recognized this achievement in 2024 with the Best in Communication and Networking Solutions award. This was awarded for Commend’s “AI Cleans Voice from Noise,” the game-changing solution to the background noise problem. The previous year, Commend won SIA’s New Products and Solutions Award in the Communications and Networking Solutions category. This recognition was for Ivy, the world’s first conversational AI-based intercom voice assistant.

Ivy assists call center operators in fielding calls. “It allows them to focus on the ones that actually need their intervention,” Reilly says. “It is very important for them to prioritize calls.” The technology determines which calls need human intervention and, among the ones that do, determines the level of importance, separating urgent calls from routine ones.

“It is not a prescriptive chatbot,” Reilly explains. “It learns the intent of spoken language, so it adapts over time. And it automates calls that don’t need human intervention.” If the automated calls are not quickly resolved to satisfaction, the technology will reroute them to a human agent.

Ivy also has the ability to translate language. Say, for example, “somebody approaches a help point at a subway platform and they speak Polish, but they are in New York. There is a barrier of effective communication there, and it is a language one. The traditional solution would be to route calls to different call center operators that are multilingual, but that is obviously restrictive.” Commend’s technology bridges that gap with real-time translation on both sides of the conversation into virtually any language. “You can literally come up and say, ‘please speak Spanish to me,’ and it will speak Spanish,” Reilly explains.

The technology also serves the hearing-impaired. “Our devices can be multisensory, so it is not just audio,” he says. “It is also a touchscreen display on the device that can do live, real-time transcription of the live communication with the operator or with the Ivy conversational AI engagement. So not only will it give audible help, but it will also give text help, either for hearing impaired people or for people to have a record of what was discussed.”

Looking ahead
The team is eager to keep building on the company’s strengths and successes. “Commend internationally has continued to realize market leadership and growth,” Reilly says. “We see the security and communication market continue to expand and our percentage of market share continues to outpace that growth. So, despite the fact that we’ve been in business for 50 years internationally and 20 years in the states, globally we are still in growth mode.”

The team plans to continue to challenge themselves to develop better ways to solve problems. An ongoing goal is to help customers “really understand the evolving challenges that are in front of them.” Company leadership is actively “identifying the market drivers that are really going to be impacting our customers and investing the time to learn those drivers,” says Reilly.

Certainly, the company is nimble enough to react quickly to these drivers. “We are big in our market in that we are the largest professional intercom provider globally, but we are still a small company. That is enabling us to be very receptive to those changes and drivers [and] respond in a positive way.” With a foundation this strong, a positive future seems as clear as the company’s audio.

Call to action
Commend is poised to lead the future of secure, innovative communication solutions. To learn more about how Commend can enhance your infrastructure with cutting-edge technology, visit the company’s website or contact the team directly for a consultation.

The post Leading Communication Solutions<p class="company">Commend Americas</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

In a competitive market, this commitment has sometimes made growth challenging, as many companies aim to cut costs whenever possible. Nonetheless, Security Engineers has consistently prioritized high-quality, efficient security solutions. Today, this commitment is more relevant than ever, as advancements in security technology have made professional-grade security accessible even to those with modest budgets. Since its inception, the company has focused on disproving the stereotypes associated with minimalist security approaches.

Over the next 30 years, the company significantly expanded its offerings, extending its reach to 16 states across the American South and beyond. In the last three decades, Security Engineers has evolved from a basic guard service company into a national leader in security solutions.

31 years ago, Security Engineers began by specializing in uniform guard services. By 1997, the company expanded to include background check services. About five years ago, its offerings further expanded to include advanced technologies like mobile surveillance units (MSUs) and fixed surveillance units (FSUs). These units, equipped with cameras, radar systems, and talk-down speakers, can be deployed at virtually any client site.

With these technological advancements, clients can access live feeds and conduct alert-based monitoring, which is ideal for businesses working within a budget. These solutions are continually enhanced with features like motion-based detection and artificial intelligence modules that can identify the presence of humans or animals, providing immediate notifications. These improvements add an extra layer of security and peace of mind for clients.

Technological advancements have also been driven by strategic partnerships. In 2022, Security Engineers became a dealer for Alarm.com, offering its perimeter security, access control, and camera systems to a broader client base. Vice President James Bottom emphasizes that effective security solutions must integrate various components.

“There is no perfect security,” he says. “You have to institute layers of security to have a good, robust program.” From motion detection and glass-break sensors to access control, camera systems, fencing, and lighting, layers must work together to create an optimal security program. Security Engineers provides customers with all the necessary layers to design a program tailored to their needs.

James, who recently celebrated his 25^th year with the company, highlights the quality of Security Engineers’ security officers as a key differentiator in today’s market. The company’s primary offering is its uniform security service guards, who are highly trained, well-paid, and possess both customer service and security expertise. These officers undergo extensive initial training and continuous updates as protocols evolve. “We want to make sure we are putting the best possible people and products out there to represent us and our customers in the best way possible,” Bottom says.

Security Engineers seeks long-term employees who will immerse themselves in the company culture and build enduring relationships with customers. The officers work in diverse fields, including medical, manufacturing, large distribution, finance and banking, hospitality, and large city center areas. Wherever there is a need for protection and monitoring, Security Engineers’ service guards provide top-notch service.

Bottom notes that security officers are often misunderstood due to negative media portrayals. Contrary to these stereotypes, the security industry is highly regulated, with businesses and workers accountable to regulatory boards. Most states require fingerprint background checks for security officer licenses, along with standard training classes.

Today’s security officers must meet strict training standards, including background checks, drug testing, and more, ensuring that Security Engineers’ personnel are top-tier. Marketing Manager Shelley Love adds that many officers have backgrounds in law enforcement, the military, or significant security industry experience. The company’s training is led by FBI-certified trainer Warren Powe, who ensures rigorous standards for all security officers. This thorough training process dispels outdated stereotypes of security guards as inept.

Although Security Engineers’ positions are contracted, Bottom stresses that each security officer must pass rigorous physical, behavioral, and mental screenings before carrying a weapon. The company’s training is so comprehensive that local police and SWAT departments regularly drill with the Security Engineers team, and the officers frequently earn top marks. Hiring at Security Engineers requires more than just an application; it demands a serious commitment to the company’s high standards.

As the need for security persists, Security Engineers continues to thrive. Bottom points out that in recent years, there has been a decline in law enforcement personnel across America, leading businesses to rely more on private security to ensure customer safety. In Birmingham, Alabama, for instance, the police department is short about 400 officers, prompting local businesses to increase private security measures. “We have individuals in the community starving for protection [who] are leaning on private and contract security to bridge that gap,” says Bottom. Security Engineers is ready to fill this gap.

Since its rebirth in 1993, Security Engineers has grown organically, thanks to its dedicated customer base. The company plans to continue its innovation through 2024 and beyond, offering services like drone detection, K9 services, MSUs, FSUs, remote monitoring, and Alarm.com products.

The team aims to enhance these offerings while maintaining its distinctiveness and improving quality. This commitment is evident in Security Engineers’ higher alert accuracy and continuous pursuit of advancements, such as integrating gunshot detection for schools and universities to aid in lockdown protocols.

Bottom asserts that the company’s mandate for growth while maintaining quality involves constantly pushing the envelope and asking, “What is the next layer of security that needs to go out there to the consumer?”

The post Disproving Stereotypes Through Excellence<p class="company">Security Engineers Inc.</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Based near Washington, D.C. in Manassas, Virginia, the rapidly growing business is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. Before co-founding PSS, husband and wife team Scott and Trish Palmer already owned and operated Palmer’s Contracting Group, which dedicated itself to designing, building, and consulting for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF), Special Access Program Facilities (SAPFs), and tenant construction throughout the country.

Scott and Trish’s son, Matt Palmer, started working at PCG right after graduating high school and worked there for several years learning the nuances of the physical security industry. “I started working alongside the door installers that we had at this time and learned the installation process, and became proficient at the installations, and I thought, ‘Why aren’t we doing this ourselves?’ and that blossomed into the idea to start PSS.” The launch of a related business was a natural next step for the Palmer team. Matt quickly proved pivotal in the decision to extend the family’s knowledge and expertise into door security.

The family built this new sister company slowly, from the ground up. “We started supplying and installing all of our doors in-house,” says Palmer. “In those early days, it was just the family and one carpenter, with the company doing a couple hundred thousand a year [in revenue],” he recalls. “To expand, we hired a business development manager, and we quickly moved into a multimillion dollar company.” Matt moved into the Vice President role and quickly excelled at pushing the business to new heights.

The business continued to grow at a rapid pace over the next few years. “We are now pushing 40-plus staff members and are nearing $30 million in revenue for 2024,” says Palmer.

The company specializes in a variety of door solutions that are resistant to hazards including sound transmission class (STC), radio frequency (RF), blast, ballistic, forced entry, and multi-threat. Accredited by the United States Government for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF), PSS doors boast RF shielding attenuation ratings from 40 decibels to 60 decibels.

Third-party laboratory testing conducted by Keystone Compliance ensures that the company’s doors meet or exceed IEEE-299-V.6 and other policy documents. All PSS doors come in a range of sizes and finishes, from painted standard hollow metal to high-end custom veneer finishes, including for historical sites.

In addition to providing its own line of specially engineered STC/RF door systems, the company is a door distributor for Overly Door Company, Stafford Bridge, Metal Products Inc., and many more. In addition to providing doors, PSS supplies high-security hardware through Lockmasters Inc., Surelock McGill, KABA Mas, Sargeant & Greenleaf, and other top manufacturers.

PSS has been at the forefront of the industry since its inception. In 2017, the team partnered with Stafford Bridge, a UK-based door company, to deliver a superior forced entry and ballistic resistant solution. In 2019, PSS tested a range of door systems and vision panels by Oregon Ballistics Laboratories meeting the Department of State standard testing requirements US DOS STD-01.01, Revision G. As a result, PSS can offer wood core forced entry and ballistic resistant door systems that will resist 15 to 60 minutes of attack.

The team identified another gap in the market and worked closely with Overly Door Company to improve what had been a standard acoustical solution. “For years, there have been RF mitigations in the walls for these secure spaces,” Palmer explains. “But no one really took a look at the doors.” In turn, PSS “partnered with Overly Door Company, a globally recognized leader in the STC door manufacturer industry, and we redesigned their frame, added innovatively designed seals and other enhancements to specifically mitigate radio frequency signals, and patented it with Overly’s approval. We were successful in creating our own STC/RF door system to protect from RF shielding loss at the openings that were never really addressed at the time. We saw this as an imperative need to prepare for the U.S. Government’s TEMPEST countermeasures sweeping across the industry.”

These efforts put the company ahead of the curve, where it remains to this day. “Our door is one of the fastest to the market,” says Palmer. “Our cost is extremely competitive, and the installation process is equivalent to the original acoustic doors that most [companies] are very familiar with, therefore training and installation is much easier than with a lot of our competitors.”

The company continues to roll out new and improved products. “We have our STC/RF door,” Palmer states. “It’s patented, and it’s an STC 52 with an RF rating of 60.” The team has also recently added a solution that is UL 10C fire rated. “And then we also can reinforce the door and the frame to meet UL 752 Level 3 ballistic rating,” he adds.

PSS has grown substantially over the last decade, but the positive company culture remains the same as the day it was founded. “Our company is very young,” Palmer says. “Our staff is also generally very young,” and their youth brings a healthy level of enthusiasm to the company and the work that they produce. “I think our clients will concur and resonate with that.” This enthusiasm helps the company stand out from the competition. “We really strive to improve the industry standard,” says Palmer. “We strive to provide a great product and a seamless installation process for our clients, and remain at the top of the industry standards.”

The company is confident in its products and backs them up with a promise that they will meet all required ratings. “As long as the surrounding structure is built correctly, we guarantee our openings,” Palmer says.

Presently, the team is studying the market and planning to continue evolving along with the industry. “RF ratings and acoustical ratings will never go away, so that will always remain a focus. The team also foresees an increased focus on forced entry and ballistic resistant doors,” says Palmer.

“The United States has never looked at physical attack as a real threat until recently,” he points out. Many European countries have already taken this into consideration when it comes to secure doors, and the United States is beginning to follow suit. “They have more terrorism activity over in Europe, but now the [U.S.] Government is starting to realize that physical threats are potential and door openings need to be reinforced,” he says.

The company is eager to continue its mission to meet customers’ secure door needs, through contracted research and development for door opening solutions with multiple customers. “Looking onward and upward, we’re going to come out with a lot more products to better serve our clients, be able to supply them with exactly what they need, whenever they need it, and continue pushing forward.”

The post Complete Door Opening Solutions<p class="company">Palmer’s Security Solutions, LLC</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Servicing government and industrial security professionals, automotive and commercial locksmiths, and safe and safe deposit technicians with products and tools, Lockmasters also offers a full line of training courses that cover professional locksmithing, electronic and mechanical safe lock manipulation, opening and servicing, safe deposit box lock servicing, high security lock certifications, access control, and specialized GSA training for government and military personnel.

While Lockmasters itself was founded in 1955, the founders of the company had been working in the security industry for many years previously, inventing secure locks for the government along with instructing both industry and government on how to manipulate locks and protect against manipulation.

The foundation
“That education foundation built up the beginning of our company,” says Brian Henderson, Vice President of Marketing. “We started out focusing on training security professionals to service, maintain, and manage locks and safes and, at the same time, identifying how to provide these security professionals with the tools and equipment they needed to do their jobs more effectively. That got us into this space where we’re a distributor and an educator together.”

Education remains a key component of Lockmasters’ evolution and ongoing success to this day. “Part of what we do,” says Henderson, “is train people how to manipulate and defeat locks because as a technician or locksmith, you need to be able to do that to service your customer.”

As more sophisticated and secure locks are developed, Lockmasters can sell them to its clients, but conversely, the advanced technology makes it more difficult to service and maintain them.

“We’re involved on both sides. We help security professionals know the strategies, tips, and techniques to servicing these locks effectively, even when they’re high-security, and how to access the inside of a lock to either replace it or service it,” Henderson says. “The most common situations are when someone locks themselves out or the lock fails, especially when you’re dealing with combination locks, safes, and door security.”

Lockmasters offers a professional locksmithing course geared toward teaching the servicing, techniques, and tools of the trade to people who want to become a locksmith or an industrial locksmith. This two-week class is hands-on all day in Lockmasters’ facility. A second five-day class provides instruction in door and door hardware installation. There is also a mechanical and electronic safe-locks class; a servicing and manipulation class; and other one-day certification classes on certain types of locks.

Innovative offerings
Lockmasters has expanded since its beginnings to cover all aspects of security products, from automotive and commercial locksmithing to safe locks and safe tools. The company also provides door hardware, government LKM10K secure locks, and specialty doors that are soundproof (STC) and RF (radio-frequency) proof.

“Our founder invented the very first manipulation-proof lock back in 1949,” says Henderson. “That technology still influences lock design today.”

As part of its ongoing evolution, the company has also moved into manufacturing, providing high-security locks, made in the USA, and egress or exit solutions that are specific to the needs of the government, providing exceptional ADA compliance. “The manufacturing aspect means we can build these products ourselves, which is helpful to our government,” says Henderson.

On the distribution side, locksmiths are becoming broader in scope, and some security professionals and facility managers must support many different aspects of physical security, resulting in companies needing access to a range of products, whether commercial, automotive, safes, or door hardware, says Henderson.

“As a result, our clients are getting into multiple areas of the business, including the hardware aspect, like having to put new electronic locks, mechanical locks, exit devices, door operators, or hinges on doors,” he adds. “We represent over 145 different manufacturers, which allows our customers to come to one place to get that breadth of product and the tools needed for those different specialties of the work performed by locksmiths, facility management, safe technicians, and other security officers.” Lockmasters gives its partners the ability to access anything they need from one supplier.

Security secrets
Of course, keeping trade security secrets secret is a vital requirement to the locksmithing business, and to prevent techniques, equipment, and tools from falling into the wrong hands, Lockmasters validates all customers to ensure they are legitimate security professionals before selling to them. In short, the general public cannot come to its website and place orders.

“In some cases, we have products on our website that the general public can’t even see,” Henderson explains. “They’re some of the tools our partners would use in the field and the general public doesn’t need to see those. Security professionals can access certain tools that not just anybody on the street can.”

The company provides nine different categories of physical security products in addition to its education, including automotive, door hardware, electronic access control, government-specific products and tools, safes, safe locks, and locksmithing tools and supplies.

“We have a lot of Ilco product, one of the largest manufacturers in the automotive space,” says Henderson. “In the door hardware space, we carry everything you would see around a door, whether it’s hinges, door strikes, or door operators, and everything from the top three manufacturers of door hardware: Allegion, Assa Abloy, and dormakaba.”

The company is also a full-line distributor of American Security—one of the largest safe manufacturers—and offers a convenient East Coast distribution point.

End-to-end service
Lockmasters prides itself on its customer service, where it strives to stand apart. “We not only carry product in all these different categories, but we have people on staff who are experts in the field,” Henderson says. “People who work here are trained locksmiths, safe technicians, and automotive specialists.”

Lockmasters has a background of actually working in the field dealing with the kinds of problems customers might run into. “We use that knowledge to help them solve problems they encounter and develop some specialized tools,” he says.

There are several tools Lockmasters has developed itself—certain opening tools and rigs for drilling safes—that the company saw were needed in the field but didn’t yet exist. “When a customer calls, they’re talking to someone who understands not just the product, but also the industry. We’re available not just before the sale, but also after the sale,” Henderson notes, meaning if a customer runs into trouble installing or programming a product, Lockmasters’ experts walk them through it step-by-step.

“Our customer service team is good at what they do and are there to serve our partners. We’re from the industry, we understand it, and we know that a locksmith is out there to provide peace of mind for their customer. The customer wants to be secure and ensure that their home, business, and valuables are protected.”

On the grow
As the company has evolved and its reputation in the industry has grown, so has its need for expansion, not only in product lines but geographic footprint as well. Along with its two locations in Kentucky and Maryland, with the purchase of JLM it has now added three additional warehouses in Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas, enabling it to service customers in those areas more quickly.

“For our partners, we’ll ship product we have in stock the same day it’s ordered, and we currently have one-day ground service to customers in the 13 states around Kentucky and Maryland,” Henderson says. “As we expand into these new locations, we’ll be able to provide that one-day delivery service to customers there as well. That’s part of our geographic growth: to provide that level of quick delivery to partners in more areas.”

This growth is considered a great accomplishment, he adds. Even surmounting some challenges during the inflationary times of the last few years, Lockmasters has flourished with continued year-over-year growth in sales.

“Being able to acquire additional companies, such as TimeMaster in 2022, Allied last year, and JLM this year, we’re continuing to grow and expand,” Henderson says. “These acquisitions serve to expand our business and the offerings for our partners.”

The company also boasts a state-of-the-art education facility, offering a world-class curriculum in Kentucky with a second facility in Maryland. Dedicated 100 percent to training, this facility has multiple classrooms specifically set up for different types of training, whether government classes, locksmithing classes, doors, door hardware, and automotive classes. Understandably, of only two companies in the United States approved to do GSA certifications for government and military customers, Lockmasters is one.

Bringing finesse
Of course, education is vital to bringing in the younger generation as some long-time employees will continue to retire in the coming years. Like all trades, locksmithing is also working to encourage more women to step into the arena. “The number of women in the classes has been increasing,” Henderson says. “It’s fabulous to see the expansion of locksmithing.”

A lot of the work in this industry requires finesse, he adds; a lot of work-by-feel, especially when trying to manipulate a lock. There’s not so much brute strength, but instead, the learning of the techniques and tricks of defeating or manipulating the mechanisms.

“It’s something anybody can pick up,” says Henderson. “The general age in the trade industry has been going up, but this is an area where we’ve continued to see more people coming in even at younger ages, so the trade is continuing to grow and develop. Running these classes, we see those trends and we see we’re still filling up the classes. Interest continues to grow, which is exciting for us.”

The post A Key Company in Security-Conscious Times<p class="company">Lockmasters, Inc.</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Avant-Garde is an entrance system technology specialist that has made a niche for itself by ensuring that its customers’ facilities, and the people in them, are safe and secure. Regardless of the facility or the need, Avant-Garde has a solution.

With roots in the audio-visual and technology space, Avant-Garde has specialized in security since 2015 when it shifted its focus to entrance systems, a market sector that was in dire need of the attention of an expert. Since that time, this specialization has been the catalyst for the company’s growth and international recognition as a leading security partner.

“We focus on entrance systems, and that’s all we do. We’re exceptionally good at it and that repetition and that focus is what makes the experience for the customer so great. That’s the key,” says CEO Eric Mager.

Entrance systems come in many forms including full-height turnstiles, optical turnstiles, perimeter security with fencing and guard buildings, vehicle gates, and more, and protect countless facilities around the world. While Mager notes that Avant-Garde didn’t invent turnstiles, the company brought a level of specialization on the contracting side that didn’t exist before.

“There were plenty of manufacturers who manufactured entrance systems hardware, but there wasn’t a provider who sold, installed, serviced, and supported entrance systems technologies that just did entrance systems,” he explains.

With a presence in higher education, corporate offices, mining, manufacturing, logistics, military, healthcare, and construction, where there is a need for perimeter security and secure entrance systems, Avant-Garde is there.

As Mager explains, “Any large business has a need for what we do. If they have a lot of people coming on and off site, they need to control that access in a safe and easy way. Those are the folks that need us. We put in entrance systems and secure everything from dirty dusty mine shafts to beautiful corporate lobbies that are the centerpiece of a corporate environment. We do all of those things, and we find ourselves in all of those places.”

Mager has found himself installing turnstiles everywhere from oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico to pipelines in the Canadian tundra and most places in between. “The solutions might look different, but we’re making sure that the right people are getting in and the wrong people aren’t, and that the right people can use that facility safely, quickly, and conveniently. At the end of the day, that’s our core mission.”

Through this specialization, Avant-Garde has developed a standard of quality and care that is unmatched in the global market and made possible by the team of professionals that’s been curated by the company.

“The secret in the sauce is the technicians themselves,” says Mager. “They are the tip of the spear, the guys that are out there touching the hardware every single day. Those guys are the best turnstile and entrance system technicians in the world. They allow us to deliver our customers a consistent experience every single time.”

While Avant-Garde specializes in entrance systems and related security services, behind the scenes it is so much more: it is a complex logistical operation that is incredibly effective at moving people and materials to and from projects worldwide.

As Mager says, “Moving our teams and resources around North America and the world to put the equipment and the people where they need to be when they need to be is quite an undertaking. We have to have tremendous project management and logistical apparatus in place to achieve that. What we do every week at Avant-Garde to make that happen is a marvel from a logistical perspective.”

From planes and trains to automobiles and ships, Avant-Garde’s dedication to providing its customers with flawless security includes taking an unconventional approach to recruiting. “When we recruit people, there are two things we do a little differently from most other companies: first, we look for people who are undervalued and underappreciated in their current roles and have not been allowed to show what they can really be,” says Mager.

The second, he explains, relates to recruiting based on personality attributes, value bases, attitude, and the ability to speak truth to power, all of which rank higher in importance to this select group than how a person’s résumé reads. This is how an exceptional team is curated.

Part of speaking truth to power is the open culture of communication integrated into Avant-Garde’s operations. Together with the conscious exclusion of a middle management level, Mager believes that the top and bottom of the organization are connected in a seamless way that promotes communication and collaboration.

Acknowledging that this approach is the inverse of that taken by most companies, particularly major corporations which function through a hierarchy, Avant-Garde does things differently for a good reason: it works.

Mager believes this has “allowed a high degree of communication that’s helped us be successful and has defined our culture. I encourage every single person who works at Avant-Garde to speak up, to challenge the status quo. I encourage them to think critically—not just follow a process blindly but question everything. That is our culture.”

This sentiment is shared by Director of Marketing, Kassi Karr, who notes, “When you work for a conglomerate, you’re just another person at a desk. You are replaceable and you are treated as such. Your opinion isn’t valued. Anything you say is just, ‘We’ll run it up the chain,’ whereas here, you have access to that chain and the people who do make the decisions.”

By securing its customers’ facilities as well as it does its own and reinforcing this commitment through its culture, Avant-Garde continues to operate in the best interests of the people who work, play, and reside within.

As Mager explains, “People have to feel safe. You can’t flourish if you don’t feel safe; that’s Humanity 101. So we’re turning screws every day and our job may not seem particularly exciting when you think about walking through entrance system technologies, but the truth is it’s very profound in the implications of what it does for people.”

Acknowledging that the world isn’t necessarily getting any safer, the goal for Mager and Avant-Garde is to maintain the company’s forward trajectory. “How do we make the places that we live in or the places where we learn or work safe and convenient? That’s what we’re trying to do every single day and we’re doing it with a relentless pursuit of out-of-the-box thinking and also getting it perfect.”

This out-of-the-box thinking has enabled the development of unique and exclusive product, like the new Pegasus series which is designed to secure sites during construction with portable, temporary support. “These turnstiles can be quickly and easily deployed by a general contractor to make a site safe and make it compliant for safety and all sorts of other regulatory requirements,” Mager explains.

With new safety concerns arising all the time, Avant-Garde is seeing growth in construction, data centers, and manufacturing, and as demand grows, the company continues to invest in its capabilities, its products, and its people to make facilities secure and the world safer—exactly what the market needed in 2015 and what it continues to need today.

The post Making an Entrance – and Making It More Secure<p class="company">Avant-Garde</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.