Small business alliance enters homeland security arena

Thomas Colantuono, vice president of business development at Gerard Group International and former U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, last week announced the launching of the Strategic Security Alliance. He said the mission of the Strategic Security Alliance is to increase the visibility of its member firms, so that the combined skills, products, and knowledge of its members can make significant contributions to global security. he noted that the successful small companies that make up the Alliance are known for innovation and offer complementary yet diverse solutions that add significantly to the security of our country and the world.

Serving as interim executive director will be Jerry Gulley, senior VP at Erudite, Inc. Gulley stated: “We are very excited about the Alliance. A very large percentage of worldwide innovation comes from small firms, often very small companies. These small companies invent, develop and market products, services or fully integrated solutions into markets that often prove difficult to penetrate. By banding together, the Alliance members can bring their innovations forward together. We can offer “one-stop shopping” for companies, governments and systems integrators to address security challenges, large and small.”

The Alliance will generate marketing and sales opportunities for its members, targeting specific security markets including global port and maritime security, anti-piracy solutions, and critical infrastructure protection. Member companies provide diverse solutions for many security challenges from intelligence gathering to temporary personnel for specific missions to subject matter expertise to protection for fine art and antiquities. They also provide software capable of merging millions of data sources, and physical protection installations and devices. The key element is the innovation and flexibility that Alliance members can provide.

The Alliance will provide cross-marketing opportunities for its members, matching a variety of security offerings with expertise, systems, products, and solutions. The synergies provided by the combination of skills, knowledge, and technology for security challenges will provide a rich resource for industry and government alike. The Alliance has already established strong relationships with academic and research institutions, state governments and international organizations. The initial member companies are Bradwell International Limited, Erudite, Inc, European Infrastructure Institute, Gerard Group International, Inc, Global Trade Systems, National Infrastructure Institute, and Non-lethal Concepts, LLC. Since July 2009, American Technology Corporation, CitySafe, RB Tec, Inc. , RFID Global Solutions, Sloan Security Group, and Valde Systems, Inc. have joined the Alliance.