ARMADA gives small firms big time security Delaware Gazette

May 29th, 2006, By Don E. Bruce- Nearly a year ago, two veterans of the military and corporate security joined forces to form a low-cost high-security firm to bring the security measures of Corporate 500 companies to small businesses and government contracts. Tom Foos, president, and Jeff Podracky, chief operating officer, formed Armada in Powell.

The company, Podracky said, takes a holistic approach to identifying security risks, implementing programs to address the risks, testing those programs and providing ongoing support. The two men decided to found a security firm once President George Bush issued executive order 13-360, which modified existing government business rules by stipulating that each federal agency and all of the agency’s prime contractors give three percent of their business to service-disabled, veteran-owned companies. The president told the federal government and prime contractors that they had to generate a small business plan, Podracky said. Forty percent of business would go to small business and three percent of business would go through service-disabled, veteran-owned companies. Foos, a service disabled veteran who still currently serves as a colonel in the Marine Reserves, is a 51 percent stake holder in the company, making Armada ripe for government investment.

Our target market is a 60/40 mix with 60 percent being small, medium and large businesses and Corporate 100 companies, who have not thought about security, and 40 percent coming from government entities and small municipalities. We currently do contract work for the Department of Homeland Security, Podracky said.

Armada begins planning security by performing an initial security and business continuity assessment. We want to see what you have in place. How does that marry with your target market? What about growth and what do you want to do? Podracky said. The company provides services such as verifying the legitimacy of businesses being considered for acquisition and determines what, if any, unknown concerns might need to be considered before the purchase is completed. Armada creates business continuity plans such as plans to continue operations in case of a hurricane, tornado or how to deal with a neighbor who may be harboring hazardous items.

You want to know if they are storing 50-gallon drums of chemicals next door and the only thing separating you is a wall of plaster, Podracky said. Podracky and the rest of Armada’s staff have nearly 300 years of active military service that they put to use when inspecting companies ranging from 10 employees to corporations with employees numbering in the thousands. We want to help anybody that has got people, assets and infrastructure, anyone who wants to maintain a good relationship with their customer base, Podracky said.

www.armadausa.com.