MIHSC in the News

Crain's Detroit: Growing Homeland Security

2 groups form to help spur homeland security biz

By Andrew Dietderich

Two homeland security industry advocacy groups have formed to help foster growth of the industry in Michigan.

The nonprofit groups are the Michigan Homeland Security Consortium and Secure Michigan. They are not connected.

The consortium is designed to model MichBio, the state’s association for the life-sciences industry, and provide networking, educational opportunities and assistance with landing venture capital, among other things. Secure Michigan is the lobbying organization for the industry.

The Michigan Homeland Security Consortium formed June 21 after about 30 representatives from business, education and economic-development organizations held their inaugural meeting in Brighton. Barry Cargill, vice president of government relations for the Small Business Association of Michigan, was named executive director last week.

Secure Michigan, with about 12 founding members, also formed in June. Secure Michigan is lead by Lynn Egbert, founder of Lansing firm Egbert & Associates and former CEO of the Michigan Homebuilders Association.

Both organizations are designed to take advantage of the increase in contracts, grants and other awards since Sept. 11, 2001.

“It’s a sign of a vital industry when you have collaborations like this taking place,” said Michael Shore, chief communications officer for the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Of the 505 organizations that applied for $100 million in funding from the fund, about 25 percent were in homeland security, said Fred Grasman, business development manager for homeland security in the technology development unit of the MEDC.

The MEDC wants to help the industry grow by 25 percent in the next five years.

Homeland security came to the forefront after Sept. 11, 2001. Initial money was spent to take actions that were responsive; upgrading of border and airport security along with passage of laws to thwart such attacks, for example.

Homeland security has evolved since. About $33 billion in federal funding was approved for fiscal 2005, with heavy emphasis on developing new technology.

The four areas of spending are in prevention, detection, reaction and recovery.

Within each area are areas of specialization. For example, prevention includes biometrics, vaccines and cargo screening systems. Reaction includes emergency-response equipment and communications. Recovery includes bioremediation and decontamination. Detection includes biosensors, radiation sensors and related training.

“It all comes down to whether Michigan will get a little or a lot as the government continues to spend on homeland security and defense issues,” Cargill said.

Grasman said homeland security and defense spending is critical to improving Michigan’s ailing economy and one of the MEDC’s major priorities.

In addition to making funding for such projects from the 21st Century Jobs Fund a priority, $10 million from the fund has been set aside to establish the Defense Contract Coordination Center within the MEDC.

Cargill said the number of companies involved in homeland security continues to grow as Michigan’s displaced manufacturing and auto industry workers form new businesses. He estimated about 125 companies in the state work with homeland security to some degree and he expects that number to increase dramatically.

The cost to be a member in the Michigan Homeland Security Consortium starts at $500 per organization.

“The value of networking with other companies like ours is very high,” said Ted Green, president of Ann Arbor-based Greenview Data Inc., an information-technology security firm. “We do a lot of work outside of Michigan. Being able to partner with companies in Detroit as opposed to San Francisco will be very useful.”

Secure Michigan will concentrate on efforts in Lansing. For example, founders of the group lobbied hard behind Public Act 317 of 2006.

Among other things, the act establishes the Defense Contract Coordination Center within the MEDC. The act, signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on July 20, is to be repealed in five years.

The act sets an objective of increasing defense and homeland security contracts awarded to businesses in Michigan by 25 percent during the five-year period. It also gives priority to bringing homeland security and defense business opportunities to municipalities hardest hit by manufacturing layoffs.

And that’s where groups like Secure Michigan come in.

“Secure Michigan and its founders find it absolutely necessary to be involved at the legislative and regulatory level activity in Michigan’s capitol,” Egbert said.

Membership in Secure Michigan ranges between $1,000 and $2,500 a year, depending on the number of employees.

Egbert said the group hopes to have as many as 40 members by this time in 2007.

Milford-based Crime Cog Technologies Inc. is one of the founding members of Secure Michigan.

Tim Daley, CEO of Crime Cog, said the founders want to be sure government money is spent correctly on homeland security and defense issues.

“From a homeland security and defense perspective, if we don’t tell lawmakers what they need to do as one unified voice, they’re going to do something that won’t help any of us,” Daley said.

Date: Tuesday, August 22, 2006

This column was written by Thomas Hines, CPP, PSP – President of SecureMatrix in Grand Rapids (www.SecureMatrix.com). He’s also Co-Founder and President of the Michigan Homeland Security Consortium.

Source: Michigan Homeland Security Consortium

Technology Plays Key Role in Michigan’s Law Enforcement and Beyond

Grand Rapids – Ask Grand Rapids Police Chief Harry Dolan about a key turning point in law enforcement over the past century, and he’ll point the family’s antique billy club toward technology.

As a well-received guest speaker at Michigan Homeland Security Consortium’s recent meeting, Chief Dolan explained the advancement of law enforcement technology through a family chronicle. He’s a third generation policeman from an Irish New York City family. While his grandfather could round up suspects with a single whistle (and that antique billy club), police officers today are adapting to the vast technologies that aid investigations and operational efficiency.

The adaptation doesn’t come without some growing pains. Chief Dolan’s first experience with technology in Grand Rapids was in 2000 while addressing Y2K threats. He also learned from a record keeping system that ended up as “scrap material.” He explained it just didn’t measure up to his department’s needs.

The disappointment prompted a young officer in his force to step forward and custom-build a program that better fit the department’s needs, Dolan explained. Using precious little funds and clever execution, the officer built a benchmark record keeping system that was envied by police departments nationwide (that officer is now a sergeant, by the way).

The big lesson learned here is meeting customer expectations by understanding needs and applying innovation.  Michigan-based Homeland Security companies have this capability and are currently serving global customers with ground-breaking technology and customer-focused expertise.

Let’s take a quick glimpse at some of the state’s gems in Homeland Security technologies. Traverse City-based Salamander Technologies is a leading supplier of solutions for first responder teams. Troy-based NuSoft Solutions is developing an innovative 9-1-1 system to help secure college students on campus. Albion-based Patriot Antenna Systems produces cutting-edge antenna technologies to aid global law enforcement and even NASA.

My own company, Grand Rapids-based SecureMatrix, provides law enforcement, military, and commercial/industrial users with the ability to protect outdoor sites from theft, vandalism, and even terrorist attack. We’ve developed a deployable security and surveillance system that integrates radio frequency telemetry and GPS technologies.

In every corner of Michigan, you’ll find numerous companies developing and manufacturing Homeland Security products and technologies. No longer loosely organized, these companies are gaining momentum in numbers via membership in the Michigan Homeland Security Consortium (www.MIHSC.org). You’ll continue to see our state’s Homeland Security Industry grow through their own efforts along with the advocacy of organizations like the MIHSC.

Michigan Homeland Security companies aid law enforcement, the military and commercial customers that are part of the critical struggle to protect our communities and infrastructure through advanced technology.