Think
of the phrase "homeland security" and it frequently prompts visions
of security guards at our nation's airports or container inspectors
at our coastal seaports. But think again. Think smaller. Think security
cameras.
That's exactly what the folks think about at Wren, a Jefferson City
manufacturer and national leader in providing CCTV (closed circuit
television) solutions for commercial security needs. The more than
60 employees at Wren produce a range of mechanisms to mount, house,
connect and coordinate the application of security cameras, which
are continually shrinking in size as high technology constantly strives
for ever-smaller devices.
Wren has been in the CCTV solutions business since its founding by
Clifford "Tippy" Wren in 1983. During the ensuing 22 years the firm
has successfully served the security surveillance needs of such commercial
giants as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Walgreen and Target.
"Wren has earned a 98 percent retention rate, and our challenge
is to continue to deliver excellent products and service so that customers
keep coming back," says Andrew Wren, president of the company and
son of the firm's founder.
Wren continues to be successful serving several end-user markets,
including retail, gaming, education and commercial/industrial. One
area that Wren feels can contribute to its growth is the government
sector. This area has not been pursued as aggressively in the past
partly due to a confusing process of navigating through requests for
proposal (RFPs) and locating profitable opportunities.
To locate new clients the company is exploring the barely tapped
market of homeland security at the federal, state and local government
levels, according to Bill Stuby, program specialist at the Missouri
Procurement Technical Assistance Center (MO PTAC). Wren has turned
to MO PTAC for assistance in identifying new government-based markets.
Stuby, whose Columbia-based office is affiliated with the Missouri
Small Business Development Centers (MO SBDC) at the University of
Missouri, has helped Wren process complex registration data requests
on the federal government's Contractor Central Registration (CCR)
website. He also acquainted Wren with FedBizOpps, another federal
government website that advertises most federal procurement opportunities.
"Bill Stuby and the MO PTAC group have answered a range of questions
from getting contact information to assisting Wren in finding third-party
businesses to work with," said Joel Dixon, sales support specialist
at Wren.
"MO PTAC helped us refine our search criteria for the system's email
notification, which has proven critical to making the search for qualified
business a smoother process."
At the state level, Wren is exploring homeland-security-related contract
business with the Missouri National Guard, the Missouri State Highway
Patrol and the State Emergency Management Agency, according to Stuby.
The firm is also exploring the security surveillance needs of the
Missouri Department of Corrections and the federal Department of Justice.
Considering Wren's significant role as an established Missouri business
enterprise and because of its efforts to explore new avenues of business
growth, Wren will represent MO PTAC at the first Client
Showcase and Legislative Breakfast hosted by the MO SBDC on Thursday,
Feb. 10, in the State Capitol Rotunda in Jefferson City. At that event,
Wren and 24 other outstanding Missouri companies will meet with legislators
to discuss their products and services and to be recognized for their
contributions to the economic development of the state of Missouri.
Recognition from MO SBDC and MO PTAC will be accompanied by legislative
resolutions presented by each company's district state senator and
state representative.
For more information on the services of the MO PTAC program, call
Stuby at 573/882-9398 or e-mail him at stubyb@missouri.edu.
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