Partner Success Story: MULTIMAX Inc. and Palmer Electric

MULTIMAX Inc. and Palmer Electric Land Base-wide Air Force Academy Engagement with MDI Solution, Sales Support

Instrumental in building future military leaders, the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) has long been a major attraction in Colorado Springs. Until 9/11, the 30-square-mile base was widely open to the public, but new security risks have required more stringent security measures at the Academy.

For more than four years, Palmer Electric, a Colorado Springs-based security solutions company that contracts under Multimax Inc., one of four small business Netcents contractors, has provided the technology and expertise to keep the USAFA secure. From controlling vehicles to managing building access to making badges, the 22-year-old, family operated company installs and maintains the systems that regulate access for 4,000 cadets, 9,000 employees and 1,000s of visitors.

In 2005, Palmer and the Academy faced a turning point. The manufacturer of the base's access control system at the time changed ownership, leaving the product's future in question. Palmer quickly needed to find a replacement solution that could meet the base's comprehensive security requirements.

A Scalable, Customizable Solution

Palmer Electric consulted Ken Rice of Nightingale Rep Associates of Denver, who connected the company with MDI Security Systems. For more than 25 years, MDI has provided unified security software and video surveillance solutions that can be comprehensively managed from a central point of command and control.

Palmer found MDI's SAFEnet integrated security management system well-suited to handle the complex, large-scale, multi-site security requirements of the Academy, while at the same time easy to control and administer.

"SAFEnet offered exactly what the Academy needed - a state-of-the-art solution that's easy to customize and that offers unlimited expansion capabilities," said Cary Gulsby, Access Control Project Manager at Palmer. "There's not a stronger access control product with comparable integration capabilities available on the planet."

At the same time, the company's professionalism, integrity and personal attention influenced Palmer's decision to become an MDI partner.

A Winning Partnership

Once sold on the MDI solutions, Palmer next took its proposal to the Academy, requiring the company to compete against the incumbent product it had built and maintained the past four years. Key to the process, MDI sales reps teamed up with Palmer to present the solution at the Academy, which gave USAFA officials assurance in MDI's technology and Palmer's ability to install, customize and maintain the system. The strength of the combined solution earned Multimax and Palmer the contract to install SAFEnet basewide.

"MDI stood side-by-side with us through the entire bid process at the Air Force Academy," Gulsby said. "Being backed by a company like MDI just made us bigger than we are and put a great name behind us. We are fully convinced that, with the support of MDI, there is not a security integration project anywhere, of any size, that we cannot handle."

"MDI's sales support and technology gave us the competitive edge to win the Air Force Academy contract," Gulsby added. "Having a cutting-edge software platform with an open architecture and integration possibilities - that covers facilities around the world - gave us the confidence going in."

A Foundation for Future Growth

Palmer is currently migrating the Academy and its 30,000 users to SAFEnet. The company's relationship with MDI, and the product's flexibility, have continued to help Palmer meet the Academy's needs and requirements for a smooth, secure conversion. MDI's willingness to support Palmer in any way necessary gives the company confidence through the database conversion.

In addition to the Air Force Academy, Palmer has implemented SAFEnet at nearby Peterson Air Force Base. In total, the two Air Force contracts have grown the small company's annual revenue by $600,000 just six months into being an MDI partner, with the total contract value exceeding $2 million.

"It's all been very positive with MDI, from their willingness to do presentations at the Academy to digging in and making systems do what clients need," said John Palmer, General Manager.

Next, the 20-employee company plans to expand its access control business by taking MDI solutions to more new and existing clients, which also include Fort Carson, Schriever Air Force Base, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), the City of Colorado Springs and area school districts. Representing MDI products will allow the company to respond to customers asking for a solution that integrates tightly with existing fire alarms and other systems.