SIA New Member Profile: U.S. Bullet Proofing

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member U.S. Bullet Proofing (USBP) offers a large product line of blast, ballistic, storm impact and forced entry-resistant doors, windows and wall systems. The company is headquartered in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

SIA spoke with Ken Sampson, president of USBP, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

Ken Sampson: I was initially a licensed glazier and had some experience in the design and production of ballistic windows, doors and glazing systems. Located just outside of Washington, D.C., where some of the country’s most secure and iconic buildings are located, I identified the need for a new generation of high-level protective window and door systems and established U.S. Bullet Proofing in 1991.

In 2008, USBP was part of a monumental project that involved replacing all of the custom windows and doors at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. It became a milestone project that led on to the fortification of many other iconic facilities, including the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the Washington Monument, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Transportation. It also led to U.S. Bullet Proofing being one of only a handful of elite suppliers selected by the U.S. Department of State to supply for the U.S. embassies around the world.

What solutions/services does your business offer in the security industry? And what makes your offerings/company unique?

KS: USBP has pioneered the industry with the innovative design and manufacturing of aluminum window and door systems that provide high-level protection from ballistics, blast, storm impact and forced entry. Typically, high-level protective systems are fabricated from steel but there are significant benefits to an aluminum frame system; to start, this includes being lighter in weight, less corrosive and being composed of a material that is aesthetically pleasing and matches the standard storefront materials typically found in most buildings.

What is something we might not know about your company – or something new you are doing in security?

KS: While USBP has an extensive collection of experience in iconic government projects, we offer solutions and have supplied for a wide assortment of many other applications from military bases and police stations to schools, banks, churches, data centers and industrial facilities. We excel at consulting with our customers to ensure they have the appropriate protection level for their building but also provide the custom options to adapt our products for any application.

Our products are designed in such a way that it can provide high-level protection without sacrificing the needs of today’s building designs – this  includes robust frame systems designed to support large insulated and/or protective glazing units, providing solutions that provide simultaneous ballistic and blast protection and a 1” thermally broken profiles for optimum energy efficiency performance.

What is your company’s vision, and what are your goals for the security industry?

KS: U.S. Bullet Proofing was established on a passion to provide customers with the premier solutions that protect people and property. As of late, we have been enhancing our efforts to provide education in the market to help customers to better understand the types and levels of protection available, applicable regulations, certifications or building codes and the array of solutions at their disposal that can fortify and protect their buildings.

We are doing this though a series of outlets, including our newly launched blog on our website, a new CEU course entitled “Protecting People and Property: Fortifying Building Safety with Ballistic, Blast, Storm Impact & Forced Entry Solutions,” partnerships with industry publications, white papers, webinars and more.

We also have several new products in development that will be coming to market soon in our efforts to continue to better serve our customers and provide new ways to enhance building security!

What do you think are the biggest opportunities in the security industry right now?

KS: Security is and will always be a necessity, but the availability and variety of solutions are widely expanding. It’s important to understand the entire landscape of solutions to understand what’s best suited for your application but for customers it’s good to have a variety of solutions at your disposal. There’s an increasing demand for solutions that provide higher-level protection.

What are your predictions for the security industry in the short and long term?

KS: In the short term, the variety of solutions will continue to expand and customers will have a full gamut of options to choose from. As technologies advance, there will be opportunities for solutions across a variety of suppliers to be integrated to perform together as one cohesive unit. The solutions available will only continue to enhance and become more robust.

What are the biggest challenges facing your company and/or others in the security industry?

KS: We are facing many of the same challenges as the rest of the market, with the volatility of the supply chain. Varying lead times, availability of supply and pricing continue to place a downward strain on the supply chain. Our impact has been minimal due to some of the strong supply partnerships we have built in the industry, but it’s certainly been a challenge.

What do you enjoy most about being at your company – and in the security industry?

KS: It’s exciting to be a part of these very prolific projects and everyday challenged with new custom designs and applications for our customers. Seeing the end result of the finished building that incorporates our solutions is very gratifying!

What does SIA offer that is most important to you/your company? And what do you most hope to get out of your membership with SIA?

KS: The SIA events are fantastic networking events to connect with the most influential and knowledgeable in the industry. It’s an opportunity to keep in touch with how the market is evolving as are the security and customer requirements.

How does your organization engage with SIA? What are your plans for involvement in the next year?

KS: We would love to be more involved in the association in a variety of avenues from continuing to attend events to member resources, and if the opportunity presented itself, we would love to be a contributing member of the education we can provide for security protection in building design.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association.