UTFC invests $225K in expanding Emergency Management Equipment - Homeland security needs fuel growth of emergency vehicle and console customizer

September 22, 2004

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UTFC Financing Solutions, LLC today announced a $225,000 investment in Emergency Management Equipment, which designs and builds fully customized emergency vehicles and security consoles in demand by government agencies, first responders and corporate security officials.

(Many thanks to Bill Payne for passing this along- Russ)

The Salt Lake City, Utah-based firm (http://www.emeusa.com) is already servicing customers from New Jersey to southern California, providing mobile command, communications and SWAT vehicles designed for managing large events and responding to hostage crises, bioterrorism, bomb threats and many other contingencies.

The company also designs and builds equipment consoles and modular workstations for fixed sites such as dispatch and command centers, airports and corporate security offices. President and CEO Jane Gritz is overseeing EME’s growth in the post-September 11 homeland security environment. The funding comes after UTFC’s research showed that EME’s ability to customize its features per customer requests is giving the firm a strong niche in a growing market, said UTFC CEO Steve Grizzell.

“Police and fire departments or corporate customers can name their desired features rather than being forced to choose from standardized products that don’t meet all their needs,” he said.

Grizzell was also impressed by customers’ enthusiasm for the state-of-the-art technology EME provides, enhancing responders’ ability to manage crises and save lives. One recent customer raved about a new command vehicle equipped with a night vision camera mounted on a 60-foot telescopic mast.

“A night vision camera can give a police department the capability to see at night, or through smoke, or even spot an abducted child hidden in a forest,” Grizzell said. “Another example -- a fully equipped command center on-site at the scene of a crisis means officers don’t need to shuttle back and forth to headquarters to copy fliers or news releases for press conferences that can enlist public aid in solving a crime.” In addition to his satisfaction with EME’s financial results and prospects, Grizzell was also pleased with the opportunity to invest in a woman-owned business.

“UTFC strives to not only make effective investments that bring a return to our investors, but to contribute to the betterment and economic development of Utah and neighboring states through supporting woman- and minority-owned businesses,” said Grizzell, whose firm is the only Utah company listed on Columbia Business School’s national directory of socially responsible institutional investors.

EME CEO Gritz will use the UTFC funding to manage the growth in both the vehicle and console segments of her business. “Before Sept. 11, command or emergency vehicles like ours were often items on a police department’s wish-list,” said Gritz. “Now they are seen as standard equipment, and the Department of Homeland Security has made these purchases easier.”

EME is a supplier approved by the federal General Services Administration, a designation that drastically simplifies the bidding process for potential customers. The firm is also an approved vendor under another program that enables procurement by state and local agencies under the federal guidelines. EME’s status as a woman-owned business also gives customers additional avenues to raise money from government programs for purchases.

UTFC’s investment will help fund development of a concise and structured marketing plan to re-establish the firm in the corporate market. Even as EME’s vehicle construction and upgrade business has flourished, the firm is also adjusting to changes in the market for consoles and workstations in fixed locations.

“Communications systems in consoles are increasingly PC-based,” Gritz said. “So we are introducing new generation command/control workstations designed for this environment.” UTFC Financing Solutions, LLC is a small business investment company (SBIC) in Salt Lake City, Utah, that fills a unique niche in the market, providing the needed capital to start and grow businesses. It specializes in funding new businesses with little operating history and provides up to $500,000 in subordinated debt to startup companies in and around Utah. Read more at http://www.utfc.biz

For more information, contact Steve Grizzell, UTFC’s CEO, at (801) 741-4200 or steve@utfc.biz and Emergency Management Equipment CFO Richard Beynon at (801) 973-0801 or rbeynon@emeusa.com.
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