Demand for homeland security requirements has pushed demand for Oil City-based Pepro LLC’spatented shield enclosures for first responder communication systems inthe first quarter of 2009 to the level of sales reached for all of2008. This demand is driving a prediction by principal owner Victor Garmong of adoubling of sales for the year.
At theheart of Pepro’s sales gains is a patented technology that surroundsmobile communication systems with a faraday cage–an enclosure ofconducting material that protects sensitive equipment from externalelectrical charges. This, in turn, enables Pepro to offer a wide-range ofcommunications stations to federal, state, and local agencies as wellas private companies, capable of remote and unattended operations invery rugged terrains.
“We’re providing them all up anddown the Rocky Mountains and in the Cascade Mountains, as well as alongthe border with Mexico,” Garmong says. Known as Cells on Wheels (COWs),Sites on Wheels (SOWs), and Mobile Tower Units (MTUs), the systemsprotect unattended transmission stations and antenna outposts fromlightning strikes, radio frequency and electromagnetic interference, and provide 800-megahertz encryption. These features are driving sales,as all government agencies are switching communication systems fromanalog to digital technology and seeking 95 percent coverage across the United States.
A large subcontractor thatfocuses 95 percent of its purchases within 150 miles of Oil City, Peprohas added five people to the company payroll in the last six months andexpects to continue hiring engineers, mechanics and welders through theend of the year. Moreover, with recent sales to Costa Rica and the WestAfrican nation of Guinea, Garmong expects international sales to opennew opportunities.
Source: Pepro, Victor Garmong
Writer: Joseph Plummer
To receive Keystone Edge free every week, click here.