Community Renewal Good Stories - Norfolk-Portsmouth

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EZ's Technical Assistance Helps Security Company Prosper

Norfolk-Portsmouth, Virginia, EZ

Seeking to take advantage of the heightened interest in security in order to grow its business and in need of more suitable office space, Advanced Research Investigative, LLC (ARI) approached the Norfolk-Portsmouth, Virginia, EZ for help. Within 90 days of the request, ARI had relocated from Virginia Beach, Virginia, to the EZ.

"Pre-September 11th, there was not a lot of interest in security, but since that time, opportunities have opened up in this industry," said CEO Keith Benson, who founded ARI in 1998. These opportunities, combined with ARI's move to the EZ, served as a springboard to take business to the next level.

Through its small business incubator and resource center, Empowerment 2010, which administers the EZ, was able to steer ARI to additional government contract opportunities and was instrumental in helping ARI secure new government contracts. Benson beams when he speaks about how far his company has come since June 2003. "When I came to talk with Empowerment 2010, we had zero contracts. To this date, we have five. Once everything was put in place through the relationship with Empowerment 2010, we were quite successful with contract negotiations and awards," he said.

With ARI's move to the EZ came growth. The company has gone from a 1-man operation to 15 full-time employees, 5 of whom are EZ residents. ARI is now eligible to claim yearly EZ wage tax credits worth as much as $3,000 per employee. By registering with Federal and State procurement agencies, ARI won a competitive bid to perform screening services for a pass and identification department valued at $62,700.

For more information on the programs of the Norfolk-Portsmouth EZ, contact Assistant City Manager Marcus D. Jones at (757) 664-4350.