During SHOT Show, LMS Defense announced that they are moving their corporate headquarters from Reno, Nevada to Twin Falls, Idaho. Why Twin Falls you ask? Well that’s simple, to work with Idaho National Lab (INL, a contractor operated DoE Lab), the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security, Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Department and the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) as well as other businesses/organizations.
Specifically, they plan on opening a “comprehensive counterterrorism training/education center” to be located in Twin Falls County. Additionally, the site will “include a R&D testing facility for products and systems used in field operations for military and civilian security forces.”
In a press release, John Chapman, founder and CEO of LMS Defense explained, “Relocating our corporate headquarters to Twin Falls will allow us to grow the business in a more business-friendly environment with plans to expand counterterrorism training, defense, and R&D testing for law enforcement officers in Idaho, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Montana. Southern Idaho is an ideal location to support our efforts throughout the Northwest to train law enforcement on unique tactics and skills that must be applied in handling domestic terrorism events.â€
“LMS’ future training facility will provide vital collaborative instruction to Idaho ’s law enforcement community as well as throughout the northwest region,†said Brigadier General Bill Shawver, director of the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security. He went on to say, “A regional approach to enhancing the preparation of law enforcement officers for potential terrorist incidents will be critical to effectively managing high consequence situations.”
“Our mission at INL includes National and Homeland Security technology development. To have an alternative location in Idaho to test and evaluate small arms-related technologies appears to be an excellent expansion opportunity,†said Stephanie Cook, of INL’s Technology Deployment Department. “Having a unique testing capability in our own back yard may prove to be a tremendous asset to the region, state of Idaho and INL.â€
“We are thrilled to welcome LMS Defense as the newest member of Idaho ‘s corporate community,†said Jeffery Sayer, director of the Idaho Department of Commerce. “The movement of LMS Defense’s corporate headquarters to Twin Falls is a tremendous opportunity for the state to partner with the local economic development leaders to create a cluster of companies in the area that have an interest in military and law enforcement training, or firearm related industries. We look forward to working with the Magic Valley in the future to support the growth and development of this sector in our economy.”
There’s a lot of support for this move. However, the remote location is just as much a weakness as a strength. For example, INL is out there for a reason. It can take long travel day to get to Idaho Falls, and then the facility itself was quite a way from town. Much of the day is taken up with transits. On the other hand, once you’re there, there’s a lot of open sky and empty prairie. You can do a lot out there. That will be the dichotomy of their facility.
www.lmsdefense.com
