J.P. Freeman Consults On Homeland Security

Officers of J.P. Freeman Co, Inc, of Newtown, met with US Rep Nancy Johnson last Friday at Edmond Town Hall to discuss their possible role in the federal Homeland Security program.

Among those who met with Congressman Johnson were Joe Freeman, chief executive officer of the J.P. Feeman Co and J.P. Freeman Labs; Lucille Freeman, the owner of the companies; Bob Merola, director of client services, and Jack Nickerson, chief financial officer.

“The world comes to us for our knowledge of security,” Mr Freeman told Rep Johnson. “Ever since 9/11 there has been a level of corporate and government security that had not existed before.”

Started in 1983 by Mr Freeman, formerly general manager of General Electric Housewares Division and chief operating officer of Wells Fargo Protection Systems, J.P. Freeman Co, Inc is a market research, management consulting, and technical services organization specializing in the security, home automation, commercial automation, and systems integration industries.

The company publishes comprehensive market reports, provides a wide range of consulting services, custom research searches, and testing and design services. It is widely consulted by organizations wishing to develop plans and methods to accelerate their future growth.

The company entered into a joint venture with the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association and is the exclusive supplier of research services among the NBFAA’s 3,000 member companies.

The Security Industry Association elected Joe Freeman its “Chairman of the Year” in 1996 for his efforts in building the security industry’s first management conference. And the Home Automation Association conferred its 1997 Leadership Award to Chairman Joe Freeman for “exemplary work in building the association’s professionalism and services.”

The company is widely consulted in the areas of accelerated growth and security issues in the post-9/11 world.

The company serves over 700 corporations worldwide, the United States government, and the governments of Germany and South Africa. It is privately held, has no outside investors or vested interests, and rigorously maintains its objectivity.

Locally, J.P. Freeman installed Newtown High School’s state-of-the-art camera system. Thirty-two cameras are deployed around the school, to monitor both outside and in the hallways. The system can give security and school officials high-resolution digital playbacks. The cameras can be controlled to pan, tilt, or zoom around the school.

Mr Freeman told Rep Johnson that he was concerned because a new company in California was advertising itself as the world’s leader in security consulting. He said he was reluctant to hire a lobbyist to represent his own company in Washington, but wanted to be sure that the government was aware of his company’s expertise in the security field.

“I can make sure that you are on the playing field,” Rep Johnson said.

Joe Freeman has just been selected one of Security Sales & Integration Magazine’s 25 Most Innovative Industry Figures since 1978. A former executive with General Foods, Remington, General Electric, and Wells Fargo Protective Services, he is frequently invited to be keynote speaker, conference chairman, and seminar leader. He has been a director of the Security Industry Association, chairperson and director of the Home Automation Association, and a member of seven other trade associations.

Mr Freeman holds bachelor and MBA degrees in marketing and a doctor of science (ScD) in management. He and his wife recently were named co-presidents of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), an organization that they started 20 years ago as the Danbury Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Mr Nickerson is a director of Interlude.