The BLACKHAWK! Covert Carry Messenger Bag

Ok, you carry a laptop everyday to work. Maybe you are not military, maybe you are. Maybe you are law enforcement, maybe you aren't. Maybe you just need to carry your gun and not have it scream "I'm carrying a gun!" This is your go-to-everyday-bag. From BLACKHAWK! the Covert Carry Messenger Bag is available for those in uniform and those just "informed". Ride a bike? A removable waist belt provide stability when moving fast! A large padded laptop compartment inside is 14" wide by 11" high by 2" deep - enough for all you creative gun carrying types. The exterior back panel features two concealed pistol magazine pockets and a center pocket for a handgun with hook and loop to mount your holster.

Military? We've got your preferred fashion palette of Coyote Tan and Foliage Green.

LE? - Your basic Black is available.

All you other responsible hard working citizens - Gray/Silver, Black/Red, Blue/Red, Blue/Black

All this for only $119.00 - only thing missing is your lunch bag....

http://www.blackhawk.com/product/Covert-Carry-Messenger-Bag,1185,1394.htm

Welcoming an old friend - Sentry Solutions

When you are in the business of servicing other companies, it pays to always keep your door open. One of the hardest things in my business of PR is when a client must end their contract. They feel awkward, I used to feel awkward, but today's economy is making many businesses re-evaluate their marketing needs. Some businesses - slash and burn. Some re-invest. And some come back to the roost. Take for example this little company, Sentry Solutions. When I began my company, the President, Mark Mrozek, asked me in on a couple of projects he had going. I thought we were a perfect fit - two little companies in New Hampshire working in the same markets for the military and shooting sports. But, alas, he had another marketing professional in his pocket so our relationship was limited. But here, years later, Mark calls and the next thing I know - Sentry Solutions is our new client. These are great products too, and I'm not just saying that. Whether you are a gun owner, a fisherman (or woman!) or just want to keep your tools from rusting away in your damp basement (oh! that's my basement!) Sentry Solution products are truly the best in their league. So, welcome again, Mark - let's get down to some good PR!

Now More Than Ever

So, here we are. Looking over our shoulder, we see the fleeting remnants of 2008 disappearing over the horizon. Ahead - 2009. Most people will shrug and think that 2009 will not be much better on the economic front with more jobs being lost, businesses drying up, and the cost of everything taking a roller coaster ride from way high to 99 1/2% off retail!

Now, more than ever, PR efforts needs to stepped up. Yeah, I know all those new products you fleshed out on your white board will now never get funded. That doesn't mean your PR opportunities are out the window. First of all, when times get tough, look inside. Not your closets, or your soul, but within your company walls; look at your employees, look at initiatives you are doing within your community. You may think it's just business as usual but to your customers they are like bread crumbs in a dark and scary forest. You know that green initiative your staff took on last month? Changing out light bulbs, recycling cans, placing signs in the bathrooms and kitchen reminding people about water use? I know you think you are saving a bit of money, getting your team involved in something other than fretting about the potential of pink slips, but your community might like to know - how about a press release?

What about your boss? You know Mr. Grinch on the job, but every year he spends his bonus on toys for kids and dressing like Santa visits the children's wing at your hospital. How about a press release - maybe if more people knew about his generosity, they'd help too. You know, start a trend!

How about that new initiative in manufacturing? What does Lean mean to your customers? Tell them about it - let them know how it will benefit them. How about Mr. Smith in the back of the house? He's been with your company how long? Isn't that amazing these days? Don't you think in this day and age of disposable employees your customers might like to know your company cares and celebrates longevity?

All of the above examples were not about new products, or made up services, but about people - your company's most important asset. When uncertainty abounds, we take comfort in knowing that persaverance and loyalty matter; that companies that care, matter. This type of PR or "people relations" makes you a better vendor, a better customer, a better manufacturer in the eyes of your public. So, relax, you don't need new products to have a successful PR program, you just need to open your eyes and listen.

The Quiet Profession

I am a public relations professional. I am not associated with an ad agency, or any big agency. I fly solo. Yet, every so often I receive email intro's from soon to be graduating seniors with a public relations degree (yep, they exist!) and they are looking for a potential new home to create their PR magic. I'm not hiring, but I always offer advice if asked. One of the key comments I take away from so many young aspiring PR professionals is that they are all looking for the big client, the big media hit, the big buck.

Public Relations is a quiet medium. When I run into a PR person that can't stop talking, I wonder how the company sales force overlooked them. PR people must have good listening skills. You must listen to your clients, to your journalists, to your clients' customers.

I have half jokingly said that I'm more match maker, or ambassador, than a business person. By listening you learn to pick up key words, feelings, attitudes from clients, end-users, and the media. Bringing them together, forming lasting relationships, takes time, takes commitment on the part of myself and my clients, but the end result is what we are after. Big hits, I've had a few, but it's the many, many small hits that add up on the bottom line.

So, I wish all the newbies luck, and this Holiday Season, I wish them patience. The word "relations" is part of our job title for a reason - it is through people that we create success for our clients.

The Corporate Mission that Means More to its Customers

Blackhawk Products Group, out of Norfolk, Virginia, was one of my very first clients in 2003. I had just come out of the corporate side of the firearms industry when a good friend in the publishing business hooked me up with a gentleman just starting at Blackhawk. He was tasked to use his years of experience as a cop and from working at a leading holster manufacturer to put Blackhawk on the map as a law enforcement holster manufacturer. I’d like to say I was part of that team that helped make the SERPA holster a mainstay of law enforcement agencies and the military around the world. But, it was the Blackhawk philosophy that made the holster successful then and continues to make new products successful today.

Mike Noell, CEO and President of Blackhawk, started the company in his garage with a very simple mission. You see, Mike is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, and he wanted to make sure his buddies were able to not only complete their missions, but to save lives, including their own. That simple company philosophy “to save lives” has not changed since Blackhawk’s founding in 1991.

In spite of their impressive catalog of over 2,000 items of military, law enforcement, and outdoor gear, the Blackhawk philosophy is literally sewn or molded in every product. Case in point: the new Integrated Tourniquet System or I.T.S. for simplicity. And the idea is so simple; you might ask why it wasn’t thought of before. Like many of the products that come out of Blackhawk, the idea originates on the battlefield, a cop’s beat, or from a trainer’s doctrine. The ideas come from real need by real people. A former Army surgeon who had seen the increase in extremity wounds realized the face of combat had changed. Soldiers and tactical operators were now better protected on the torso and head, but the extremities were still vulnerable. Working with Blackhawk, the I.T.S. pants and shirt was developed.

The Blackhawk Integrated Tourniquet System integrates four tourniquets in each pair of pants and shirt. The I.T.S. pants offer proximal (femoral artery) and distal (tibial artery) protection on both legs and the shirt offers primary protection for the brachial artery and distal placement at the wrists. The built-in tourniquets meet the eight United States Army Institute of Surgical Research requirements for weight, size, application time, ease-of-use, operation and cost.

Over 60% of preventable combat deaths are from extremity bleeding and 50-70% of all combat injuries are extremity wounds. By wearing the I.T.S. clothing an operator can access the tourniquets himself or easily aid a team member because every team member knows the location of the tourniquets. They can be activated in seconds saving precious time and blood loss. The tourniquets can be used again and again without damage and the garments are machine washable and dryer safe. As comfortable and durable as these pants and shirts are, the Blackhawk mission is built right in with every life-saving tourniquet.

BLACKHAWK® HELLSTORM® GLOVES

NORFOLK, VA (July 28, 2006) BlackHawk Products Group™, the world leader in tactical gear, take tactical gloves to the next level with the HellStorm S.O.L.A.G.™, Fury™, and the Fury Commando™. HellStorm gloves are now at the forefront of glove technology featuring the newest high performance materials combined with design functionality resulting in an evolutionary advancement that significantly enhances fit, function and durability.

The S.O.L.A.G with NOMEX® and the S.O.L.A.G. with KEVLAR® now have an ‘over-wrap’ design on the fingertips. This design eliminates the seam on the fingertips and enhances the tactile ability, important for operating equipment and firearms, and prevents the wearer’s fingernails from wearing through. All leather has been upgraded to a specially treated goatskin leather from the world famous Pittards™ Tannery in England. The palm leather has been treated with ARMOR TAN™ and WR100X™ treatments. The back of the hand leather is WR100X treated. WR100X instills the leather with a water resistance which keeps the glove soft after repeated exposure to water and/or perspiration. ARMOR TAN is a chemical process by which the leather fibers are encased in ceramic for a 25% greater abrasion resistance. Ergonomically molded 4mm EVA foam padding has been added to the back of the hand and fingers for increased protection. The fit of the glove has been greatly improved with to fit longer fingers and provide for a better thumb position which improves dexterity while reducing stress on the glove seams. All models now have a nylon web loop on the palm side of the glove to allow easy donning and attachment to carabineers. The back of the hand hook and loop closure have also been moved upwards to eliminate the gap found on previous models. The S.O.L.A.G. with NOMEX or KEVLAR are available in black, olive drab, coyote tan and now come in sizes small to XX large. MSRP is $69.95.

The synthetic S.O.L.A.G. and S.O.L.A.G. ½ Finger models also feature all the new fit improvements of the S.O.L.A.G with NOMEX or KEVLAR. In addition the palm material has been upgraded to a double layered, ergonomically cut Clarino™ synthetic leather that dries quickly and performs exceptionally well in wet conditions. Available in black and in sizes from small to XX large, the S.O.L.A.G. MRSP IS $44.95 and the ½ Finger is $39.95.

The Fury with NOMEX, Fury with KEVLAR and the Fury Commando with NOMEX and Fury Commando with KEVLAR also have undergone design improvements including the ‘over-wrap’ feature, Pittards Goatskin with ARMOR TAN and WR100X treatments, ergonomically placed 4mm molded EVA foam padding, improved finger and thumb fit and nylon web loop for easy of donning and attachment to carabineers. The Fury with KEVLAR or NOMEX is available in black, olive drab and coyote tan in sizes from small to XX large for an MRSP of $74.95. The Fury Commando in KEVLAR or NOMEX is available in black, olive drab and coyote tan in sizes from small to XX large for an MRSP of $67.95.


About BlackHawk:
BlackHawk Industries Inc. founded in 1993 by President and CEO Mike Noell, is recognized as the world leader in supplying tactical equipment to the military and law enforcement markets. Mike was trained as a US Navy SEAL and incorporated that experience and discipline in building a company dedicated to designing equipment for the preservation of life under the worst extremes.
BlackHawk Products Group was formed in 2003 to accelerate the pace of introducing new best-in-class products to the performance oriented tactical market through intensive internal R&D initiatives and selective acquisitions. Since 2003, BlackHawk™ has acquired Masters of Defense® Knife Company (MOD), Delta Design Group, Jungst Scientific, Dynamic Entry®, All Season’s Apparel, and Wildfire Warrior™. Acquisitions in R&D and manufacturing capabilities resulted in BlackHawk’s groundbreaking launch of the CQC™ holster line and SERPA Auto Lock™ technology, an all new HydraStorm® line and MOD’s new line of BlackHawk Blades™. BlackHawk created new divisions for new product groups such as Night-Ops™ for illumination tools, Warrior Wear™ for apparel, and BlackHawk Law Enforcement for duty gear. In 2006, BlackHawk entered the shooting sports and hunting markets employing the skills and the knowledge learned from over a decade of successfully supplying the law enforcement and military markets.

Battlefield Protection: Seeing is Believing

MOSUL, IRAQ – February 28, 2006 – 1st Lt. Anthony Aguilar, Infantry Platoon Leader assigned to B Company, Task Force2-1 Infantry, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, boarded his Stryker armored vehicle for another day of another patrol.

But this patrol was far from ordinary. “Our patrol was struck by a massive IED, launching shrapnel and debris at high velocities toward the vehicle,” Lt. Aguilar recounted. “I was thrown into the hull of the Stryker and later discovered that my eye-pro, the ‘Sawfly’ yellow tinted lenses, prevented a shard of shrapnel from contacting my face, saving my eyesight and preventing serious injury. The shrapnel punctured the lens, but did not penetrate. The shrapnel was large enough to dislodge the eyewear from my face and force me into the vehicle. I wore the glasses the rest of the patrol, confident they could still do the job.”

Lt. Aguilar is one of the lucky ones. With all the media attention on body armor, very little has been said about eye protection. A soldier’s visual acuity is the most important tool in his arsenal of weapons. Yet, the rate of battlefield eye injuries has risen to 16% due to increased firepower and explosives in a largely urban setting. Add to that, environmental elements such as wind, sand and debris. Although the eye occupies less than half of a percent of the overall body surface, there is nothing to prevent the smallest bit of debris from penetrating the soft tissue. Add the high velocities of shrapnel and you have easy access to the brain and probable death. Over 90% of all battlefield eye injuries can be prevented. Why aren’t more of these injuries prevented?

Have you ever visited a plant or facility and are required to don a pair of safety glasses for the tour? Feel a little dizzy when it’s over? Notice the employees either quickly reaching for their glasses when management approaches or are wearing their own version of “eyewear protection”. I too, have to plead “mea culpa” since I find most shooting glasses hurt after a time or distort my vision (excuse #242 why I missed that shot) and I am more likely to wear my stylish sunglasses, which offer, mind you, NO PROTECTION! Most people, including soldiers, do not know the value of eye protection.

So, what are our soldiers looking for in eye protection? Protection. Comfort. Full-view Vision. Interchangeable Lenses. Prescription ready. And last, but certainly not least, a “coolness” factor.

Here’s where Lt. Aguilar made the right choice in eyewear protection. He chose the Sawfly Military Eyewear System from Revision Eyewear Ltd. because the Sawfly fit the bill in protection, comfort, full-view vision, interchangeable lenses and looks great. But on February 28, 2006 on a clear day in Mosul, did he care that the Sawfly was on the US Army Eyewear list for US Soldiers, or that the Sawfly has received the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) certification (Z87.1-2003) that stipulates that eyewear must resist a one gram steel pellet fired at a velocity of 150 ft/second? Did he care that in an independent test by the Munitions Experimental Test Centre in 2004 the Sawfly lens successfully resisted the one gram steel pellet fired at a velocity of 905 ft/second?

You bet he did.

For more information on Revision Eyewear Ltd. and their family of ballistic eyewear protection: the Sawfly Military Eyewear System, the Bullet Ant Tactical Goggle and the new Desert Locust Goggle, log on to http://www.revisioneyewear.com/ or drop me a comment.