Force Protection CEO Tommy Pruitt Visits our Rotary

March 27, 2007: If you keep up with the local papers, you know Force Protection is an organization that is growing fast. We were fortunate to have Tommy Pruitt stop by and bring us up to speed on their company, the growth they have experienced over the last few years and their future plans.

Force Protection is the manufacturer of ballistic and blast protected vehicles, which have been used to support armed forces and security personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and other hot spots around the world. Their vehicles provide the highest level of protection against roadside bombs, land mines, IEDS (Improvised Explosive Devices) and hostile fire.

Because modern warfare has drastically changed and continues to evolve, there is an increasing need for these vehicles to protect our armed forces. The company produces three vehicle types. They are the 26 ton Buffalo (which they brought along and is pictured on page 2), the Cougar and the Cheetah. Currently, the company is producing 60 vehicles per month, by summer they expect that number to increase to 200 vehicles per month and by years end, they are predicting 400 vehicles per month.

Force Protection has gone from employing a few hundred people and net sales of $10 million in 2004 to employing over 800 people and net sales of $196.0 million at the end of 2006. Headquartered on the outskirts of Charleston, they currently have 400,000 square feet of manufacturing space with plans to have more by the end of the year.

Pruitt answered a few questions after his presentation. Some highlights are below.

How much of a blast can one of the vehicles withstand?
The most they know of is equal to about 50 tons of TNT. That doesn’t mean it can’t withstand more.

With Congress trying to pull troops out of Iraq by 2008, will and how will that impact the company’s future growth?
The urgent need of vehicles will go down once the war is over. However, 70% of war casualties are now caused by IEDS and this method of fighting is here to stay. These vehicles are needed to protect our armed forces against the new warfare wherever there is conflict. Unfortunately, when this war ends, that doesn’t mean the military can relax. It’s typical that once a war ends, the US military will replenish their resources so they are prepared and ready should the need arise. So, many vehicles will still be needed long after the war ends.

When the company sells the vehicles, do they know who the end user is?
Yes, every contract goes through and is approved by the US Defense Department and State Department and the company is fully aware of who is getting each car and what part of the world it will be in.

Keeping soldiers safe is the company’s number one priority, and in this era of new warfare, these vehicle are doing just that. Said by one Fore Protection employee,” We can’t wrap our arms around our soldiers to keep them safe, but we can wrap our metal around them.”

Submitted by Darby Hand, Keyway Committee