Businessman Tarnished by 9/11 Has Rebuilt His Company and Life

Jan. 24, 2008

ATLANTA , Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ --- The tragedy of September 11 hit the hearts and pocketbooks of millions, and it nearly ruined Frank Argenbright . The namesake of Argenbright Security, the company responsible for much of the U.S. airport security prior to the disaster, had sold his company nearly nine months before America was hit by terrorism.

However, his name was on the door of the company that caught much of the blame, and he was personally stigmatized by the ordeal. Due to an agreement that Argenbright reached with the new owners of Argenbright Security, he was bound by law to remain quiet throughout the ordeal, even though his name was being raked through the mud. He was left in shame, financial ruin and with a name associated and blamed for a catastrophe of unparalleled proportion.

While Argenbright could have wallowed in his despair following the months after the worst terrorist attack on American soil, he decided to get back to what he knew best, corporate security and airport services. After selling his Atlanta home in 2002, he borrowed close to $7 million from business associates to start two new companies, Air Serv, an aviation firm, and SecurAmerica, a security company, which have grown to nearly 6,000 and 1,500 employees, respectively. Argenbright said he felt the need to create a security service company with American ownership due to the dominance of foreign-owned security companies in the industry.

"I want to be the biggest commercial security company in the U.S.," said Argenbright. "You get beat down but you want to come back to show people you can."

Although his two companies have been quite a success, Argenbright insists that despite putting in 18 hour days, it is not just about the money.

"I've made a lot of money over the years," he said. "Forget the money. People will say, 'Argenbright. There's something bad about that name. Something bad.'"

Argenbright has since spoken out about his former company and the tragedies surrounding September 11 . A book titled Unsafe at Any Altitude, written by Joe and Susan Trento appeared nationwide in the fall of 2006 telling the true story of Argenbright Security.

SOURCE Frank Argenbright

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