Guardian Technologies and Fowler International to Partner for Russian Market

March 3, 2005
Company agree to co-op in marketing of baggage scanning systems solution

HERNDON, Va. -- Guardian Technologies International, a leading technology developer of intelligent imaging informatic solutions for homeland security and healthcare, has signed a consulting agreement with Fowler International, a globally recognized expert in U.S.-Russia business development, to market and sell Guardian's PinPoint airport security solution to Russia's burgeoning homeland security market. During Guardian's recent trip to Russia, both the government and private sector security communities expressed an overwhelming interest in PinPoint's threat detection technology, revealing an imperative need for Guardian to contract with a representative that has proven working relationships with Russian government and business organizations.

"With the Russian 2004 GDP growth exceeding initial expectations, Guardian Technologies has chosen the ideal time to move into the Russian homeland security marketplace. We look forward to contributing to their success by identifying strategic distribution channels and acting as a conduit between Guardian and the Russian security community," said Gary Fowler, CEO of Fowler International, co-chair and president of the Russian-American Technology Forum (RATF). Fowler also is co-chair for the American Chamber of Commerce International Committee on Technology (AmCham ICT) and a key member of Presidents Bush and Putin's working group for the Russian-America Business Dialog.

Representing Guardian International with more than 10 years of experience in Russia, Fowler will perform comprehensive marketplace distribution analysis and act as a local interface to Russia's government and private sectors. This synergistic relationship between Fowler and Guardian opens the doors wide to immediate business opportunities that would otherwise take several years to achieve. With basic transportation and technology infrastructures currently in place, the Russian market offers unparalleled opportunities for specialized homeland security products and services companies.

"Russia is seeking to upgrade its security technologies immediately, especially in light of the past year's escalating terrorist activities, which included two airplane suicide bombers and several metro bombings," said Robert Dishaw, President of Guardian Technologies. "After we received numerous inquiries and meeting requests at the Moscow Security & Safety Forum, it became clear that Russia is actively pursuing a more secure transportation infrastructure to ensure continued rapid growth of commerce. Guardian can help make this happen."

With one of top three fastest growing economies worldwide, Russia increased its GDP by 7.1 percent last quarter and has significantly increased its security spending. At the recent Security Forum, Russian officials recognized PinPoint's unrivaled ability to improve aviation security by granting Guardian the Innovation Technology Award for Non-Intrusive Explosive/Threat Detection, a prestigious honor.

"Guardian Technologies' award-winning PinPoint was extremely well received. Now is the right time to capitalize on that momentum and increased visibility to propel this important technology into the Russian marketplace," said Mr. Fowler.

"The exposure Guardian received in Russia has built great momentum and enhanced our visibility and credibility as a top-tier homeland security solutions company," said Steve Lancaster, VP of Business Development for Guardian Technologies. "By making baggage scanning systems much more reliable, PinPoint will bolster the safety of air travel everywhere while strengthening homeland security in Russia. As a result, the public will have more confidence in air travel, which promises to help boost local and national economies in Russia and worldwide."

PinPoint is a broad-based automated detection application that can be deployed on baggage, cargo, and body scanners to detect threat items; on medical scanners to assist in analysis and detection of medical anomalies, and for intelligent analysis of satellite images. PinPoint's technology integrates seamlessly with existing baggage scanners and is shown to materially increase detection levels and lower false positives and operating costs. The technology detects and identifies explosives, guns, and thousands of other types of threat items from all forms of digital imagery -still, video, or hyper spectral. Guardian has developed and mapped unique signatures for many types of materials and compounds, much the same as geneticists have mapped the human genome. This library of signatures enables PinPoint to see what computers or humans alone are unable to see.