SoBran, Inc.

SoBran, Incorporated is an American-based technical and professional services company specializing in high-end counter-[...], critical infrastructure protection and security, biomedical research, defense systems engineering and sustainment, and supply chain services.

SoBran employs more than 600 employees – throughout 15 locations in the United States. The company is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with major offices in Fairfax, Virginia; Burtonsville, Maryland; and Jacksonville, Florida, - as well as additional field offices providing direct support for federal and commercial clients.

SoBran is ISO 9001:2000-certified, and offers services through the GSA IT, PES and LOGWORLD schedules and several GWAC contract vehicles.

History

SoBran was founded in 1987 by Amos Otis, a successful and highly regarded officer in the US Air Force, in Dayton, Ohio. One year later, the company won its first contract, a small project for the US Navy.

In 1993, SoBran landed its first multi-million dollar contact, with the Publications Distribution Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. By the late 1990’s, the company’s portfolio had broadened – expanding its research and engineering services, with its first major IT support contract at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and environmental research support contract with the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

In 2001, its biomedical research services division landed its first of several multi-million dollar contracts with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). By 2005, its supply chain and services division was contracted in multiple locations with the U.S. Navy, the United States Department of Defense and the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Services

SoBran develops and applies operationally-proven best practices and procedures that promote security and protect the nation’s health and environment. This includes:

• Developing advanced CBRNE security requirements
• Developing comprehensive facility security analyses and procedures including in-transit and dock operations
• Evaluating, selecting, and recommending appropriate equipment
• Detecting threats and detection redundancies
• Containing threats including designing modular facility containment and isolation operations
• Emergency planning, evacuation, and first responder procedures
• Collecting, sampling, and testing evidence
• Facility decontamination and maintenance
• Developing SoBran’s Process Architecture for Vivarium Operation (SPAVOSM) to support complex laboratory animal care programs
• Starting new and renovating existing animal research facilities
• Designing and operating Animal BioSafety Laboratories including BioSafety Levels-3, 4, and 5
• Fragile mouse (GULO KO) breeding for advanced research
• Quality control and assurance (QA/QC) including ISO 9001 continuous improvement.
• Total integrated logistics support (ILS)

SoBran registered SafeMail® as a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and filed for trademarks for SafeFacility, SafeParcel and SafeFreight as part of the company’s CBRNE protection operations and services. SoBran also filed for patents related to CBRNE Defense in Depth (DiD) Operational Security Architectures and Best Practices.

SoBran’s DiD architectures are based on “...the proposition that multiple layers of security are better than a single protection mechanism. The layers may be technological, procedural or policy.” By using the company’s proprietary DiD CBRNE approach, it screens and protects for 100 percent of known threats.

Milestones

SoBran has been listed among the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in 2007 and 2008, Black Enterprise Magazine's list of Top 100 minority-owned businesses in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and received the Department of Homeland Security’s Small Business Achievement Award for fiscal year 2006.

Selected Customers

The company supports an array of high-profiled customers, including the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Homeland Security, all four branches of the military and the Department of Energy.

Industry Acronyms

CBRNE – Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosives

References

• Research Support Specialist -- Bridging Excellence from Cage Side to the Bench Top, ALN Magazine, October, 2008
• Inside the Four Walls, AviationWeek, September, 2008
• Lab Design: High Risk, High Reward, “Building Operation Management”, August, 2008
• Wise Eyes, “HSToday”, June, 2008
• Nation Has Few WMD Response Teams in Place, “National Defense”, June, 2008
• Ready for the Unpreditable “APICS Magazine”, April 2008
• Understanding – and minimizing – today’s prevalent CBRNE threats, HSDailyWire, March, 2008