Defense Training Firm Moving Headquarters to Twin Falls, Idaho
LMS Defense Inc.
LMS Defense currently has 17 employees nationwide.
The Idaho Department of Commerce announced this morning a full service defensive training firm is relocating its Reno, Nevada corporate headquarters to Twin Falls, Idaho.
LMS Defense, Inc. specializes in counterterrorism training to the United States military, law enforcement and security professionals. LMS Founder and CEO John Chapman says he’ll hire five people locally for administrative support at their new Twin Falls headquarters. Chapman plans to hire between 15 and 20 additional people when a new training facility is built in late summer.
Chapman decided to relocate his company in part because he wants to live in Idaho, but he also wants to be more centrally located in the northwest. Chapman says while business taxes are lower in Nevada than in Idaho, “the overall business climate is better in Idaho”. “The bureaucracy and the difficulty of doing business is much higher in Nevada,” Chapman says.
LMS made its announcement at the annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Here’s more from the commerce department’s press release:
LMS also discussed plans for a comprehensive counterterrorism training/education center to be located in Twin Falls County to provide critical response and tactical training to civilian forces throughout the Northwest. The site will also include a R&D testing facility for products and systems used in field operations for military and civilian security forces.
“Relocating our corporate headquarters to Twin Falls will allow us to grow the business in a more business-friendly environment with plans to expand counterterrorism training, defense, and R&D testing for law enforcement officers in Idaho, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Montana,” said John Chapman, founder and CEO of LMS Defense. “Southern Idaho is an ideal location to support our efforts throughout the Northwest to train law enforcement on unique tactics and skills that must be applied in handling domestic terrorism events,” he said.
“LMS’ future training facility will provide vital collaborative instruction to Idaho’s law enforcement community as well as throughout the northwest region,” said Brigadier General Bill Shawver, director of the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security. “A regional approach to enhancing the preparation of law enforcement officers for potential terrorist incidents will be critical to effectively managing high consequence situations,” he said.
The company hopes to collaborate with Idaho National Lab (INL), the Bureau of Homeland Security, Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Department and the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) as well as other businesses/organizations to help “fast track” needed training and support for field operations.
LMS’s future center will also be utilized as an extensive R&D facility to test and determine value of new products and systems prior to field operations
“Our mission at INL includes National and Homeland Security technology development. To have an alternative location in Idaho to test and evaluate small arms-related technologies appears to be an excellent expansion opportunity,” said Stephanie Cook, of INL’s Technology Deployment Department. “Having a unique testing capability in our own back yard may prove to be a tremendous asset to the region, state of Idaho and INL.”
“We are thrilled to welcome LMS Defense as the newest member of Idaho’s corporate community,” said Jeffery Sayer, director of the Idaho Department of Commerce. “The movement of LMS Defense’s corporate headquarters to Twin Falls is a tremendous opportunity for the state to partner with the local economic development leaders to create a cluster of companies in the area that have an interest in military and law enforcement training, or firearm related industries. We look forward to working with the Magic Valley in the future to support the growth and development of this sector in our economy.”
LMS Defense was established in 2006. The company has 17 employees nationwide.
