A Letter From Our Founder

When I woke up in New York City on a clear Tuesday morning in September 2001 like millions of other New Yorkers, I had no idea I would witness one of the most significant events in the modern era.

On September 11, 2001, I was the president of a media company located in Manhattan’s midtown district with a staff of approximately 200 people. After the attacks on the World Trade Center, I was immediately faced with some critical issues: What should I do to ensure my employees will be safe? How will my operations, revenue, shareholder value, and brand reputation make it through? I simply had no clue.

We had binders of plans sitting on a shelf that were outdated and no one on my team was trained to implement them. We couldn’t locate our employees. We had no prior training or trusted resource to turn to. We lost several weeks of business and we even lost customers. My management team and I were in the spotlight and the lasting impression that event had on us was profound. Most importantly, what would we do differently if it happened again? It became my mission to find out.

I met with leaders from expert emergency preparedness and intelligence organizations such as the CDC, FEMA, Department of Homeland Security, the CIA, and insurance companies.  I learned that the threats of the modern world, including terrorism, pandemics, natural disasters, workplace violence, cyber attacks and every day disruptions, are on the increase.

I also met with CEOs of companies of all sizes and industries and they too were very concerned about doing business in a world of complex, unexpected risks. With a greater emphasis on corporate governance, Sarbanes-Oxley, Directors and Officers (D&O) lawsuits, accounting irregularities, reputation/brand management, and rising insurance costs, C-level executives are seeking a new way to ensure their people are safe and their operations and shareholder value is maintained in an increasingly risky environment. While most companies have focused on safeguarding their data and infrastructure, they have failed to effectively address business preparedness and human capital as key elements of doing business in the 21st century. The bottom line: businesses, their employees, and shareholder values are constantly at risk – and the ramifications are daunting.

In light of what I learned through these experiences, I created Preparis to enable businesses of all sizes to operate with confidence in an unpredictable world. We developed the industry’s first subscription-based workforce preparedness platform and certification that delivers expert information, response protocols, communications, and training to protect businesses and their employees from 21st century threats. I’m proud of the fact that, to date, we’re safeguarding more than 500,000 people and over $185 billion in enterprise value – and growing.

As companies face the challenges of a riskier society, our business premise grows more relevant every day. By helping to prepare and protect businesses – and ultimately shareholder values – we are also making families and communities much safer, too.

We’re passionate about protecting the world’s business economy. I invite you to get to know Preparis as your trusted partner.

Armistead Whitney, CEO