CSECO Director Attends Trade Mission in North Africa During Arab Spring

June 29, 2011 - PRLog -- ALAMEDA – Alameda, California based Campbell/Harris Security Equipment Company (CSECO) was selected in late  2010 by the U.S. Department of Commerce to attend a March 2011 trade mission to Egypt and Morocco, two countries that bookend North Africa.  Despite the highly selective process, the organizers could not have anticipated the beginning of a revolution, now termed “the Arab Spring”.  These historic events, that started in Tunisia and quickly moved to and exploded in Egypt, led to the cancellation of the Egypt portion of the mission.  However, neither the mission nor its participants would be denied an opportunity to do business and make a difference in a post-revolution society.  This is because the Egypt portion was cancelled in favor of Tunisia, the country that inspired the Arab Spring in the span of a few weeks between December and January.  As a result of quick and decisive action by the government and its citizenry, by the time of the mission’s arrival in late March, Tunisia was not only safe to visit, but a model for other nations undergoing similar change.  

CSECO was one of less than twenty (20) companies selected out of dozens that applied.  What made CSECO’s selection unique is that it was one of the smallest firms selected amidst a variety of large multinational corporations such as Motorola, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon.  Additionally, CSECO was the only company that manufactures and provides portable security equipment as many of the other companies were in the defense, solar energy, and IT sectors.

Damaune Y. Journey, Director of International Sales & Marketing for CSECO represented the company in Tunisia and Morocco.  The trade mission was hosted by U.S Assistant Secretary for Trade Promotion and Director General of U.S Foreign Commercial Service Suresh Kumar and was welcomed by U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia Gordon Gray and U.S Ambassador to Morocco Sam Kaplan.  During a press conference in Tunis inclusive of global media, Journey had this to say to about the opportunity in Tunisia, “It is amazing to not only visit a nation in the first few days of true democracy, but also to have the opportunity to meet and work with those that will lead it into its future and to contribute to that effort”.  Journey’s reference here is to the numerous meetings he had with government officials from a wide variety of agencies all involved in physically securing the nation for the future, something CSECO knows plenty about with its long history of providing contraband detection equipment.  

Although the circumstances were different in Morocco, the sentiment was the same.  “Morocco is a leading nation in this region and as uncertainty and instability grows nearby, securing the borders and maintaining safe and legal lines of trade with long time partners is key.  CSECO is uniquely positioned to help with both of these objectives,” said Journey.  CSECO manufactures contraband detection equipment, namely the CT-30 Contraband Team Inspection Kit and the Buster® K910B Contraband Detector, used most often in the U.S. and abroad at checkpoints – land and sea - to inspect vehicles and vessels for smuggled goods, much of which funds terrorism, or undermines local and international trade, and/or threatens the safety of the population.  For over 25 years this equipment has been used to limit the flow of illegal narcotics, currency, and explosives into the U.S. and its partners.  Journey was in North Africa to help inform the key government officials of the tremendous help the Buster® can provide in improving border security.  “With the quantity of borders and types of neighbors that these two nations have, securing their borders and ports have a direct impact on their future.”

You can learn more about CSECO’s products, services, and news by visiting www.cseco.com .  Visit the “Gallery” section for images of this and other visits.

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CSECO designs and manufactures explosive, narcotics, radiation, and contraband detection equipment for qualified state, local, national and international law enforcement agencies. For more information, please visit www.cseco.com.