Building a defense tech company in Orlando certainly comes with some location-based perks. Just ask Adrian Lannon.
His company, A Square Games & Simulation, has seen steady growth since he started to make it a point to attend industry trade shows regularly.
It allows him to rub elbows with some of the largest companies in defense, an only-in-Orlando experience.
“All the big fish and all of the out-of-state companies, they are already coming here,” he said. “They are coming to us.”
Last week, Lannon and his business partner Austin Pinzon took advantage of their latest opportunity at the Training and Simulation Industry Symposium.
The two-day event featured updates from military brass on the latest in its efforts to modernize the Warfighter.
Next door, however, a show floor had A Square busy with demos and discussions about its virtual trainers.
Prominent modeling and simulation industry expert Walt Yates said the government benefits by coming together with industry, especially as more scrutiny is placed on government travel.
“It’s the centralization of it,” he said. “The federal government has been under very strict limitations on travel. An event like this gives them the chance to do more market research in a short amount of time, in a small space.”
For Ken Brace, whose 3D printing business is located on Space Coast, the quick drive over allows him consistent face time with potential customers.
It has allowed him to develop relationships with defense industry leaders that would have been more difficult otherwise.
“They come back every year,” he said. “When they see you again, you can remind them, ‘Hey, I’m still around.’”
As he walked the floor, attended sessions and took a look at what businesses were doing currently, U.S. Navy veteran Dan Covelli reminisced on what training looked like when he was coming up the ranks.
He recalled how training generally took place on video, looking at pictures of a pre-flight process rather than the virtual experiences we have now.
“I would have loved that,” he said. “Before, you’d gather around an instructor, angling to see what was going on. Now, you can actually put the headset on and see what you want.”
For Lannon and A Square, a high-profile event like TSIS could mean landing the client that makes a world of difference.
He said Orlando’s environment has become a huge benefit.
“The community is already here,” he said. “The government is already here. It’s our bread and butter so it makes sense for us to be here.”
As he watched stream of people stop to experience the company’s vehicle simulators, Lannon said the positive feedback has become a sort of validation for what he has noticed in recent years.
“We are getting good feedback,” he said. “It feels good that the last five years of my life wasn’t a waste and we are actually getting somewhere.”