Akal Security
 | |
| Founder | Daya S. Khalsa Gurutej Khalsa |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Nirmal Kaur Khalsa (CEO) Daya S. Khalsa (President and founder) |
Number of employees | 12,000[1] |
| Subsidiaries | Coastal International Security |
| Website | www |
Akal Security, Inc. is a security company which has federal contracts to guard immigration detention centers, federal courthouses, NASA facilities, federal buildings in Washington, D.C., and numerous embassies under construction.[2] Akal Security and a subsidiary company, Coastal International Security, have received over $1 billion in federal security contracts.[2] Akal Security is one of a number of companies owned and operated by the 3HO Sikh sangat, founded by Yogi Bhajan.[1]
History
Akal Security, Inc. was founded in 1980 by Gurutej Khalsa, who found that, though he had studied law enforcement, "his beard and turban prevented him from getting a job".[1] At the advice of Yogi Bhajan, Gurutej Khalsa started the company with a $1,200 loan from co-founder Daya Singh Khalsa.[3]
Akal Security had a large expansion in contracts after the September 11th attacks because it was able to recruit a large number of former law enforcement and military personnel.[4] According to The New York Times, the company has benefited from the Army's low-price approach to determining contracts because Akal Security has low overhead and good past performances.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Wayne, Leslie (September 28, 2004). "Sikh Group Finds Calling in Homeland Security". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ a b "American Sikhs Run Billion-Dollar Security Firm : NPR". NPR. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ "Company History". Akal Security. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ Robinson, Sherry (October 15, 2001). "Akal Security finds itself in hiring mode". The Albuquerque Tribune. p. 7.