Lowry Computer Products awarded Contractor of the Year

Lowry Computer Products, Inc., a manufacturer and integrator of wireless, RFID, bar code and data collection solutions, is the 2006 Michigan Government Contractor of the Year. The award was presented to Michael Lowry, president and CEO of Lowry, at the ‘Michigan Celebrates Small Business’ event in East Lansing, Michigan.

Lowry was selected from a field of small business nominees submitted by the state’s thirteen Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) organizations. Schoolcraft College, a PTAC located in Livonia, Michigan, submitted Lowry for the award based on its extensive fulfillment of government contracts, and technology solutions developed to meet the needs of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the US Government.

‘Lowry has provided leading edge technology solutions to local, state and federal branches of government and the Department of Defense for more than fifteen years, fulfilling close to $15 million in government contracts, so it is truly an honor to receive this prestigious award in recognition of our efforts,’ said Lowry. ‘We also appreciate the support of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the PTAC at Schoolcraft College, which provided our government sales staff with specialized training, contacts in other government organizations, and procurement assistance.’

Lowry’s government solutions include a RFID product offering to meet the labeling mandates of the Department of Defense. Lowry currently holds two blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) issued by the Army Contracting Agency (ACA) - one to supply EPC Class 1 smart labels to all DoD branches and another to supply EPC Class 1 printers and label design software. RFID technology provides all of the DoD branches with access to a state-of-the-art common, integrated structure for logistic identification, tracking, locating, and monitoring of commodities and assets.

Lowry also supplied the government with 2,000 wireless handheld terminals equipped with a fingerprint module and a FIPS 140-2 wireless security solution, which were integrated into the Defense Manpower Data Center’s overall security system supplied to bases in the United States, Europe and Asia. The mobile device is used on bases to confirm the identity of visitors and military personnel by wirelessly tapping into a government database and retrieving the cardholder’s photo, fingerprint and pertinent data. Authenticity is cross-checked and a positive security ID match is confirmed. Lowry developed this security product with its business partner Symbol Technologies, a leading provider of mobility solutions.

The Michigan Celebrates Small Business awards ceremony took place on April 19 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing, Michigan. The event was a cooperative effort of the US Small Business Administration-Michigan, The Small Business Association of Michigan, The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center, and the Edward Lowe Foundation. The Honorable Jennifer Granholm, Governor of the State of Michigan, delivered the opening address.