Strong relationships helped cybersecurity firm, Prescott, choose Grand Rapids to expand

In 2019, the Department of Defense (DoD) created the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), “To safeguard sensitive national security information, the Department of Defense (DoD) launched CMMC 2.0, a comprehensive framework to protect the defense industrial base’s (DIB) sensitive unclassified information from frequent and increasingly complex cyberattacks.” CMMC requires a third-party assessment, which is a critical part of the process to ensure that a company’s cybersecurity practices are being assessed and measured objectively and impartially.

The Cyber AB was founded in January 2020 as the official accreditation body of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) ecosystem and the sole authorized non-governmental partner of the U.S. Department of Defense in implementing and overseeing the CMMC conformance regime.

Prescott is a cybersecurity compliance consulting firm that was founded in 2021 by a group of experienced professionals in the cybersecurity space. Ryan Bonner, one of the first Cyber AB provisional assessors (PA), and Chad Paalman, a technology & cybersecurity expert, recognized the need for their services and decided to launch Prescott. Ryan and Chad saw that many organizations lacked internal personnel to lead compliance initiatives. To address this need in the market, Prescott offers fractional ‘compliance officer as a service.’ Each CMMC accredited consultant at Prescott typically is limited to 3-5 active clients, which allows for a personalized approach.

One of the great things about working with Prescott is that the OSC (Organization Seeking Certification) does not have to worry about finding a qualified person for this role, which can be a real challenge. Additionally, since Prescott's founders have experience leading and/or working closely with MSPs (Managed IT Service Providers), they understand the importance of building a partnership with both the MSP and the OSC. Prescott differentiates itself from other CMMC consulting firms in that they intentionally focus on building a strong partnership between themselves, the MSP and the OSC. As a result, 90% of their work comes from MSPs who bring Prescott in to help their clients with CMMC compliance requirements.

The founders chose to name the company Prescott based off the story of The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. Samuel Prescott was an American physician and a Massachusetts Patriot during the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for his role in Paul Revere's "midnight ride" to warn the townspeople of Concord, Massachusetts, of the impending British army’s move to capture guns and gunpowder kept there at the beginning of the American Revolution. He was the only participant in the ride to reach Concord. Chad Paalman stated, "We come in alongside the ‘Paul Reveres,’ who are the managed IT service providers, to help them get their client through CMMC certification, and help them be the hero to their client."

Prescott originally decided to base their operations in Sarasota, Florida because two of the founders live in the area. Since most of Prescott’s work can be done virtually, they have quickly expanded their reach to clients across the United States. They now have clients located across the country including Michigan, California, Washington State, and Washington D.C. Recently, they have seen the most traction in Michigan and have received great support from the Michigan manufacturing and aerospace associations and communities.

Prescott chose to expand their footprint in the Grand Rapids area due to the partnerships and relationships they have built between managed service providers and client companies in Michigan. They also have built strong connections with the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, Small Business Development Center, and the Technology Council of West Michigan. These relationships have allowed Prescott to provide even better service to their clients and have helped them establish a strong presence in the area.

Prescott has established partnerships with a few West Michigan MSPs as part of their continued growth. “We are privileged and blessed to partner with Prescott in this critical area of national defense,” said Michael Waldschlager, CEO of Fusion IT. “Together with Prescott’s expertise, we are able to guide and implement an end-to-end cost-effective technology solution to the DoD contractor base assisting them to achieve the mandatory CMMC certification to qualify for contract awards.”

Prescott has big plans for growth in the future. They plan to hire more consultants to join their team and expand their services even further. As part of their expansion plans, they will be moving their headquarters to Grand Rapids. Prescott is excited to be expanding their operations and they are looking forward to building out their management and executive leadership team here in Grand Rapids.

“Prescott’s decision to relocate their HQ to the Greater Grand Rapids region is a strong testament to our area’s incredible tech ecosystem,” said Jen Wangler, Vice President of Technology at The Right Place and project lead. “We look forward to seeing the future partnerships and projects that come from their move.”