Engineering and Technology Design Firm Ross & Baruzzini Steps up Efforts to Ensure a Safer, More Secure America.

ST. LOUIS -- Ross & Baruzzini:

First in Industry to Formalize Practice to Design Critical Operations Centers, Serving Airports, Seaports, Municipalities and Businesses

Calling on 20 years of practical experience, the engineering and technology design firm of Ross & Baruzzini today announced the formation of a professional practice devoted exclusively to the planning and design of critical operations facilities, including emergency operation centers, 911 call centers and communications and data centers at airports, seaports, municipalities, corporations and other government facilities.

Ross & Baruzzini's specialized practice area - called Critical Operations Design and Engineering, or CODE (http://code.rossbar.com/) - will serve the needs of private and public organizations needing a facility designed to support 24/7 mission-critical operations.

"CODE is a multi-disciplinary effort to help design and build a safer America," said Michael Shea, principal at Ross & Baruzzini, who will lead the firm's CODE practice, "For our clients, CODE looks at the complete picture and the entire challenge of ensuring 24/7 critical operations.

"We have unparalleled capabilities in bringing together building design, leading-edge technology, and the needs of the people working in these facilities, who frequently are forced to make critical decisions in high-stress situations."

For more than two decades, the industry experts at Ross & Baruzzini have developed these kinds of critical operations projects, with some 30 facilities already in place. In addition, the company has designed security systems for an additional 200 facilities worldwide - including airports, seaports, hospitals, educational institutions and corporate buildings.

While the services and capabilities that make up CODE are not new, bundling these applications as a solution set breaks new ground for the architecture and engineering marketplace.

"CODE will formalize an expertise we've been building for some 20 years by bringing more focus and depth to this area," Shea said. "Our goal is to enable critical operations centers to operate in a highly coordinated fashion, using state-of-the-art equipment. Importantly, we offer holistic solutions, as opposed to just one area of expertise, for these critical operations centers."

Specifically, Ross & Baruzzini has the practical experience to lead organizations through the complicated process of planning critical operations centers, assisting with the identification of funding sources and opportunities, and delivering projects on time. In addition, the company conducts threat and vulnerability analyses so that the best design is implemented for each facility.

Besides engineers, architects and information technology experts, the company's CODE practice includes former security and critical operations directors, who provide a clear understanding of the business processes involved in running such operations.

Examples of Ross & Baruzzini's recently completed and currently ongoing CODE-related projects include:

--  San Antonio Emergency Operations Center - provided
       programming, planning and design criteria for a
       35,000-square-foot, $25 million facility, scheduled for
       completion in 2007.

   --  Data Return Corporation data centers - designed and managed
       renovation of a corporate office and three critical operations
       data centers, located in New York City, St. Louis, and San
       Francisco, serving a worldwide customer base.

   --  Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport Operation Center -
       planned and designed $17 million airport operation center,
       which is currently under construction and scheduled for
       completion in 2006.

   --  Pittsburgh International Airport Consolidated Communications
       Center - designed a consolidated communications center that
       combined airport operations, fire, county police, security
       monitoring and dispatch into one facility.

   --  Port Everglades Security Operations Center (Ft. Lauderdale) -
       designed and managed construction of the world's largest port
       security project, a $35 million facility serving as an
       emergency operations center, as well as office for port's
       sheriff's detectives.

About Ross & Baruzzini

Ross & Baruzzini (http://www.rossbar.com/), an engineering and technology design firm founded in 1953, provides technology design and consulting, engineering, architecture, interior design and construction administration services for clients in a variety of industries, including transportation, healthcare, higher education and government. The company specializes in the design of security systems and facilities demanding 24/7 operations and recently formalized a new practice area - Critical Operations Design and Engineering (CODE) - to better serve this emerging market.