Business View Magazine | February 2021

106 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2021 them; to people who might not be able to afford it. Because those professions, in my opinion, aren’t paid what they deserve and it’s hard to provide for a family and also take your personal protection into account.” Applications for the program can be submitted on the company website. Reviewers prioritize applicants who do a good job explaining how they are making their communities better places to live. The misconception that body armor is only for police is one that Safe Life Defense has worked to dispel. The notion comes from the days when a few large companies ruled the industry and put their own restrictions on who could buy their products. Body armor is legal for anyone who has not been convicted of a felony. It can be worn just like any other piece of clothing. As more people begin to realize this, Safe Life Defense has seen sales to civilians increase. Sales to government agencies are expected to increase as well, thanks to a recent National Institute of Justice certification. Ratings from the institute are considered the ballistic standard of resistance used in the U.S. and most of the world. Safe Life Defense posts results from certified ballistic testing on each of its product pages. Safe Life Defense has already been growing at a breakneck pace – nearly 1,600%, according to the Inc. ranking for 2020. Groat acknowledges that level of growth and a hunger to maintain it creates an intense environment for employees. The company expects a level of excellence, both on and off the job, from them but meeting those standards, and a drive to grow personally, are rewarded. Employees are not expected to stay in the positions they are initially hired for. And that doesn’t mean within the same department. Those that have been with Safe Life Defense for a while have created their own roles. They have made proposals to management and even requested educational assistance. Groat explains, “If that’s something that we think they’d be a good fit for, we tell them “great, bring me the courses you want to take, and let’s look