From this Free Republic thread:
AKAL is one of several companies owned by the Sikh community near Espanola. Its name, pronounced "a call," means "deathless" or "undying" in an ancient Indian language.The company is privately owned, although its stock is owned by a nonprofit called Sikh Dharma of New Mexico. Profits are reinvested in the company.
AKAL has no stockholders -- private or public -- urging the company to put less money into the company and more into their pockets.
"We didn't want any one person or any two people to run away with our company," says chief executive officer Sat Niral Kaur Khalsa. "We want this to exist for generations."
At this rate, it just might.
AKAL was formed by Daya Singh Khalsa, Gurutej Khalsa and others when Gurutej Khalsa, who graduated from two police academies, couldn't get a job in law enforcement because of his beard and traditional Sikh dress, which includes a turban...
...AKAL got its first federal contract in 1987. Originally, the company was eligible for smaller contracts the federal government sets aside for small business. But in 1991, AKAL got too big and now has to compete for government business against larger companies, Khalsa says.
That hasn't seemed to make a difference. AKAL still gets government contracts.
In addition to New Mexico contracts with the Espanola school district and the State Fairgrounds, AKAL has three out of 12 contracts providing federal courthouse security to U.S. deputy marshals, Khalsa says.
The 1,000 AKAL officers working for the marshals have their legal power while on duty at the courthouses and take special classes on how to operate X-ray machines and metal detectors and how to spot weapons, Khalsa says.
The classes have received a certain acclaim, and the company might work with the U.S. Attorney's Office to make it part of their regular program, he says.
AKAL Security recently bid on a four-year $105 million security contract to protect Los Alamos National Laboratory. But the contract went to Protection Technology Los Alamos Inc., which had the previous contract.
Khalsa says he understands why the lab would award the contract to Protection Technology, which pledged a $12 million economic development package, but he was disappointed his company didn't even qualify as one of the top three bidders.
Khalsa says he's not sure if AKAL will try again for the contract.