ABOUT US
The concept of providing non-lethal protective equipment and training was conceived by Mr. Tommy Johnson and Mr. William “Cliff” Rice in a small office in Virginia Beach, VA on March 5, 2018.
The two men discussed the current state of affairs regarding mass shootings by armed individuals and the lack of adequate protection for innocent citizens. Both men agreed that a non-lethal solution was needed. The first step was to put together a plan of action and milestones that began with forming a business now known as U. S. Leaders Protective Services. The business plan included milestones related to the type of entity (LLC), ownership, mission, marketing, distribution, cost estimates, pricing of services, feasibility, profitability, and teaming opportunities.
Executing these action plans did not come without challenges. Secrecy was paramount. One of the first challenges was the development of the protective shield, alarm, and seat concept. The next step was securing the prototype's architectural drawings and the patent.
The original trademark names for the project were “Ready Hero” and “JR Hero Shield” which is now known as the “Hero Shield.” A Patent Attorney was secured and retained on May 19, 2018, and a provisional patent application for the “Hero Shield” was submitted on June 1, 2018. In September 2018, serious work began on developing the alarm and alerting device.
Concurrently, an effort began to survey potential customers in government, public schools, and corporations to get their perspectives on the need and use of such a capability. Throughout the remainder of 2018, improvements were made to the “Hero Shield” and the alarm and seat prototypes. Throughout 2019 and 2020, presentations were made to municipal and school system officials on the “Hero Shield” capabilities and benefit to their communities.
The provisional patent was issued on May 31, 2019. In the fall of 2020, the “Hero Shield” and Alarm and Alerting capabilities were finalized, successfully tested, and validated to the respective protection level. Relationships were formed with corporate partners for other system components such as Alarm and Alerting options and shield covers.
During the fall of 2020, a final patent was received for the “Hero Shield.” In November 2020, U. S. Leaders Protective Services officially opened for business.
Pioneers in the use of Non-Lethal Protective Shields to Save Lives Since 2018
Tommy Johnson
Tommy Johnson was born in Monroe Georgia. He grew up in Detroit, Michigan where he graduated from Murray – Wright High School. Tommy earned his Bachelor of Business Administration with an inter-disciplinary degree in Entrepreneurship and Engineering from Oregon State University. He attained his Master of Science degree in Transportation Management from The Naval Postgraduate School in 1993. He currently holds a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ designation from The College for Financial Planning as well as the Chartered Financial Consultant® designation from the American College of Financial Services. Tommy is also the CEO of US Leaders Financial Group.
Tommy is the Former Chairman of Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation Commission and serves on the Virginia Beach Open Space Advisory Committee.
William Clifford Rice
William Clifford Rice was born in the Washington Heights section of New York City NY. He graduated from EAST New York HS. Graduated from St. Francis College In Brooklyn NY, He is a 23-year member of the New York City Police Department and a 15-year former Chief of Police Old Dominion University Police Department.
William is a graduate of the Virginia School of Senior Public Administrators, New York University School of American Sign Language, and Police Executive Leadership School. He is a former Chairman of the Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission and a current member of the Virginia Beach Police Investigative Review Panel. Mr. Rice worked in environments that included protective services and equipment, and electronic notification devices. He is recognized as an expert on youth and gang activities which uniquely qualify him to design and implement systems to mitigate active shooter events. William is married to Barbara Rice and are the parents of eight children.