IEM 35th Anniversary (2020)

IEM - Celebrating 35 Years of Innovation

Innovating for 35 Years and Counting

Madhu Beriwal, IEM President and CEO 2020 is an exciting year for IEM!

The year began with headquarters moving into an expanded office space, and this February, IEM celebrates our 35th anniversary, a testament to our ongoing commitment to evolve and grow as the world around us does.

In an era of disruptive technology, it is important to be innovative. IEM has been innovating in emergency management, homeland security and national security for 35 years.

We partner with our clients to address the challenges facing our nation and the world, and to develop new solutions to tackle these complex challenges. IEM is dedicated to building a safe, secure and resilient world.

We have grown from one employee to a large, respected company with hundreds of full-time employees and 11 office locations. We have evolved from a small startup to a leader in emergency management and a pioneer in the industry. I am proud of our accomplishments over the past 35 years and am excited for what is to come.

We have achieved much in the past 35 years, marked by our diligence and the ability to combine experience, enthusiasm and innovation to better serve our clients and produce outcomes that matter.

I am proud to celebrate this milestone and look forward to what the next 35 years have in store. Stay tuned for our special anniversary events and engagements throughout the year.

—Madhu Beriwal, Founder, CEO, and President

IEM BY THE NUMBERS

IEM was started with one employee, and today it has become a leader in its field, built on a team of dedicated employees and satisfied customers. Founded as one of the first consulting companies focused exclusively on emergency management, IEM has expanded into homeland security, national security, public health, transportation, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

57.5% Female

11 Full Service Offices

21 Satellite Offices

50 states &
3 territories

400+ clients
(all sectors)

15+ Countries

Over the past 35 years, IEM has become more than a consulting firm; we have become a pathway of public service, helping to improve outcomes for our government clients. We are dedicated to improving the safety, security, and resiliency of communities by applying science, data, and our experience to develop cutting-edge technology to address emergency management, homeland security, and national security challenges. We produce outcomes that matter, strengthen communities in the face of disaster, provide better tools to keep responders safe, and mitigate against hazards. IEM innovates for the future.

—Madhu

Milestones

1985 - 1999

1985

In February of 1985, Madhu Beriwal founded Innovative Emergency Management, Inc., also known by its acronym of IEM, in Baton Rouge, La., with the mission to integrate science and technology into emergency management.

Read More >

1990

IEM developed hurricane evacuation time estimates for the New Orleans area to anticipate tropical storms on the coast. The evacuation modeling showed that delaying mandatory evacuation order would cause catastrophic traffic congestion before a major storm. IEM’s model initiated a prompt evacuation of the area and saved countless lives.

Photo by NOAA

1994

IEM’s first international project took place in Russia. IEM partnered with Bechtel to develop a comprehensive chemical weapons destruction plan as part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. IEM drafted an Initial Concept Plan for Emergency Preparedness, demonstrated the company’s ability to perform superior studies and analysis at a comprehensive, nationwide level. IEM’s plan was the only deliverable on a multi-task contract that was not returned by the Government of Russia for a rewrite.

1997

IEM begins developing specialized modeling and simulation tools for clients to evaluate emergency management solutions and to assess whether systems in place can meet the client’s requirements and needs. QEM is an award-winning simulation software developed by IEM to analyze preparedness. The software can run thousands of scenarios to model the behavior of a specific hazard to analyze the emergency response in place and its impact on social behavior. The software is used to analyze the behavior of a hazard, the emergency response systems in place, and the population’s social behavior to a given response.

Learn More >
2000 - 2009
2000

IEM began to provide program integration and communications support services to FEMA and the U.S. Army for CSEPP and its sites.

Learn More >

Photo by Madison County Government

2001

Following the Anthrax attaches of 2001, IEM built a biological attack and disease models for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). IEM’s modeling led to the Executive Order on biological signed by the President in 2009.
Awards

DCI Portal Excellence Award Finalist

Baton Rouge Technology Company of the Year
2002

In 2002, the U.S. Army’s Chemical Materials Activity (CMA) tasked IEM with developing WebPuff, a browser-based emergency management information system that protects and alerts the public in the event of a chemical release emergency. WebPuff monitors the nation’s chemical weapons stockpile storage and disposal facilities, and allows officials to quickly model and analyze a chemical release within minutes to provide public alert and warning. The system is designed to process complex data quickly and output data fast enough to support emergency response teams as well as civilian protective measures.

Learn More >

2003

Louisiana’s Office of Electronic Services (now the Office of Technology Services) contracted with IEM to design, develop, and implement Louisiana.gov. The website was designed for future scalability and was launched on time and within budget.
Awards

Louisiana Economic Development Lantern Award

Governor’s Technology Award-Technology Leader of the Year

Capital Area United Way Campaign Award
2004

IEM begins the FEMA Catastrophic Planning Project for Southeast Louisiana culminating in the “Hurricane Pam” exercise that enabled emergency planners and responders to develop many of the concepts and approaches that would prove indispensable in the response to Hurricane Katrina. The approach developed by IEM for SE Louisiana was embraced across the country as the standard for national catastrophic planning.

Awards

IEM’s Program Manager for CSEPP (Jack Long) received the first DHS Emergency Preparedness and Response Under Secretary’s Award for Superior Service awarded to a contractor.

2006

IEM conducted data gathering for FEMA’s Nationwide Plan Review for half of the United States. FEMA selected IEM to carry out a Nationwide Review of catastrophic planning for 50 states and 75 major cities. IEM held onsite visits to all states and 15 major jurisdictions east of the Mississippi River to identify best practices, areas of improvement required, and Federal technical assistance needs, especially in the area of catastrophic planning. Overall, the reviews encompassed 260 trips to the jurisdictions in just three months, including as many as 28 personnel conducting up to six reviews simultaneously.
Awards

DiversityBusiness.com Top Small Businesses in U.S

Baton Rouge Business Report Top Woman-Owned Companies

American Red Cross Circle of Humanitarians Award
2008

After catastrophic flooding in Iowa, IEM supported the State in completing expedited disaster recovery efforts, helping to minimize state financial vulnerability. The team submitted over 7,000 projects, totaling more than $300 million in public assistance. IEM was later recognized with the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) Distinguished Enterprise System Award.

Photo by Madison County Government

2009

After severe storms and flooding ravaged Georgia in summer 2009, IEM successfully deployed emergency management and PA recovery experts to assist the State emergency management team within 24 hours. The IEM team assisted with response efforts, EOC support, damage assessment, PA project formulation, anddeveloping the State’s recovery strategy. IEM was recognized with a DiversityBusiness.com Top U.S. Asian American Owned Businesses award.

Photo by US National Weather Service
2010 - Present

2010

IEM Air specializes in supporting safe aviation operations during contingencies, disasters, and major events. In 2010, IEM started work on the Airport Cooperative Research Program which supports airport-to-airport mutual aid programs. Through this research program, IEM Air is currently developing a guidebook for airport staff to evaluate and implement web-based collaboration tools that offer a common picture for both day-to-day operations and full emergency response management.

2013

Following Hurricane Sandy, IEM provided PA and HMGP recovery support to New York State. IEM was took over program management services for housing recovery programs funded by HUD’s CDBG-DR.

Learn More >

Photo by DNA info

2014

After Hurricanes Sandy and Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, IEM took over program management services for housing recovery programs funded by HUD’s CDBG-DR for New York State. The program received 6,000 new applicants 6 weeks after IEM started took over management. Two years after starting this project IEM had distributed 902 million dollars to over 11 thousand homeowners- seven times more money than New York City’s programs.

Photo by The Nation

2017

After Hurricanes Sandy and Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, IEM took over program management services for housing recovery programs funded by HUD’s CDBG-DR for New York State. The program received 6,000 new applicants 6 weeks after IEM started took over management. Two years after starting this project IEM had distributed 902 million dollars to over 11 thousand homeowners- seven times more money than New York City’s programs.

Photo by Patrick Dennis

2018

The 2017 Hurricane season was a devastating one. In 2018, IEM began assisting the States of Texas and Florida with their CDBG-DR programs. IEM’s services included outreach, housing recovery implementation, housing reimbursements, as well as grants and case management.

Photo by The Texas Tribune

Milestones

Text content

Establishing Our Full Service Offices

1985

Baton Rouge, LA

1997

Bel Air, MD

2000

Arlington, VA

2006

Research Triangle Park, NC

2010

Pueblo, CO

2010

Richmond, KY

2017

West Long Branch, NJ

2017

Conroe, TX

2017

Tallahassee, FL

2018

San Juan, PR

2019

Aguadilla, PR

1985

Baton Rouge, LA

1997

Bel Air, MD

2000

Arlington, VA

2006

Research Triangle Park, NC

2010

Pueblo, CO

2010

Richmond, KY

2017

West Long Branch, NJ

2017

Conroe, TX

2017

Tallahassee, FL

2018

San Juan, PR

2019

Aguadilla, PR

IEM’s ability to innovate and develop solutions over the past 35 years allowed us to address some of the most complex challenges facing our nation. IEM continues to transform emergency management, integrating data, science and technology to provide our clients with innovative strategies to respond to disasters and strengthen public safety and defense. Our innovative team will address tomorrow’s challenges, as we work to build a safe, secure and resilient world.

—Madhu