About Us

Vision:

Our Why: We do the job right, to live a great life.

Mission:

Our What: Solving complex issues surrounding Photo ID Badge issuance!

Guarantee:

If your photo ID badge does not look or work right, we will overnight a replacement for free!

Core Values:

We believe that what guides a firm’s actions unites its employees and defines its brand.

  • Security First Family Always
    Providing products and services that promptly address our customer’s security concerns to help ensure we can all go home to our families at the end of the day.

  • Uncompromising Desire for Success
    Correctly completing projects the first time, on time, and driven by an uncompromising desire for success. Our team puts the “eXpress” in eXpress badging® services!

  • Developed Experience
    Advising customers and staff using structured processes of discovery, feedback, and support. We acquire expertise in leading technology, industry standards, and product knowledge-sharing by subscribing to current manufacturer content, industry trade knowledge, regulatory law, and extensive project experience.

  • Team Accountability
    Accountability focused on honoring our commitments using a process-driven approach, adapting to change, promoting and through planning and assessment, engaging in teamwork which encourages trust and individual drive that meets our company’s set standards and goals.

  • Crystal Clear
    We hold ourselves accountable by being transparent and honest in all presentations, so there are no surprises after the fact.

Our Business:

  • eXpress badging is unique in our expertise in offering outsourced photo ID printing services as a primary solution. We integrate proven ID badge technology within your organization’s time and attendance, security door access, point of sale, tracking, and single sign-on systems. All with the use of a standard ID badge, fob, token, PIN or biometrics. Our secured facility is staffed with highly trained personnel proficient in handling high volumes of photo ID badge productions with outputs exceeding 10,000 units fulfilled and shipped daily.

  • eXpress badging also has decades of experience in sales and support of photo ID badge management systems. We have identification solutions for all types of organizations, large and small.

  • eXpress badging is an authorized provider in what we believe to be the best-in-industry line of photo ID systems products. We are your sales and support office for all of the lines we train to represent.

  • eXpress badging uses a consultative solution approach versus a product-oriented one. We help determine the best and most effective configuration of products and services for our customer’s needs with careful listening and focused questions. This is our proven technique for doing it right the first time!

Our Experience:

  • eXpress badging was started in 1993 and is 51% woman-owned. Due to our decades of industry experience, we have extensive knowledge and expertise in custom printed identification products, identification technology, and application systems (software/hardware) sales, installation, training, and support.

  • We provide a high degree of competence in authentication data management. Regularly, our technical support team works with data that is integrated with other disparate systems (HRIS, SIS, POS, door access, time and attendance, tracking, etc.) using unique badge numbers that are typically linked to a unique employee and/or non-employee numbers; and most likely include a referenced unique identity photograph. We also understand the many complexities of card technologies and how they play their part in the data collection environment. They make it challenging when creating an efficient and secure data sharing gateway that we manage easily when done correctly.

  • Our largest market segment is healthcare, and we understand their complex identity management needs. Other customers include local, city, and state governments, small businesses to Fortune 100 corporations, education, and non-profit organizations.

Our Innovative Spirit:

We have all heard the proverb “necessity is the mother of innovation” (author unknown). Here is our short story about how we became a developer and market supplier of an industry-leading cloud-based photo ID management software solution.

What is known as “The Spark”; back in 2011, the mobile device was becoming more mainstream, and the internet of things (IoT) was gaining traction. We knew it was just a matter of time before this little mobile PC we have in our pocket would change the world, and eXpress badging wanted to be an agent of change.  We could not find a solution on the market that would meet our future needs allowing for a mobile-friendly virtual ID badge. So, after a decade of research, source code development, onboarding customers, collaboration with best-in-class identity partners, and consolation, eXpress badging solely owns and manages their cloud-based badging software called the Veonics® Portal.

eXpress badging uses the Veonics Portal to securely print large volumes of badges annually for their “We Print” customers as an ID as a service program. We also offer software as a service business where our “You Print” customers use the Veonics Portal to print badges on-premises.  Today the Veonics Portal is thriving with features like Remote Photo Capture, a mobile-friendly Veonics Virtual ID badge, and the ability to integrate with large system databases, making the Veonics Portal stand out from the market newcomers.

About Us – IDentify our Management

Laina French – Chief Financial Officer – 51%er

Laina French founded eXpress badging® in 1993. She is a highly skilled professional with a solid finance and business operations background. She initially managed all aspects of the business except sales and marketing. She grew the business through a referral network by providing outsourced badging services to her customers. In 2003, she transitioned the business from a home-based sole proprietorship to a corporation by partnering with her husband, Joe. Laina is passionate about finance operations and ensures that eXpress badging is financially responsible and profitable.

Before starting her business, Mrs. French was an administrative manager for two emerging companies specializing in advertising and purchasing in the hospitality industry. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Central Florida, which she applies to delegate effectively and direct executive efforts at eXpress badging.

Joe French – President & Visionary – 49%er

Mr. French is a subject matter expert with more than three decades of experience in the photo identification issuance industry. He strongly believes in customer-centricity and uses a servant leadership team approach to lead the business into the future. He has achieved notable accomplishments throughout his career, including developing a CRM software solution in 1987 to manage his sales territory. In 1993, he presented the concept of contracted badging services to his employer, which was the foundation for his wife’s company, eXpress badging, that soon became one of his key customers. He also co-authored the scope of work used to build one of the first cloud-based identification management software tools used in employee ID badge issuance – the Veonics Portal®, released in 2015.

Before eXpress badging, Mr. French worked in the industry for over 15 years, specializing in sales and sales management. He also worked as a smart-card product manager, delivering high-tech photo identification solutions throughout the United States. In 2003, he joined forces with his wife to manage the sales and marketing efforts of eXpress badging. He holds an Associate of Arts degree from Seminole State College, with a curriculum focus on Marketing and Computer Science. Mr. French began his career in sales in 1984, selling copy machines in Orlando, Florida, with an aim to “reach for the stars.” Leo Burnett

Throughout his professional career, Mr. French has been involved with ASIS International locally in Brevard County, Florida, and at a national level with the Identification Systems Dealers Association. He has held various positions within these organizations, from President to webmaster.  Another passion of Mr. French is helping other entrepreneurs in their journey to build replicable and successful businesses.

Vice President & Integrator – Future-%er

In 2020, Nick French took over as the finance director, replacing his mother, Laina, and worked closely with his father, Joe, to integrate EOS and Traction throughout eXpress badging. By the end of 2022, Nick became the company’s first Vice President and EOS Integrator. He is responsible for directing the daily functions and running key leadership meetings. Nick has gone on to implement PI (Predictive Index®) and created a business culture with his DNA all over it. For example, he instituted Remote Workday Credits which allows employees to temporarily work anywhere worldwide if productivity is maintained throughout eXpress badging.

Nick French started his badging career at the age of 15 and worked part-time in marketing efforts at tradeshows. His responsibilities included printing event badges, handing out literature at the booth, and maintaining the website. After working in the Badge Production department, Nick went to college and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from UCF. While still in college, he was promoted to sales and successfully managed a defined customer base until graduation. Nick left eXpress badging to pursue his lifelong dream of surfing for two-plus years before returning to the company in March 2020. Check out Straight South for cool surf videos featuring the French Brothers!

The Company & Team

Today, the French’s thrive on the fast-paced, customer-oriented environment of managing and marketing their identification solutions business. eXpress badging adopted the EOS Worldwide (Entrepreneurial Operating System) following the Traction model in 2019, which is used daily, creating a replicable model that generates consistent results. In 2023, eXpress badging was nominated as a 2022 recipient of GrowFL Top 50 Companies to Watch® backed by the Edward Lowe Foundation. The French’s maintain their unsurpassed level of business and ID expertise by staying on top of the latest identification technology advances, allowing eXpress badging to deliver the industry’s most efficient, innovative, and up-to-date photo identity solutions. Their primary focus is motivating the entire eXpress badging team to maintain and provide stellar customer service and technical support to their loyal customer base, who are more like partners.

The company operates under three main departments: Administrative, Customer Development, and Operations, each with a director managing their team. Keep an eye out for another French who is working his way up through the ranks.