MILFORD – A decade after its founding, TBNG Consulting moved from West Haven to Milford in 2015. Now the company is choosing to stay in town after a rebrand and grand reopening as Vancord.
“At that time (2015), we were known as TBNG Consulting, and after that, in 2019, we launched a new division called Vancord, which was primarily focused on cybersecurity consulting,” said Michael Grande, president and CEO of Vancord. “TBNG was primarily IT consulting services, and Vancord was primarily focused on cyber security.”
Over time, the business began to expand. In 2021, Grande said they were working with many of the same customers, and many of the engineering staff were working on similar issues and there was a lot of internal collaboration.
“We saw it as a great opportunity to rebrand the whole company, rather than having separate divisions, rather than one brand going forward,” he said.
The company’s rebranding allowed them to focus more on cyber security, which Grande says is an important topic moving forward and affects a lot of what the world is seeing with business risks and technology challenges in organizations.
“Our company is still based in Milford, we have an office in Glastonbury but we have a full office in Milford which is great,” he said. “We have new signage around the building, our vehicles have been remapped and we’ve done everything that goes along with the rebranding, which has been a great exercise for us as a company. After 17 years, it’s good to reflect on … what we need to do it is polished”.
Grande said company officials are happy to be located in Milford, close to the company’s West Haven roots.
“The coastline is important to us as a business and as a family,” he said. “To some extent, it’s a family business. My partners are my brother, Jeffrey Grande, and cousin, Michael Paone, who started the company in 2005.”
The advantage of a home base in Milford, Grande said, is the ability to get anywhere in the state quickly.
“We have major highways. We have great support from the community and the city administration,” he said. “Doubling down in Milford and really focusing on the greater Milford area and staying here is an asset to the business.”
Other advantages in the city include quality of life and nearby educational opportunities, he said.
“Our neighbors are fantastic and the accessibility of people going to Milford is great with the train nearby,” he said. “In addition, we’ve created two great internship programs with nearby high schools and universities, which has worked well for us and is another feather in our cap for being based here.”
“Also, our employees love being here,” Grande added. “We are happy to remain a part of this community and want to continue to grow here.”
