CITE Armored

Founded in 2002 by Theresa Hubbard and Ken Russel, CITE Armored began as an armored vehicle manufacturing company focused on producing vehicles designed to transport cash from businesses, financial institutions and ATM vending locations. With only six employees, the company began as a small, yet soon-to-be dominant, competitor in the armored vehicle industry.

From its original operation of strictly manufacturing vehicles to now having the capacity to refurbish, repair and replace parts, CITE continues on its strong path of growth and success in the industry. The company produces and works with armored cars, SWAT vehicles and supply vehicles for organizations and agencies throughout the U.S. and worldwide.

A few of CITE Armored’s notable clients include the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, the Iraq Ministry of Trade and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Other clients include the U.S. National Guard, Border Patrol, Homeland Security and NATO.

“Mississippi is well known around the globe for our industry-leading automotive companies, including those like CITE Armored that manufacture top-quality, sturdy vehicles for our military and allies around the world, as well as domestic organizations,” said Gov. Tate Reeves.

In August 2020, the company won a competitive military contract. After two years of negotiations, CEO and President Theresa Hubbard announced plans to expand the company from its original headquarters location in Holly Springs, Mississippi. The company expanded into a 122,000-square-foot facility in Batesville.

This Batesville facility enables CITE to accommodate the recently won contract, as well as other future, long-term opportunities. The expansion includes the creation of at least 30 new jobs in addition to the 100 jobs that exist in Holly Springs. CITE, in less than two decades, has grown from a company of six to an international company of 130. A professional workforce of skilled engineers, analysts, operational, mechanical and sales experts have been instrumental in CITE’s achievements.

CITE’s new facility focuses on armored van production, while all other manufacturing and service functions remain at the Holly Springs location.

“CITE is excited to be opening our second location in Batesville,” said Hubbard. “We feel confident that Batesville will provide a stronger strategic advantage in fulfilling our customer needs.”

“From the very first meeting, it was apparent that CITE Armored was looking for a community that could supply a consistent, skilled workforce,” said Panola Partnership CEO Joe Azar. “The combination of the Concourse skills training center, the PreK-12 Spark program, and our strong ACT WorkReady Community numbers put our location on top.”

The success of CITE, in addition to its superior workforce, can be attributed to Hubbard’s leadership. Named as the 2018 Businesswoman of the Year by the Mississippi Business Journal, her experience and initiative have allowed CITE to not only be a successful Mississippi business, but also an internationally successful, woman-led business.

Although most of the details of the contract are confidential and required security clearances for the bidding process, Hubbard said that she expects to produce vehicles similar to the Toyota Land Cruiser, the Chevrolet Suburban and passenger vans. These vehicles will be transformed into armed transport, able to withstand gunfire and explosives for the protection of high-profile passengers.