Valerie and Jeremy Lavin, the founders of Luminary Global, a St. Petersburg-based, veteran-owned and operated company that provides emergency products to citizens, first responders, safety professionals and the military, have entered into a new venture with four former United States Army Green Berets to form a new company called ViTAC Solutions, which officially launches in January 2024.
ViTAC is a tactical aid company that will initially focus in the military veteran, outdoor enthusiast space with direct-to-consumer supply of first aid kits and medical supplies.
Justin McAllister was first introduced to Valerie Lavin at Synapse, held in Tampa, in 2021. McAllister then went through programs in Action Zone, a nonprofit co-founded by Lavin, which is a veteran-exclusive entrepreneur support organization serving veterans, their spouses and their dependents seeking to start a business.
“Fast forward to, maybe, six months ago. Val and I started having some conversations and eventually we came to agreement on this new venture,” says McAllister.
ViTAC had its soft launch in October 2023, soliciting the patronage of friends and family. Under the new business venture, Luminary will continue operations as their own respective business, in addition to leading ViTAC operations.
“Our main focus [at Luminary] are emergency professionals, law enforcement and other first responders. And while we do a significant amount of direct-to-consumer sales, our bread and butter, if you will, are the organizations and the agencies [we work with],” says Lavin.
ViTAC will be hyper focused on preparedness and safety of those that embrace adventure and prioritize experiences, yet desire to be exceptionally prepared when it matters most, says McAllister. “We sincerely hope you never have to use our products but if you do, know that our kits are curated by a Green Beret medic so, the very best put it together and we stand on that,” he says.
“There’s four of us with U.S. Army Special Forces backgrounds,” McAllister says. “Our combined experience covers over 25 deployments and more than 40 years in special operations, we’re going to pair that experience on top of Val and Jeremy’s knowledge with Luminary and the medical supply industry. Between all of us, we have a winning combination.”
“Building on the mission of Luminary, this new company is targeted to reach more civilians and help them to be prepared for the unexpected,” Lavin says.