Long Island entrepreneur grows garage startup into award-winning security firm

A small security business launched in 2020 has grown into a Long Island technology company with more than 1,500 installations to its name. SecureTech Systems, co-founded by Jawad Khalfan, was recently recognised as the 2026 Next-Gen Entrepreneur of the Year by the New York Small Business Development Centers (New York SBDC). The award was announced as part of the organisation’s statewide client awards programme, which selected recipients from more than 27,000 small-business clients. The New York SBDC, SecureTech Systems and industry publication SDM Magazine provide details about the company’s growth, services and evolution from residential work towards larger commercial projects.Khalfan launched SecureTech Systems in April 2020 with business partner Joseph Kessler. In a 2025 account of the company’s fifth anniversary, Khalfan described the early years as a period of uncertainty and persistence, with the business having initially operated from a much smaller setup before developing into an established company.