Silver Eagle Group: A shooter's paradise Loudoun Times - By Jana Wagoner Fitness enthusiasts have health clubs, golf enthusiasts have country clubs. Now, gun enthusiasts have the Silver Eagle Group Training Facility & Private Club in Ashburn. The new 65,000-square-foot facility at 44620 Guilford Drive boasts three shooting ranges – 25-yard and 50-yard static ranges along with a 25-yard “shoot and move” tactical range. “There is absolutely nothing like this available to the public anywhere else in the United States,” said Silver Eagle Group President Scott Marquez, in describing the advanced technology offered in the ranges as well as the training SEG will offer to its members. In addition to the ranges, the club houses a strength training room, multipurpose classrooms, and a 22,000-square-foot “scenario area” where members of law enforcement and the military can train. This area can be transformed into any type of building where members may want to practice self-defense and law-enforcement tactics – from a house to a school to a nightclub. Nonlethal marking rounds are used in the scenario area so no one gets hurt. Marquez said the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office has been named the club's preferred customer, and its Sheriff's Emergency Response Team has been offered a free training session, along with other law enforcement agencies in the state. “They will always get a better deal than anyone else,” Marquez said. But law-enforcement officers aren't the only ones who can take advantage of the scenario area. Members who own firearms for self-defense can participate in family training using the bi-level house. All of the training starts with awareness, said Michael Green, director of training for the club. “Self-defense may include a firearm, but it doesn't start there,” he said, adding that through training, people may realize they are not comfortable enough with guns and would rather use different forms of home security. “Owning a gun doesn't make you a shooter, just like owning an aircraft doesn't make you a pilot,” Green said. The club also offers training for those who enjoy shooting targets for sport. On the three ranges the club features, shooters can program the targets to do a variety of things. For example, they can set the light level, and make the target move in a certain direction. Each range has state-of-the-art air filtration and collection systems to handle dispensed rounds of ammunition and keep lead dust from getting into the air. Marquez said that even though the systems were expensive, they were a “must have” to keep the air in the ranges clean. Also, a range safety officer is stationed at each range to make sure everyone is using the facility properly. “If he sees anything he doesn't like on the range, he can press a button and stop everything,” Marquez said. The club offers several levels of membership. At the Founders level, members enjoy full access to the club, including the executive lounge, which has a conference room, pool table, dartboard, private work rooms and special locker rooms. Free services include car detailing, reserved parking, laundry service and storage for up to three firearms. Marquez compared this to being a country club member. At the Sportsmen level, members enjoy access to all of the shooting areas and have locker rooms of their own. They receive discounts on training and firearms cleaning. Marquez compared this to being a health club member. The club also will feature annual passes to make it more affordable for anyone who wants to use the facilities. A pro shop and coffee bar are available as well, and all of the rooms must be accessed by key card to ensure safety. Firearms storage rooms can be accessed only by two managers, using two key cards and a code.
Gun Training Center Opens In Ashburn Leesburg Today - By Erika Jacobson By 5 p.m. Saturday, the crowds had died down, but the enthusiasm being shown for the county's newest firing range and training facility had not dimmed, as visitors browsed through merchandise, checked out the guns for sale and rent, and took their turns on any of the facility's three firing ranges. It has been just over four months since county supervisors, business owners and county and state leaders broke ground on the Beaumeade Gun Club, located on Guilford Road in the Beaumeade Industrial Park, but this weekend the Silver Eagle Group held its open house, inviting members of the public to visit and test out the facility for themselves. Through its new facility, the Silver Eagle Group is seeking to offer enthusiasts a full-range of services, from shooting ranges and tactical training to a work out room, classroom, caf/, shop and lounge. "There is nothing like this available to the civilian market in the country," Scott Marquez, president of the Silver Eagle Group and operator of the Ashburn facility, said. At the heart of the operation are three firing ranges, two 25 yards long and one 50-yard range. Each range is constructed from high quality of steel, as well as having state-of-the-art bullet retrieval systems. The systems include wet traps and deceleration chambers. Once trapped the bullets are sent down a conveyor system and dropped into large drums, Marquez said. A third-party recycler then collects the drums. In addition the ranges use an air-wall system that diffuses air from the back of the shooter and down to the floor, which help create a nearly lead-free environment for shooters. "There are so many filters so when the air comes out it's cleaner than the air in your house," Marquez said. "They are becoming the norm at the federal and military levels." Marquez said a lot of research went into the design of the ranges to mitigate the amount of lead in the air. "It's very important to mitigate the lead," he said. "Your body treats it like calcium and absorbs it." While experienced shooters will be drawn to the quality of the ranges, Marquez said a lot of the facility's operations are focused on training and education. Some of the club's instructors are full-time employees, while others are brought in for specific classes. "Our training catalog is almost like a university catalog," Marquez said about the range of classes available to patrons. "We have courses all the way to the basic fundamentals of what to do and what not to do with a firearm." Courses in self-defense are also offered, but Marquez said they have less to do with shooting and more to do with situational learning. "Self-defense is really about knowledge and responsibility," he said. Residents interested only in the classes offered at the gun club will be able to purchase day passes for $25, which can be bought multiple times throughout the year. Those day passes can also be used for one day of shooting on the range or try out the facility. "We try to keep it a controlled environment, but we also don't want to shut people out from learning," Marquez said. "This is not a gun club. It's a training facility with a private club." For those interested in being part of the private club, the Silver Eagle Group offers two different levels, the Founder and the Sportsman memberships. People interested in the Founder level membership will get more of a country club feel to the training facility, complete with free training, a handgun and rifle gift, access to reserved parking, the board room, the private work areas, billiards area along with free storage of up to three firearms and free firearm cleaning and inspection. Those interested in the Sportsman level membership will experience a health club style environment, with a variety of training seminars, discounts firearm storage, cleaning and maintenance, as well as access to the facility's scenario area. There is an annual membership available for those not interested in either the Sportsman or the Founder level membership. In addition the public, Marquez has seen interest from local and area law enforcement in the facility's situation room, which can be changed to resemble several different buildings, an office configuration and a high school configuration that could be changed to resemble a nightclub or bar. "I have spoken with many different organizations that are interested in utilizing the facility for one reason or another," Marquez said. For more information about the Silver Eagle Group and the Beaumeade Gun Club, visit www.silvereagle-group.com.
Shooting Range Is Aiming High Loudoun Times - By Fredrick Kunkle A shooting range and firearms training center opening this weekend in Ashburn is taking a country-club-like approach to the art of punching holes in paper with bullets. Billed by its owners as the largest facility of its kind in the nation, the Silver Eagle Group Training Facility & Private Club has eco-friendly and technologically advanced shooting ranges with 50- and 25-yard fields that can accommodate rifles and pistols. Afterward, shooters can lounge at a coffee bar, work out on a treadmill or go online with wireless Internet service while waiting for a gunsmith to clean or fix a weapon. The center also includes a "scenario area" the size of a college gymnasium, where military organizations and law enforcement agencies can train in elaborate settings designed to simulate a single-family home, residential neighborhood, office or school. Civilians would be able to sign up for self-defense training on the course. Scott M. Marquez, 32, president of Silver Eagle Group, said the center fills a niche by serving upmarket gun enthusiasts. He developed the concept with help from his brother, Stephen, who served three tours with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and his father, Dario, a Northern Virginia businessman who had been a Secret Service agent in details assigned to presidents Richard M. Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Marquez said there is a demand for high-quality shooting ranges and firearms-training centers in the region, which is heavily populated with current and former military and law enforcement personnel. About 36 percent of Virginia households own firearms, according to a 2005 research survey published in the journal Pediatrics. Marquez said he spent about two years traveling the country and researching other shooting ranges to find out what would work best. Marquez said he knows the new venture's timing is not the best, with the downturn in the economy. "All the same, we're not opening another golf club. Another golf club in this market is death," he said. Marquez, who offered a tour of the center before construction was completed, said he is proudest of the high-tech and environmentally beneficial designs. Each shooting bay has a computerized console that controls the targets downrange. An elaborate ventilation and filtration system creates slightly negative air pressure inside the shooting range and blows the air away from the shooters, carrying gun smoke and minute particles with it. The range's backstop is made of high-grade steel plates angled together like an open maw. A film of green, biodegradable liquid flows over the plates to help slow the bullet and wash away minute lead fragments, channeling them into a trough where the slurry can be collected. The bullets are caught by a snail-shaped trap that absorbs their energy in its coils. After a bullet's velocity is expended, it drops onto a conveyor that deposits it in a steel drum for collection by a recycling company. The center, located in the Beaumeade Industrial Park off Waxpool Road, was scheduled to hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. yesterday and today, with free training demonstrations and public tours.
Gun Training Facility Awaits Final Vote The many residents that came out in support of the Beaumeade Gun Club Training Facility during the board of supervisors public hearing Monday night said more firing ranges were needed in Loudoun, but said they were not sure if the proposed facility would do much to meet their needs. "This is a facility that is something I think we need in Loudoun County," Boyd Garrett said. "I really have no comment on whether this should be approved or not because I do not know whether it is going to do me any good or not. I come hoping to enthusiastically support it, but I am not sure if it is going to do me any good." Residents said they were worried that this would not be a place where they could afford to shoot recreationally, requiring them to drive further to the National Rifle Association's range down Rt. 28 or out to the Blue Ridge range. Their concerns were led by Supervisors Stevens Miller (D-Dulles) who said he had hoped it would be a facility where he could shoot for an hour on his way home in the evening, and was disappointed to hear it would not be. The Beaumeade Gun Club, which would be located in an industrial park in Ashburn, plans to provide several tiers of membership, but operator Scott Maquez said his company was not prepared to announce any exact price points. Marquez did say that the prices would start at the levels of any country club, but will go as low as to be affordable to any local resident. "We will definitely offer membership levels that most anybody would find agreeable, but would depend on how much of the facility you want to use and how often they would want to use it," he said. But without exact numbers, some residents remained skeptical. "Having an elite group for this area is probably a bit extreme," Cameron Chase resident Loise Rose said. "I am very interested to hear price points." Marquez said they are working on the facility's marketing, but that he would be willing to sit down with any supervisor to review the pricing as soon as it is available. Miller said he was not questioning Marquez's company's ability to set its own business strategy, but simply trying to address misconceptions about the facility that were out in the public. If approved, the Beaumeade Gun Club would including three indoor firing ranges, a 22,000-square-foot scenario house, where training for law enforcement and federal agencies could take place, training classrooms for hand-to-hand combat and self-defense training, as well as a fitness area and board rooms and meeting areas. Marquez said he had had discussions with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office about the facility and the department's potential to use it for some of its training. "Their general shooting and general re-qualification would outstrip our abilities," he said. "What they really have interest in is our scenario house." Marquez told supervisors the utmost security would be used at the facility, both through surveillance and through structural safety. The firing ranges will be made of ballistic steel, so no projectiles could leave the facility, he said. Marquez also said that loaded firearms would only be allowed inside the firing ranges and that, with the exception of law enforcement, all members would have to carry their guns unloaded in and out of the facility. Background checks to the level of state police or the FBI are also required for all gun club members. Many of the speakers objected to some of the restrictions. "I carry a loaded gun without a background check here in this room," Ed Levine, a Cascades residents and certified firearms instructor, said. "Many people do not travel the Virginia roads and neighborhoods without being armed. The world is changing." Rose said he was disappointed to learn he would have to enter the facility in "an unsafe manner. That's just something that doesn't fall within reason." In the end, supervisors voted 8-0-1 to send the application to their July 1 meeting for a final vote. All of the supervisors, with the exception of Supervisor Sally Kurtz (D-Catoctin), who was absent for the hearing, said they supported the business moving to the area. "I think this is a great economic development tool. I think it's a great tax base for the county," Supervisor Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg) said. Supervisors also pointed out that the concerns of the residents about the proposal only pointed to another business opportunity in Loudoun. "I think we've clearly heard a demand for more facilities of firing ranges in the county," Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run) said.
Shooting for Perfect Scenario Supervisor Stevens Miller (D-Dulles) said public interest in the project was initially widespread. However, when residents learned that use of the facility would require a potentially costly membership, they remained willing to support the proposal, but were less enthusiastic. “I believe many people, when they first heard about this application, thought it was going to be a retail shooting range,” he said. THE BOARD OF Supervisors granted the special exception required for the installation of a shooting range in an industrial park by a unanimous vote last Tuesday, July 1. Herndon resident Scott Marquez, who formed the Silver Eagle Group that will operate the business, said the idea for a cutting-edge training facility arose from the needs of the company co-founded by his father and that company’s clients. MVM is a government contractor that provides security, prison management, linguistic and other services. It was founded almost 30 years ago by three Secret Service agents, one of whom was Dario Marquez, the current president and CEO. “Silver Eagle will be the premier indoor training facility in the United States that’s not federally owned,” Scott Marquez said. Among the training features housed in the approximately 65,000-square-foot facility will be one 50-yard and two 25-yard shooting ranges, one of which will be tactical — meaning the shooter can advance down the lane and confront various targets from different angles — a workout room, a multipurpose classroom and a 22,000-square-foot “scenario house.” The scenario house will provide what Marquez called “hyper-realistic” training environments, meaning the two-story “office” setting will include everything from cubicles and computers down to desk phones. “Everything you can possibly imagine in an office is in our office training room,” he said. The scenario house will also include mock-ups of a school, a nightclub and a single-family home. RAMPS BEHIND the facility will enable vehicles to be brought into the scenario house, and it will also be possible to bring in an airplane fuselage to practice, for example, extracting hostages from a plane. One area will have moveable walls so that it can be transformed into any layout desirable. Marquez said that in this area instructors would be able to watch from above as trainees run exercises. He said the entire scenario house, as well as the tactical shooting range, would have “complete lighting and sound control,” so that they could be silent and day lit or imitate a busy nighttime city setting. Trainees in the scenario house will be armed with real weapons shooting marking rounds, which Marquez compared to “very sophisticated, highly accurate paintballs.” The scenario house, he said, would primarily be used by government law-enforcement agencies, although he noted that the single-family home setting would be useful to members of the public learning self-defense. Three training groups will offer instruction at the facility. The Silver Eagle Tactical Group, which Marquez said would be made up of “deployment-seasoned special-operations individuals,” will offer training for government agencies like the Department of Defense, while a law enforcement training group will instruct officers in subjects from the use of firearms to intellectual training. A self-defense training group will be geared toward instructing private citizens. BUT ALL WILL not be grim combat training at the Silver Eagle. There will also be smoothies. Members of the public who purchase memberships will have access to a number of country club-style amenities, including a coffee bar, a retail shop, a lounge and locker rooms. For those who hold top membership, there will be designated lockers and an “executive lounge” that will include private workrooms, a boardroom, Internet access, billiards, seating around a fireplace and its own coffee bar. Membership prices have not yet been worked out, but top membership will have a five-digit price tag. “To my knowledge, there’s no facility like this in the nation,” Marquez said. He said the central ethic of the Silver Eagle would be the responsible use of weapons. “We all know you have the right to own a firearm, or certain types of firearms,” he said. “But do you have the knowledge and responsibility to operate that firearm safely?” Marquez said he had met with the county administrator and the Sheriff’s Office regarding their use of the Silver Eagle for training. “They have expressed a high level of interest in utilizing the facility,” he said. “WE DEFINITELY TALKED to him about it and we’re interested,” Kraig Troxell, Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said. Currently, he said, community emergency response teams (CERT) sometimes use old schools and homes for training, but they can be hard to come by. “Right now, we have somewhat of a scenario house at our firing range, but almost anything would be an improvement,” said Troxell, noting that the facility is little more than a room with some stairs. He said the Sheriff’s Office was working with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) to build a training facility at Dulles Airport, but he said that would not be completed for two years and he was uncertain how the scenario house there would compare to the one at Silver Eagle. Marquez said he hoped to begin construction this month. When complete, the building will have 80,000 square feet of floor space, in order to accommodate the MVM corporate headquarters, in addition to the Silver Eagle.
Nation’s Largest Luxury Indoor Training Facility and Private Club Offers Adventure Packages for Thrill Seekers and Luxury Travelers Ashburn, VA – The Silver Eagle Group, the largest, most complete luxury indoor training facility and private club in the country, announces its Adventure Packages service for thrill seekers and luxury travelers. The state?]of?]the?]art facility is inclusive of 25?] and 50?]yard ranges, a fully tactical range, a 22,000 square foot multi?]level Scenario House and multi?]purpose classrooms, creating the back?]drop for adventure and training experiences that cannot be found anywhere else in the nation. Thrill seekers choose from a variety of adventures created by the Silver Eagle Tactical Group including: critical decision making under extreme stress; repel an attacker techniques learned in escalation of force scenarios; Near Threat Defense™ tactics for defending yourself and/or your loved ones; survival training through both in and outdoor scenarios that challenge you both physically and mentally; team based shooting, critical thinking and force on force competitions, and Silver Eagle Group luxury adventure package accommodations include: Formed by MVM, one of the five largest privately held security companies in the U.S. with over 3,000 employees worldwide, the Silver Eagle Group brings to its 65,000 square foot indoor training facility over 30 years of security, law enforcement and military training experience. Conveniently located in Northern Virginia near Route 28, the facility is just minutes from Dulles airport and Washington, D.C. For more information about the Silver Eagle Group Adventure Packages, call 703.245.9649 or email Adventure@SilverEagle?]Group.com.
Gun Training Facility Breaks Ground "Getting to this point for the Silver Eagle Group has been challenging," operator Scott Marquez said. "The attitude of the county has left us feeling honored as business owners to be coming to Loudoun County." The Beaumeade Gun Club, which will be located on Guilford Road in the Beaumeade Industrial Park, will include three indoor firing ranges, a 22,000-square-foot scenario house, where training for law enforcement and federal agencies will take place, training classrooms for hand-to-hand combat and self-defense, as well as a fitness area, board rooms and meeting areas. David Smith, Virginia's Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Trade, who was on hand to give the project "a big send off" said the facility demonstrates how important public safety truly is. "This organization will afford a partnership with law enforcement," he said. "It's all about the training. Every bit of training counts. And now they'll get that state of the art training that will make them the best of the best." Indeed, Marquez has long said that his group has had conversations with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office about using some of the facilities' training tools, particularly the situation room. Tuesday morning before the groundbreaking, Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson talked with Marquez about the different opportunities that would be available. Looking at a model of what the facility would look like, Marquez showed Simpson that the situation room has a modular area that could be changed to resemble several different buildings, an office configuration and a high school configuration that could be changed to resemble a nightclub or bar. Supervisor Stevens Miller (D-Dulles) said the facility is an important part of the overall public safety for Loudoun and its residents. "Public safety is not just a government responsibility," he said. "And this facility helps bridge that gap. It makes public safety more of a public enterprise." Miller also said the facility was a "shot of Tabasco" to Loudoun, helping to diversify the commercial sector of the county. Dario Marquez, president and CEO of the Silver Eagle Group, which will operate the business, said he believes the Beaumeade club will be the "premier training facility and membership club in the country."
Mancom Manufacturing Supplies Live Firearms for the Silver Eagle Group Mancom Manufacturing Incorporated is pleased to announce being selected to supply its live firearms target and control equipment for the Silver Eagle Group project. After a very thorough evaluation of all target systems, Mancom’s flagship target system, Touch Plus™, was selected for all three indoor ranges. Mancom once again proves to provide a very robust product at reasonable prices. The Silver Eagle Group Training Facility and Private Club, located in Northern Virginia’s Loudon County, is all-indoor and includes state-of-the art firing ranges, a 22,000 square foot hyper-realistic Scenario Area, exclusive club memberships that include concierge and many other luxury services as well as access to the Silver Eagle Self-Defense training catalogue, which has been created and vetted by the combat experienced Special Operations instructors that make up the Silver Eagle Tactical Group (SET-G). Mancom Manufacturing wishes to extend heartfelt thanks for the business to Silver Eagle and wishes them the brightest future in the shooting sports business. It is clear that Silver Eagle Group has created the ultimate environment for the avid shooter, executive sportsman, training enthusiast and novice to advance their skills, practice their sport and enjoy a comfortable and luxurious environment while doing so.
Savage wet Snail® Traps chosen by the Silver Eagle Group We have been selected by the Silver Eagle Group (www.SilverEagle-Group.com) to install three shooting ranges in their exciting new facility in Ashburn, Virginia. The Silver Eagle Group Training Facility and Private Club includes state-of-the art firing ranges, a 22,000 square foot hyper-realistic Scenario Area, exclusive club memberships that include concierge and many other luxury services as well as access to the Silver Eagle Self-Defense training catalogue, which has been created and vetted by the combat experienced Special Operations instructors that make up the Silver Eagle Tactical Group. The Silver Eagle Group has created the ultimate environment for the avid shooter, executive sportsman, training enthusiast and novice to advance their skills, practice their sport and enjoy a comfortable and luxurious environment while doing so. This unique facility is scheduled to be operational by Thanksgiving. The Silver Eagle Group extensively researched all available options before deciding on the Savage wet Snail® system to provide the best possible environment for the ranges in their prestigious facility. Savage Range Systems offers total range solutions for the finest, safest, and cleanest, lowest-maintenance shooting ranges, bullet traps, steel target systems, and 360-degree shoot houses. Bullet traps utilizing wet Snail® technology, combined with low angle ramps and 360-degree deceleration chambers, safely capture bullets while virtually eliminating splatter, ricochet and airborne lead. Specializing in custom systems, including fully-automatic .50cal BMG, Savage is the choice for military and law enforcement agencies nationwide, commercial and private shooting ranges, and for virtually every firearms and ammunition manufacturer. |