A single business inspiring the future of high-tech safety, a Holmes Road tech hub, and passionate growth of our community.
The Martin City business community couldn’t be much more diverse. Known for our restaurants, retail, and leisure activities, but also home to an expansive mix of manufacturing, industrial, and professional services, we are several communities within one neighborhood. Count a budding tech hub among them, with its heart on Holmes Road. We have Gary Fish and his team to thank for it.
Fish is the founder of many businesses, including Fishtech, which evolved into Cyderes, a nationally recognized cybersecurity firm that sprang up in Martin City about a decade back. He set a high bar, investing millions in construction of a corporate campus that could make even Silicon Valley a bit jealous.
Gary Fish is a true blue Martin City entrepreneur.
Fish’s latest venture, Secure Passage, has taken up residence right next to Cyderes. Though younger than its predecessor, Secure Passage is growing fast, serving high-profile clients coast to coast while staying proudly grounded in the Martin City community.
“We love Kansas City,” says Secure Passage President Kirk Cerny, with a warm smile that signals his personality. “And we particularly love building companies right here in the Martin City community. It’s a great place to settle in and grow.”
Kirk Cerny is the President of Secure Passage
Innovation Meets Urgency.
Secure Passage operates from our little neighborhood, but its impact is national. “The State of California is a customer. All of Florida is a customer,” Cerny explains. “We assess and address risk to critical infrastructure, schools, government, and enterprise assets for security, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism — all kinds of challenges we’re built to help solve.”
In plain terms, Secure Passage uses cameras, sensors, and pioneering smart software to help organizations detect threats and respond faster. What sets them apart is how their technology connects the dots on a single platform in a flash, turning raw security data into instant, actionable insight.
“For example, you might think a security camera just gives you a picture,” says Cerny. “But it actually creates a digital footprint. If someone shows up at your door, our system can tell you it’s Bob dropping off a package, because the system recognizes his face and correlates it with a delivery.”
The same approach applies to more serious situations, like emergencies. Secure Passage software, entirely built in-house, can combine camera footage with audio sensors and alert teams in seconds.
“If someone yells ‘Help!’ or ‘911,’ our platform can immediately assess the situation, check the nearby cameras, and issue a critical response,” says Cerny. “The entire cycle takes about five seconds. Traditionally, that kind of awareness might take minutes or even hours. And there could be communication gaps that prove to be extremely costly.”
Testing instant synchronization of various environmental sensors, cameras and drones at the Secure Passage campus in Martin City.
From software and sensors to physical systems and services, Secure Passage is full-spectrum. “We build our own, key products, deliver our own services, and sell the hardware if clients need it,” says Cerny.
“We’re a full-service physical security company. And beyond security, many of our clients are surprised by how much our technology can analyze and improve the efficiency of their operations too. It can literally help them work smarter by better understanding their environment.”
Why Martin City? Logistics and Much More.
For Cerny and the Secure Passage team, Martin City isn’t just a place to do business. It’s an active part of the company’s culture.
“Place becomes a huge part of your culture. We saw that firsthand with Fishtech. It wasn’t just about the building. It was about the vibe. People liked coming here.”
All these years later, they still do. “We have a colleague who lives so far north of here,” Cerny laughs. “But he still drives to Martin City every day. Because it’s not just work. It’s a good place to be.”
That sense of belonging matters, especially in a high-tech field that can often feel disconnected from everyday life. Cerny draws a sharp contrast between Martin City and other parts of Kansas City. “You don’t have to force it here,” he says. “Some areas feel like you’re jamming a square peg into a round hole. Martin City just fits.”
At home on Holmes Road in Martin City north of 135th Street.
Cerny credits our neighborhood’s business environment for the good fit, describing it as both diverse and welcoming. “It’s a really interesting combination of businesses and people. The Martin City neighborhood is like a little town. It puts us right in the heart of the kind of community we serve in so many other places across the country.”
Our location also makes practical sense. As Cerny will tell you, it’s a big reason businesses move here. “I live in Olathe, and can be here in 21 minutes, using any number of routes,” Cerny explains. “Some days we avoid trains and come in on Kenneth Road. It’s just easy to get here. And for our clients, that accessibility matters.”
Built Here, Grown Here.
Secure Passage didn’t just show up in Martin City one day. Like Fishtech before it, the company grew from the ground up on Holmes Road.
“We actually got rolling across the street in a little building we called the annex,” says Cerny. “It’s the same place Fishtech started. We incubated Secure Passage there and really built the company into what it is now.”
The annex building on the west side of Holmes Road where Gary Fish incubated Fishtech and more recently, Secure Passage.
In the click of a mouse, Secure Passage outgrew the annex. That’s when Fish gave the green light to move into the current headquarters, a space designed for scale and collaboration. “We grew up enough to move onto the campus,” Cerny says with pride. “That says a lot about where our potential is headed.”
Today, the Secure Passage headquarters is more than just an office. It includes an Customer Experience Center where the team meets with clients, demonstrates technology, and collaborates on real-world security scenarios. “This is where we show what we can do,” says Cerny, showing us around. “And it’s also a space where we entertain, host events, and bring people together. It’s so well designed inside and out.”
More Than Just Talking Up Local.
Cerny is quick to acknowledge the support of Martin City and the role it’s played in helping the business stay connected.
“We’re grateful to be back in the community,” he says, gazing down Holmes Road through the glossy windows wrapped around the building. “We were here as Fishtech. We became Cyderes. We moved next door. And now with Secure Passage, we’re still here, and that matters to us.”
It’s not uncommon to see a Secure Passage representative at Martin City Community Improvement District (MCCID) meetings. The company also puts together a float for the annual Martin City St. Patrick’s Parade and has even kicked in sponsorship support. Gary Fish himself even once joined our Parade as Grand Marshal.
Fish joined the Martin City St. Patrick’s Parade as Grand Marshal, with a little high-tech help from a robot, of course.
Secure Passage has hosted events for the South Kansas City Chamber and offers its space to neighbors and local groups. “If you’ve got a business and want to bring your team in for coffee or a meeting, reach out to us,” Cerny emphasizes. “We want to make good use of this space and be a resource to the community.”
It’s a genuine offer, grounded in the same spirit that’s helped shape Martin City’s character over decades — roll-up-your-sleeves entrepreneurship mixed with neighborly values.
An ideal, polished, corporate space for a networking event.
For Secure Passage, Martin City isn’t just a launchpad. It’s a living part of their story. From incubating their team in a small annex, to leading national security conversations from a state-of-the-art headquarters, they’ve chosen to grow right alongside the neighborhood. And we are grateful.
“We’re proud to be doing this in Martin City,” says Cerny. “And we’re proud to be part of the change that’s happening here. These are exciting times and we are excited to see where it all goes.”