VS CONNECTS

Instant Public Messaging for Counties and Communities

The Story of Development

VS Connects was developed after a simple question from a Sheriff:

"Why can every app on a resident's phone reach the lock screen instantly—except the agencies that protect them?"

Public safety agencies were posting urgent messages to social media on Monday that residents wouldn't see until Wednesday. Important updates were buried under ads, politics, and fraud. Some systems reached only a fraction of the county. Others required slow signup processes or charged more when usage increased.

The Sheriff explained the need clearly: One channel. Instant delivery. County-verified sources. Safe, quiet, and reliable.

VS Connects is the answer.

Today, counties use it to send real-time alerts, urgent updates, and operational messages directly to residents' lock screens—no scrolling, no searching, no algorithm standing in the way.

The system works because it was built with public safety from day one.

Two Tracks: Storekeepers and Storewatchers

STOREKEEPERS — FOR AGENCIES

Keeper Capability

A county-wide messaging channel built for the people responsible for keeping a community informed and safe.

How to Post Updates
  • Send messages anytime
  • Unlimited recipients at no extra cost
  • Simple to use—no training days or certification
  • Works for all public safety agencies and county offices
  • Broadcasts instantly to every subscriber
  • Designed for reliable, everyday use
  • No ads, no politics, no outside noise
  • 100% verified agency channels
  • Weekly testing included to keep systems active

VS Connects is easier to operate than social media, faster than email, and more trusted than anything running through Big Tech.

A county can roll out the system in two weeks with full coordination, set-up, and support included.

STOREWATCHERS — FOR THE PUBLIC

Choose Who Can Reach Your Lock Screen

Lock Screen Notification Example

Storewatchers are residents who choose who they want messages from:

  • Public safety
  • County government
  • Local leadership
  • Local businesses
  • School systems
  • Utilities
  • Local news sources and newspapers
How to Follow Local Agencies
"It's a state of mind, a way of thinking... You're not thinking about the technology, right? You're thinking about what the technology brings you." – Frank Weber, Beta User Review 2025

Your lock screen becomes a clean, local, reliable source of information you actually care about.

No ads. No politics. No fake accounts. No national noise.

Just the people and places that matter to your everyday life.

How VS Connects Compares

Feature VS Connects App Facebook / Social Nixle / Legacy Systems
Delivery Control You control delivery No control You control / automated
Message Awareness Trusted local source delivers message Most residents never know the message exists Trusted source delivers message
Message Retrieval Information comes to you Information must be hunted for in a feed Delivered to device by text, phone, or email
Delivery Method Instant lock screen push notification Algorithm-filtered feed, unpredictable Mixed methods, sometimes delayed
Broadcast Channel Capacity Supports multiple agencies easily Complex Facebook Page Manager rules Only trained operators
Information Environment No fraud. No politics. No noise. High fraud, AI content, trolling, politics Emergency-only channel; strict limits
Public Records Integrity Supported Severely degraded Supported
System Validation Weekly testing included None Optional
Agency Support 7am–5pm text support, usually under 30 minutes No civic agency support One technical support call per month
Public User Support Included None Automated, limited access to humans

Welcome to Main Street 2.0
Where information comes to you.

The Adoption Process

VS Connects handles the county-wide coordination so departments don't have to. Your package includes:

Technical setup
Account creation
Staff onboarding
Operational guidance
Public rollout support
Media materials and announcements
Ongoing county support
Ongoing public support

Most counties build their first wave of subscribers quickly. The system is used for emergencies, road closures, weather events, public meetings, and real-time operational updates. Residents share messages with others instantly—even those without the app.

Contact Tobin for Pricing

Tobin Brogunier
Founder & CEO, Virtual Storefronts

Office (text is fastest): 828-576-5236
Email: support@virtualstorefronts.com

Delaware C-Corp, Andrews, NC