what are the names of major proximity card manufacturers?  These are
the typical badges that employees use to get in to buildings etc.

Hello losaltosmax,

Thank you for your question. 

One of the best sources for searches like this is the Thomas Register.
I was surpised that only three companies were listed in this heading:

http://www5.thomasregister.com/ss/.98484131375/TPdcolist.cgi?uuid=THezsrch&sid=98484131375&search_type=product&search_string=proximity%20card&pn=0073128

 1 Brush Industries, Q-Card: Sub. Of Brush Holdings Co. -- Sunbury, PA
-- Designs & Manufactures Custom Magnetic Stripe Readers For Hostile
Environments. Readers Are Waterproof With All Metal...
http://www5.thomasregister.com/ss/.98484131375/catalog.cgi?uuid=THezsrch&sid=98484131375&search_type=product&search_string=proximity%20card&az=73643454&seq=1&pn=0073128&st=&pdm=&sort=&ph=&pick=w

    
 2 SAMCO Time Recorders, Inc. -- Bogota, NJ -- Time & Attendance
Equipment & Systems Utilizing Biometric (Fingerprint, Handprint,
Facial & Voice Recognition), Magnetic...
http://www5.thomasregister.com/ss/.98484131375/catalog.cgi?uuid=THezsrch&sid=98484131375&search_type=product&search_string=proximity%20card&az=73306805&seq=2&pn=0073128&st=&pdm=&sort=&ph=

      
 3 Coastal Data Products Inc. -- Miami, FL -- Computerized &
Attendance Equipment, Hardware, Software, & Supplies. Barcode,
Mag-Stripe, Proximity, HandPunch. Job Tracking...
http://www5.thomasregister.com/ss/.98484131375/catalog.cgi?uuid=THezsrch&sid=98484131375&search_type=product&search_string=proximity%20card&az=14447361&seq=3&pn=0073128&st=&pdm=&sort=&ph=


Searching a bit further, I found the following companies that are also
in this business:

http://www.hidcorp.com/products/smart/smart_card_products.html
HID SMartcard Products

http://www.cardquestbadging.com/
CardQuest

http://www.photobadge.com/
PhotoBadge

http://www.acisecurity.com/
Access Controls International

http://www.cardacc.com/
Almex

http://www.indala.info/
Indala

http://www.profelm.com/
Profelm

http://www.socatech.com/index.htm
Soca Technology

Security Online also features a directory of manufacturers on this
page:
http://www.security-online.com/info/accessfv.html


Search Strategy:

"proximity card" +manufacturers OR directory

I trust my research has provided you with a good selection of
companies to fill your need. If a link above should fail to work or
anything require further explanation or research, please do post a
Request for Clarification prior to rating the answer and closing the
question and I will be pleased to assist further.

Regards,

-=clouseau=-

The words "proximity card" suggests the card carrier is identified as
an authorized person from a distance of several feet. This is possible
but high security and/or identifing which authorized person may not be
feasible at reasonable cost even with a fat card that transmits a long
digital coded signal.   Neil