ICON CEO Elijah Shaw Talks Executives & International Travel Security

The Star Tribune Business Section ask ICON Services Corporation CEO, Elijah Shaw about his views on Executive Protection and International Security.

Q What risks do corporate executives and the rich face?

A Domestically, they face the same challenges everyone faces but they are in a higher-income bracket and have the resources to help mitigate those risks. Just going to Times Square in New York City to watch the New Year’s Eve ball drop includes the potential of terrorism or even a stick-up robbery. We offer suggestions on how to mitigate that risk. Whether it’s a high net-worth individual or a corporate executive, they are a commodity that needs to be protected. We try to illustrate the potential risks.

Q What about their families?

A In this information age and with the rise of social media, your movements can be tracked. Executives are told not to have a Facebook page but that seldom gets passed along to the family. So you have your 16-year-old daughter telling her friends on Facebook that the family is poolside in Cabo and on its way to Disney World and that information is out there. We have to think like bad guys. The motive could be kidnapping. You don’t want to smother a client with too much information. But you want to illustrate what can happen.

Find the full article in the Business Section of the Star Tribune by clicking HERE.

5 Tips to Begin Executive Protection Training

Today marks Day 1 of the October 2011 ICON Celebrity & VIP Executive Protection Course.  By all accounts we have a great group of men and women who are either entering the industry for the first time, or engaged in continuing training to “sharpen the tools in their toolbox”.  Knowing some of the newcomers found us by doing online research, I thought it might be a good idea to put some tips out for future attendees of our Executive Protection courses.

1.  Find a course that doesn’t teach “theory” but rather real world applications.  there are many out there if you do your research.  Bodyguard Careers Top Executive Protection Schools book is a great place to start.

2.  Come prepared to work.  Take a look at the materials required to take the course and ask questions prior to attending of what is suggested that you bring.  Pack a “Go Bag” with extra stuff, just like in the real world, it’s better to be over prepared than under.

3.  Ask questions.  For two reasons, one, most instructors don’t like to do ALL the talking.  More importantly, you paid your hard earned money and invested your time to attend, get the maximum out of it by asking everything you want to know.  If it’s too much or off topic, a quality instructor will reel you in.

4. Use being at the training also as an opportunity to network.  Any class that has over 2 people in it is a great opportunity to network.  Think about it, you are training shoulder to shoulder with someone who might get a call for some business in your part of the world.  Wouldn’t it be great if he had your number?

5.  Check your ego at the door.  Our profession contains the Alpha Male Trait, it comes with the job.  But even if you are ex CIA, FBI, United States Secret Service, 007, Borne Identity, Man on FIre, there is still something you can learn from others.  However, in order to do that you have to come in with an open mind.

For more information on the ICON Bodyguard Training Classes, click HERE.

Business Strategies For Executive Protection

Having an Exit Strategy

by Elijah Shaw

You are a security professional, you’ve worked with the same client for 6 years now.  He treats you well, making sure that you’re agreed upon wage is paid on time and that his requests are “reasonably” within your job description.  Your routine is pretty standard, allowing you to get home to see your family most nights before bedtime.

You do everything right, from advance work, to driving, to taking a small sense of pride that you’ve never once stepped on the back of his heel while moving.  However, last night something tragic happened:

This 52 year old man of reasonably moderate health, laid down for the evening and never woke back up. Cause of death:  Heart attack.  And just like that your life has changed.  Not to be insensitive, but dead clients don’t need bodyguards.  The sense of mourning and loss aside, the grim reality is you’ve just found yourself unemployed.

What do we as Executive Protection professionals do when something happens to our client that is beyond our control?  While an extreme example, scenarios like this do occur, literally pulling the rug out from under the protective agent’s feet.  While some of us, based off of the client type and contractual agreement may have a safety net in place, many in our industry are faced with the stark reality of being unemployed and having to reenter a very competitive job market.

To prevent situations like this, I try to recommend that Agents, like stocks traders, diversity their portfolio.  Now that doesn’t mean engaging in a continuous scramble for new clients and then try to figure out some algebra-like equation to work all the assignments personally.

Many times a philosophy like that quickly becomes apparent to your #1 client, who could take offense.  But what I would say, is that making others aware of your services BEFORE you need them as a source of revenue, is a prudent measure to take, especially given the current economic times.

Read the full story in the Keeping Your Edge Series in The Circuit – The Magazine for Bodyguards by ordering HERE.

What’s It Like to Bodyguard the 3rd Richest Person In the World?

Ask former Omaha Police Officer Dan Clark, now chief protector to Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett.

via the Omaha World Herald:

“It was a chance meeting in a midtown bagel shop that led Warren Buffett to a business pact with a hometown cop who for 17 years now has handled the Oracle of Omaha’s personal security.

At that time, Dan Clark was a young Weed and Seed officer patrolling Omaha’s north side. He happened to lunch in the same spot as Buffett’s daughter, Susie, who was bothered by breaking news that Wisconsin bank robbers had plotted to kidnap her father.

Susie Buffett asked the uniformed Clark why police wouldn’t have informed her family earlier. Clark recalled telling her that he was not privy to details, but that the Buffetts should have been contacted.

Before he left, Clark offered his private security services — and shortly afterward, he was hired to protect the famed CEO of Omaha’s Berkshire Hathaway.”

For the full article, click HERE.

2010 – The Year in Review

As 2010 winds down I’d like to thank all of the readers and contributors of Bodyguard Blog for their support.  I’ll admit it was a challenge to run my agency, ICON Services Corporation, be an active Operator, and keep the Blog going on a consistent basis.  One of the things that helped, was constantly pulling in fresh content as well as realizing that I didn’t want Bodyguard Blog to be just about ME.

Some of our most popular post in 2010 were the Industry Spotlights, in which we cover professionals in the world of Executive Protection featuring:  The UK’s Shaun West, Old Soldier: Dave Marris, Sexton’s Jerry MacCauley, Mark James & Benjamin Alozie. (Look for more Female Close Protection Agents in 2011!)

In keeping with our philosophy that the Bodyguard Industry is more than just guns and take downs, we enlisted the aid of Protocol & Etiquette Coach Susanne Dancer to provide some lessons in the “soft skills” that would help us more effectively do our job.  You can find her tips on Protocol & Etiquette HERE.

And lastly, we all know that the job of VIP Protection is serious, but the people that do it, are just that –people, and can even crack a smile once in awhile — we introduced the very well received “Caption This” feature.  if you want to take a break from a stressful day and chuckle at humorous photos (and comments) click HERE.

Once again, thanks for  reading.   Big plans for 2011, so stay tuned!

~ Elijah Shaw

The Richest (Potential) Clients in America

Being in the Executive Protection Business, like my peers, I’m always on the lookout for new clients.  Well if one is going to do something, might as well start at the top.

The 2010 Forbes list of  Richest People in America:

Rank	Name	Net Worth	Age	Residence	Source
1	Bill Gates	$54 B	54	Medina, WA	Microsoft
2	Warren Buffett	$45 B	80	Omaha, NE	Berkshire Hathaway
3	Larry Ellison	$27 B	66	Woodside, CA	Oracle
4	Christy Walton	$24 B	55	Jackson, WY	Walmart
5	Charles Koch	$21.5 B	74	Wichita, KS	manufacturing, energy
5	David Koch	$21.5 B	70	New York, NY	manufacturing, energy
7	Jim Walton	$20.1 B	62	Bentonville, AR	Walmart
8	Alice Walton	$20 B	61	Fort Worth, TX	Walmart
9	S. Robson Walton	$19.7 B	66	Bentonville, AR	Walmart
10	Michael Bloomberg	$18 B	68	New York, NY	Bloomberg
11	Larry Page	$15 B	37	Palo Alto, CA	Google
11	Sergey Brin	$15 B	37	San Francisco, CA	Google
13	Sheldon Adelson	$14.7 B	77	Las Vegas, NV	casinos, hotels
14	George Soros	$14.2 B	80	Westchester, NY	hedge funds
15	Michael Dell	$14 B	45	Austin, TX	Dell
16	Steve Ballmer	$13.1 B	54	Seattle, WA	Microsoft
17	Paul Allen	$12.7 B	57	Mercer Island, WA	Microsoft, investments
18	Jeff Bezos	$12.6 B	46	Seattle, WA	Amazon
19	Anne Cox Chambers	$12.5 B	90	Atlanta, GA	Cox Enterprises
20	John Paulson	$12.4 B	54	New York, NY	hedge funds
21	Donald Bren	$12 B	78	Newport Beach, CA	real estate
22	Abigail Johnson	$11.3 B	48	Boston, MA	Fidelity
23	Phil Knight	$11.1 B	72	Beaverton, OR	Nike
24	Carl Icahn	$11 B	74	New York, NY	leveraged buyouts
24	Ron Perelman	$11 B	67	New York, NY	leveraged buyouts
26	John Mars	$10 B	74	Jackson, WY	candy, pet food
26	Jacqueline Mars	$10 B	71	The Plains, VA	candy, pet food
26	Forrest Mars	$10 B	79	Big Horn, WY	candy, pet food
29	George Kaiser	$9.4 B	68	Tulsa, OK	oil & gas, banking
30	James Simons	$8.7 B	72	East Setauket, NY	hedge funds
31	Len Blavatnik	$7.5 B	53	London	Access Industries
32	Steve Cohen	$7.3 B	54	Greenwich, CT	hedge funds
33	Edward Johnson	$7.1 B	80	Boston, MA	Fidelity
34	Philip Anschutz	$7 B	70	Denver, CO	Investments
35	James Goodnight	$6.9 B	67	Cary, NC	SAS Institute
35	Mark Zuckerberg	$6.9 B	26	Palo Alto, CA	Facebook
37	Jack Taylor & family	$6.5 B	88	St. Louis, MO	Enterprise Rent-A-Car
38	Rupert Murdoch	$6.2 B	79	New York, NY	News Corp
38	Samuel Newhouse	$6.2 B	82	New York, NY	publishing
38	Jim Kennedy	$6.2 B	62	Atlanta, GA	Cox Enterprises
38	Blair Parry-Okeden	$6.2 B	59	Scone	Cox Enterprises
42	Steve Jobs	$6.1 B	55	Palo Alto, CA	Apple, Pixar
43	Andrew Beal	$6 B	57	Dallas, TX	Beal Bank, real estate
44	Eli Broad	$5.8 B	77	Los Angeles, CA	Investments
44	Harold Hamm	$5.8 B	64	Oklahoma City, OK	Continental Resources
46	Patrick Soon-Shiong	$5.6 B	58	Los Angeles, CA	generic drugs
47	Pierre Omidyar	$5.5 B	43	Honolulu, HI	Ebay
48	Eric Schmidt	$5.45 B	55	Atherton, CA	Google
49	Donald Newhouse	$5.4 B	80	Somerset County, NJ	publishing
50	Charles Butt	$5.3 B	72	San Antonio, TX	supermarkets
51	John Menard	$5.2 B	70	Eau Claire, WI	Retail
51	Charles Ergen	$5.2 B	57	Denver, CO	EchoStar
51	Richard Kinder	$5.2 B	65	Houston, TX	pipelines
54	David Geffen	$5.1 B	67	Malibu, CA	movies, music
55	Harold Simmons	$5 B	79	Dallas, TX	Investments
55	Ray Dalio	$5 B	61	Greenwich, CT	hedge funds
57	Frederik G.H. Meijer	$4.9 B	90	Grand Rapids, MI	supermarkets
58	Dennis Washington	$4.5 B	76	Missoula, MT	construction, mining
58	Ira Rennert	$4.5 B	76	New York, NY	Investments
60	Ralph Lauren	$4.4 B	70	New York, NY	fashion and retail
60	Sam Zell	$4.4 B	69	Chicago, IL	real estate, private equity
62	Richard DeVos	$4.3 B	84	Ada, MI	Alticor
62	Ray Lee Hunt	$4.3 B	67	Dallas, TX	Oil, real estate
62	David Tepper	$4.3 B	53	Milburn, NJ	hedge funds
62	Richard LeFrak & Family	$4.3 B	65	New York, NY	real estate
66	Lester Crown & family	$4.2 B	85	Wilmette, IL	Investments
66	Leonard Lauder	$4.2 B	77	New York, NY	Estee Lauder
66	John Paul DeJoria	$4.2 B	66	Austin, TX	hair products, tequila
69	Micky Arison	$4.1 B	61	Bal Harbour, FL	Carnival Cruises
69	Bruce Kovner	$4.1 B	65	New York, NY	hedge funds
69	Robert Rowling	$4.1 B	57	Dallas, TX	Investments
69	Stephen Schwarzman	$4.1 B	63	New York, NY	Investments
69	Roger Wang	$4.1 B	61	Nanjing, Jiangsu	Retail
74	Robert Bass	$4 B	62	Fort Worth, TX	oil, investments
74	Charles Johnson	$4 B	77	San Mateo, CA	Franklin Resources
74	Robert Ziff	$4 B	44	New York, NY	hedge funds
74	Daniel Ziff	$4 B	38	New York, NY	hedge funds
74	Dirk Ziff	$4 B	46	New York, NY	hedge funds
79	Marion MacMillan Pictet	$3.8 B	77	Hamilton	Cargill Inc.
79	Whitney MacMillan	$3.8 B	81	Minneapolis, MN	Cargill Inc.
79	Cargill MacMillan	$3.8 B	83	Indian Springs, CA	Cargill Inc.
79	Pauline MacMillan Keinath	$3.8 B	76	St. Louis, MO	Cargill Inc.
83	Charles Schwab	$3.7 B	73	Atherton, CA	discount stock brokerage
83	Rupert Johnson	$3.7 B	69	San Mateo, CA	Franklin Resources
85	Thomas Frist	$3.6 B	72	Nashville, TN	HCA Healthcare
85	Ray Dolby	$3.6 B	77	San Francisco, CA	Dolby Laboratories
87	Victor Fung & family	$3.55 B	64	Hong Kong	distribution
88	Leonard Stern	$3.5 B	72	New York, NY	real estate
88	Gordon Moore	$3.5 B	81	Woodside, CA	Intel
90	William Koch	$3.4 B	70	Palm Beach, FL	oil, investments
90	Henry Kravis	$3.4 B	66	New York, NY	leveraged buyouts
90	Henry Ross Perot Sr	$3.4 B	80	Dallas, TX	computer services, real estate
90	John Sall	$3.4 B	62	Cary, NC	SAS Institute
90	Haim Saban	$3.4 B	65	Beverly Hills, CA	television
95	John Sobrato & family	$3.3 B	71	Atherton, CA	real estate
95	John Arnold	$3.3 B	36	Houston, TX	hedge funds
97	George Lucas	$3.25 B	66	Marin County, CA	Star Wars
98	Ron Burkle	$3.2 B	57	London	supermarkets, investments
98	Ann Walton Kroenke	$3.2 B	61	Columbia, MO	Walmart
98	Daniel Och	$3.2 B	49	New York, NY	hedge funds

Mr. Gates, Mr. Buffet, Mr. Ellison, please feel free to give me a call if you need anything.

Travel Risk in War Zones

USA Today does a good piece on corporate employees working in war zones around the world.

“The nature of the job takes Nelson to unsafe parts of the world.  A legion of globe-trotting Americans face a similar situation, as a global economy has thrown them into the most remote regions of the world, where they’re exposed to war, natural calamity and a risk of terrorism and kidnapping — not to mention disease and petty crime.

In pursuit of new clients and suppliers, U.S. companies of all sizes and interests — ranging from Halliburton to Marriott and Starbucks— are sending more employees on hardship assignments and taking new, aggressive steps to protect them from an ever-changing range of threats. Several recent events — the murders of Western aid workers in Afghanistan, the three American hikers imprisoned in Iran, the massive flooding in Pakistan and the killing of tourists on a bus in Manila on Monday — continue to serve as stark reminders of the perils travelers face overseas.

“Most multinationals and even medium to small companies have to push into emerging markets,” says Bruce McIndoe, president of iJet, which provides global security services and intelligence reports for corporate clients.

About 10% of employees who are transferred from the U.S. are assigned to countries that are considered “dangerous or have harsh conditions of living,”

For the full story, click HERE.

Job Security for BP Employees

…Well for these guys anyway.  You have to figure BP’s executives are not the most popular people on the planet right now.

All kidding aside, by and large Executive Protection Agents don’t make policy.    We’re there to deal with the safety of the Protectee, and popular opinion can’t factor into that job description.

Security and Safety at The World Cup

South Africa Times Reports:  South African intelligence services have been accused of being slow to react to warnings of terror threats to the 2010 World Cup

The US Congress counter-terror caucus was briefed on threats to the tournament.  Ronald Sandee, director of the NEFA Foundation, warned the US Congress that:

• Pakistani and Somali militants are running terror training camps in northern Mozambique;
• Trainees from these camps may have crossed into South Africa to join or form cells planning World Cup attacks;
• Surveillance and strike teams planning attacks are well established in South Africa. Terror groups involved include al-Qaeda and their Somalian allies, al-Shahaab
• Simultaneous and random attacks are being planned during the World Cup

On Wednesday, the National Joint Operational Centre was activated at an undisclosed military base in Pretoria. It is co-coordinating the deployment of all South African security and intelligence structures to ensure a safe World Cup, including 24-hour protection of teams and officials.

According to two insiders, a watch-list of 40 terror suspects has been drawn up.  Police have neither confirmed nor denied the arrest or watch-list.

For the full story:  Click HERE.

It’s tough finding the balance between safety & security along with access & convenience at a world sporting event such as the World Cup.  Lot’s of moving parts, lots of players.   ~ES

Industry Spotlight: Protection Agent Mark “Six” James

Icon – Behind the Bodyguard Business holds a spotlight where we feature someone in the Executive Protection, Security or Investigation industry.  Our hope is to provide some insight into our profession and also show newcomers & the media that people from all walks of life and all parts of the globe do this type of work with honor and pride.   No it’s not like the movies, but it can be rewarding, thrilling, and yes, sometimes fun.

Agent Name: Mark “Six” James

Company Name: Panther Protection Services

Website: www.pantherprotectionservices.com

Home city: Atlanta

What made you decide you wanted to get into the Protection industry?

As a former corporate executive I use to fly around the world and when I travelled abroad, I had people assigned to protect me.  I got to see what good protection and bad protection looked like.  Most of it was just plain bad or a good operator assigned to the wrong detail.  I actually got started in the protection business teaching legislators, judicial members and business executives how to shoot for personal protection.  Many of the legislators during campaign season would ask me to travel with them as my firearms skills made them feel safe when they were out on the campaign trail.

I learned early in my professional career that most long-term careers are built on personal strengths used by people who enjoy what they do.  I have always enjoyed firearms, martial arts and helping people.  So Executive Protection seemed like a good fit.  When I was in corporate America, I always enjoyed building high performing teams, and owning a protection agency gave me the ability to do the things I enjoyed while still continuing to help others.

What are some of the differences between working as an Operator and a trainer?  Do you prefer one over the other?

That is a hard one to answer.  As a trainer you have greater impact as a whole as you help others continue to build their skills, and serve others.  As a trainer you are a force multiplier.  When I am working as an Operator, I can only help one client at a time. As a trainer your skills scale. However there is nothing more personally rewarding than when a client tells you, that you make them and their family feel safe when you are around.  No matter how much I train, I will always continue to work directly with clients, as it helps me keep my training contemporary by staying in the profession as opposed to being around the profession.  Both are hard work and whether they are a firearms student or Executive Protection client, they are both clients and you work to serve them, and if you don’t do a good job, you don’t have repeat customers.

Can you share a bit of one of your best experiences in the industry so far?

The first day, I started working with a client who was a professional athlete I was interviewing him and going over our safety briefing in his hotel room. Before we got ready to go to our big event, I gave him a distress word, a distress sign, and showed him if things go bad and we were involved in a deadly force situation, how myself or a member of my team would move him out of the harm’s way.  He said, no one had ever done a safety briefing with him in the past or had every talked about distress words or signs.  Before we got ready to go down stairs, I took off my coat and got miked up.  He said “I didn’t even know you had a gun on.”  I told him that is why they call it “concealed carry”.  He laughed and said, “I got the damn secret service working for me!”  We have worked together for three years now and counting.

To someone coming up after you in the industry, what advice would you give?

Remember we are in the service business, it is not about you, it is about your client.  The moment you forget it, your client will remind you.  Take time out to invest in building you.  Stay hungry, keep training and work on building all of your skills, (advanced work, tactical medicine, firearms, martial arts, study up on the laws in the states you work in, evasive driving etc.).  Remember Executive Protection is a profession, not a hobby; you should be doing something in your profession every day.  Professional athletes train 5 – 6 times per week, Doctors practice medicine every day, attorney’s either research the law or litigate every day, take that same commitment to your development.  Build your skills and the money will come.

Personal Protection Specialist Mark “Six” James can be reached at (404) 349-9117 or Email:  mark.james@pantherprotectionservices.com