New York City Chapter

ASIS New York City Chapter | Advancing Security in NYC and Beyond

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Rich Patti

2021 Chairman’s Plaque

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On Wednesday, January 14, 2021 the honorary Chairman’s plaque was given to Don Francisco the outgoing Chairman of the NYC Chapter of ASIS International at a meeting held at Villa Este, NY. The Chairman’s Plaque is presented to every outgoing Chairman of the NYC Chapter in honor of appreciation for their service to the Chapter. Presenting the plaque in ascending order of past Chapter Chairs is Lynn Brown, Craig Schwab, George Anderson. Also, in attendance is the incoming Chairman of the 2021-2023 Board Steve Sacchetti. Our Chapter thanks Don for his two years leadership as Chairman and his six years’ service as an Officer of the NYC Chapter.  Below are some photos taken at the event.

NYC Chapter Awards Don Francisco with the Chairman’s Plaque

Past Chairmen Lynn Brown and Don Francisco

Security Director 2020 Now Available

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The 2020 spring edition of Security Director is now available for download in Flip-Page format. Security Director is the official magazine of the 30th ASIS NYC Security Conference and Expo held on November 18, 2020. Included are several articles relative to the security industry written by industry professionals. In case you want to follow-up with exhibitors from the show Security Director contains the official Directory of Exhibitors. Download your copy today at the link below.

2020 Security Director download

Google Meeting Recap February, 26 2020

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By Marie Harrington

Brian Reich, Chapter Treasurer, opened the Google event by introducing John Petruzzi, President-elect of ASIS International.

Why pay dues to ASIS international?

John informed the chapter that the staff at ASIS has been restructured, with a large percentage actually replaced. Going forward more support will be provided to the members and funds will be released to local chapters to help fund local events. The ASIS Councils will now provide more concrete, hands on approach to help security efforts globally. These positions will no longer be just ceremonial positions. ASIS has also launched a mobile app to allow members to access info from all of their devices. Brian Reich also mentioned the assistance that may be obtained from the global reach of the ASIS member forum. Other members may have policies and practice in place to help tackle your security dilemmas. To quote Brian, “Why reinvent the wheel?”

Don Francisco, Chapter Chairman, spoke about the benefits being planned for chapter members to add value for paying membership dues. Don referenced a survey distributed to chapter members. After the results were collated and discussed by the board, the following are some salient points from the survey:

   $50.00 (or less for sure) is the sweet spot for pricing an event
   After work events are preferable
   Thursday evening is the most preferred time

Apropos to this survey:

A BYOB- “buy your own booze” policy may be put in place for future chapter events for those who are not current ASIS members. To date drink tickets have been provided at many Chapter meetings to all registered attendees regardless of their ASIS membership status.

Steve Sacchetti, Chapter Vice-Chairman previously noted for the Chapter is considering ways to help active paying members who are interested in hitting the books for CPP recertification. Professor Sacchetti has volunteered to implement some type of group study structure for those seeking CPP accreditation. Details are still being discussed as to cost, format, etc.

   Other ways to add value to membership are also being considered.

Finally, the event of the day commenced. Brian Reich, acting as Master of Ceremony, introduced Jim West, Google Regional NYC Security Director and Tom Shanahan, Google NYC Security Director. Jim was busy dealing with the advent of the COVID 19 epidemic. The chapter was fortunate to have him at the event. These three gentlemen could take their show on the road!

“The Wizard of Oz meets Disneyland”
Tom Shanahan describing the campus of Google and the Googlers

Tom has been with Google for ten years and he provided an overview of the vastness of the Google NYC property portfolio along with details of the planned expansion of the enterprise. If the square footage of Google in NYC was vertical rather than horizontal, the imagined building would be taller than the Empire State Building. This imagined building would be the 5th tallest building in NYC.

Google NYC currently employs 11,000. After the expansion, including the awesome space in the Hudson Yards Area, there will be somewhere in the vicinity of 22,000 employees. There will be a berth to tie up kayaks, in case you were wondering. Googlers requested it. The employee benefit package must be rather interesting. You may even bring your dog to work. Tom shared many of these anecdotes about the Google culture. Too many to list in a recap. Shame if you missed the event!

All kidding aside, providing security for such a large, physically dispersed pool of employees must be harrowing. Security is tight and the Googlers are well versed and on board with this strict protocol. Hats off to Jim West, Tom Shanahan and their security teams.

It was also interesting to see how the Google empire has financially benefitted from monetizing all of our info, feely given as it might have been. The Google algorithms may know more about us than our family members, perhaps even spouses. If those algorithms could talk….

So, pay your ASIS dues, get ready to hit the books, have a drink (in honor of St. Patrick this month) and make some new friends.

February Chapter Meeting at Google

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Date: February 26, 2020
Time: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: Google 111 8th Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10011 (enter the 15th Street 8th Avenue Google Entrance – Google Security will direct to proper floor)
Cost: $65.00 per person
Guest Speaker: Google security team members

Please join the ASIS International Chapter at Google New York City for an opportunity to check out one the most iconic tech companies in the world! At this event, you will get an opportunity to see the amazing Google space in Chelsea, NYC, hear from Google security team members on how they protect Google! This event will also feature an entire time slot at the end of the event to network, relax and enjoy some delicious treats, all in the amazing and expansive Google NY headquarters! We will also have Chapter leadership provide an update on where the Chapter is heading for 2020, upcoming events and an opportunity to hear from you “the members” on your thoughts on the future of the Chapter! Don’t miss this exciting event and unique opportunity to visit Google!

Registration is strictly limited and we will be cutting off registration at 125 persons. This sure to sell out, so don’t delay with signing up! Note –There will be no onsite admission to this meeting, all attendance must be registered online prior to the event registration closes.

For additional information and registration click HERE

Recap: Women in Security Summit

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By Maire Harrington
Chapter Writer

When Don Francisco, Chapter Chairman, tasked Catherine Hartwell and Dov Horwitz with organizing the Woman in Security Summit on October 18, 2019 they stepped up to the plate and knocked the ball right out of the park.  This dynamic duo assembled a stellar assemblage of female security professionals for this event.

Eighteen (18) corporate sponsors helped defray the costs associated with this event.  Thank you for supporting the females in our profession.  Thanks also to the male security professionals who attended. Perhaps some remembered thought from this seminar will be beneficial for inclusiveness within your organization.

The Presenters

Kathy Lavinder, SI Placement, was the event moderator.  Kathy also stepped in for one panelist, Juanita Holmes, Bank of New York, who was unable to attend.

“Don’t Prove Yourself, Improve Yourself”

One of the take-aways from Christina Duffey

The Chapter welcomed Christina Duffey, the President of ASIS International, as keynote speaker.  The Chapter was extremely fortunate as Christina cannot possible accept all speaking engagements. Christina told about her experiences while climbing the ranks of the contract security field. She started as a young female with no prior law enforcement background.  Very early on in her career, Christina, was faced with an active shooter situation.  She handled the situation in a cool, professional manner that ensured what law enforcement would euphemistically now term a favorable outcome.  This did not deter Christina, neither did any of the other stressors that females faced.  She stressed the difference of having professional certifications has made in her career trajectory.

Caress Kennedy, Allied Universal, discussed current security trends with regard to emerging technologies.  Caress stated security professionals need to become perhaps more specialized.  The more connected devices, the Internet, more sophisticated cybersecurity protocols, more comprehensive security operations centers all require far more advanced skills and knowledge than filling a guard booth.

Kathy Lavinder stressed the need for female job candidates to negotiate their salary requirements.  Females have shied away this.  Kathy discussed the trend for a more diverse, inclusive workforce.

“You Can’t Get There From Here”

Debra Baker, TD Ameritrade, also stepping in for Juanita Holmes, discussed the transition from law enforcement to the private security industry.  Deb was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the NJ State Troopers prior to entering the private security field.  She stressed the need for a resume that manages to transfer wording from law enforcement jargon to corporate English.  That is often not an easy task.

The Panel

A panel discussion followed with Debra Baker, Anjene Abston, Tri State and We Work, and Denise Niles, AES, as panelists.  Denise serves as the Women in Security Liaison for the Chapter. Some of the topics discussed were the need for more women to be recruited for the security profession, the need for women to help each other and the value of networking by attending professional organizational functions.

The seminar was held in the newly renovated third floor of Rosie O’Grady’s Manhattan Manor. As usual Events Manager, Ms. Burke and her staff provided the refreshments in a seamless and professional manner. The NYC Chapter has held many of our monthly meetings at the Manhattan Manor over the years. For more information see their website www.manhattanmanor.com.