SIA New Member Profile: Petrone Risk

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member Petrone Risk offers legal risk management and SAFETY Act consulting and specializes in emergency preparedness and the SAFETY Act. The company is headquartered in Uniondale, New York, with additional offices in central and western New York, as well as St. Louis, Missouri, and Jupiter, Florida.

SIA spoke with John Petrone, senior managing director and founder of Petrone Risk, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

John Petrone: Petrone Risk was established 15 years ago because through our work with sports and entertainment organizations, we noticed a few gaps in the security realm – an absence of an emergency preparedness team or even a safety committee. We knew there was a better way, and risk management was the answer. Training and documentation had to be involved, and the evolution of emergency preparedness programs was the goal. We helped our first organization navigate through the SAFETY Act process more than eight years ago and have evolved our services to implement changes in the security landscape at the technology, venue, team and league levels. We continue to advance our knowledge base upon lessons learned in the industry so we can expand our services to meet the needs of a wide variety of facilities, leagues and technology vendors. And as security needs change on a continual basis that we have never seen before, this includes working with organizations from the ground up in a method that allows them to grow in a proper manner to be the best they can be.

What solutions/services does your business offer in the security industry? And what makes your offerings or your company unique?

JP: Plan and process development, exercising and training and helping organizations through the SAFETY Act process lay the foundation for a mindset to constantly search to better your security positioning and create the framework for how we help organizations evolve and grow. A collaborative team approach that allows our National Incident Management System-certified risk management staff to work alongside our clients to identify and prioritize risks and propose remedies to address them. Our processes, which combine a significant legal background with traditional emergency preparedness methodologies enable Petrone Risk to assist in the navigation of risks within the complex compliance and regulatory environments in which these entities exist.

What is something we might not know about your company – or something new you are doing in security?

JP: Expanding our services and security operations outside of mass gathering venues into technology, health care and education to name a few, has provided an all-encompassing training of the global security environment across these different verticals. Having the background in assessing facilities, the creation and evolution of plan documentation, helping implement league and organizational level initiatives, working within complex regulatory landscapes and understanding multifaceted technology implementation processes allow us to truly offer a deeper understanding and more comprehensive service offering to our clients who then lack the need to look elsewhere to complete their emergency preparedness initiatives.

What is your company’s vision, and what are your goals for the security industry?

JP:No one knows what the next set of threats will be. But with proper planning, training and continued assessment with constant evaluation, we help you put your organization in the best position possible to prevent and mitigate the negative effects of a nefarious attack. It’s good to have situational awareness and trust in the process that you can put on a safe and secure event without fear of being hurt or that your technology will react the way it should, and that your organization has put itself in the best position possible to protect itself and your brand.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities in the security industry right now?

JP: The key part of maintaining a safe environment is engaging local communities and working with key emergency services stakeholders. It takes everybody to plan an event, from police to fire to emergency medical technicians to local and federal governmental leaders to merchants that are within the area. All bring a piece of what needs to be in place in order for us to operate safely now and in the future. Additionally, as security technologies continue to evolve, the need to position organizations through accreditations such as the SAFETY Act allow companies to showcase their best abilities.

What are your predictions for the security industry in the short and long term?

JP: Facility managers, leagues and technology companies understand the need to strengthen their security posture and continue to evolve their plans and protocols with the ultimate initiative of protecting an organization’s brand. Raising the level of awareness for security at an organization safer and more secure. But to be resilient and allow the evolution of a security posture is what will help make an organization become more relevant and gain a seat at the table.

What do you enjoy most about being at your company – and in the security industry?

JP: The capacity and capability to help others and make facilities, leagues and technologies get to a safer position. Getting up every morning with the passion to raise the bar for and advance what success looks like when it relates to safety and security.

What does SIA offer that is most important to you/your company? And what do you most hope to get out of your membership with SIA?

JP: SIA is a great organization, bringing together all aspects of security related industries to provide safe and meaningful life experiences. We look forward to not only expanding our network and reach, but also learning more about emerging and advancing technologies, how other companies are adjusting to such a fast-changing environment and how to provide the best service to our clients and their communities.

How does your organization engage with SIA? What are your plans for involvement in the next year?

JP: We are looking forward to working with Bill Edwards of Building Intelligence on the SIA Counter-UAS Working Group as well as engaging at SIA sponsored and partner events, speaking on panels with other great leaders, leveraging online resource tools and, most importantly, meeting and working with others with a similar change mindset.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association.