I was very honored to have been invited to join some of my esteemed colleagues who are also owners of their own business in the security industry. Our panel discussed topics such as how to get started as a veteran entrepreneur, some of the hurdles we faced when starting your own business, the pros and cons of having our own business, lessons learned, and each of us provided some of our own own unique insights into what it takes to succeed in the security profession.
The panel was composed of:
Scot Walker — Founder / Principal of Walker & Associates
Scot Walker started his journey of citizen service as a non-commissioned officer in the military before achieving an appointment as a federal criminal investigator. Scot worked in multiple countries, collaborated with foreign police and intelligence agencies to identify and solve considerable threats to U.S. citizens and military members. Including service with the FBI on their Joint Terrorism Task Force. Scot has worked with some of the most iconic technology brands on the planet as an investigator and consultant, helping them protect intellectual property, mitigate risks to employees, and reduce loss by uncovering the root cause of a problem. Scot is also active in his community, volunteering with public safety agencies, mentoring transitioning military veterans and law enforcement officers, and producing podcasts that help prepare the future workplace for emerging risks.
Tait Reimers - Founder Convoy Security
Tait Reimers is a corporate security leader and former Navy SEAL, who specializes in protective security services for private clients. After completion of military service, Tait began his security career building Executive Protection teams for several of the wealthiest families in the world. Then designing a Protective Operations program for Tesla before serving as Vice President of contract security for Facebook. Today, Tait is focused on delivering corporate and private security services with his Silicon Valley based firm: Convoy Security
Allan Perry - President and Founder of Veterans Covert Protection Group
US Marine, Executive Protection Agent and Security Industry Leader with 15+ years experience operating in high threat domestic and overseas environments protecting a wide range of high profile clientele, including a United States President, government leaders, iconic C-Suite executives, and celebrity clientele.
Spencer Coursen — Founder / President of Coursen Security Group
Spencer Coursen is a nationally recognized threat management expert, founder of Coursen Security Group, and author of the best selling book, "The Safety Trap: A security expert’s secrets for staying safe in a dangerous world.”(St. Martin’s Press, 2021) Drawing from his global experience as a combat veteran, supervisory special agent, and private security specialist, Coursen has an exceptional record of success in the assessment, management, and resolution of threats. His subject matter expertise has made him the go-to solution for organizations, public figures and private families in their return to normalcy after a breach of safety, as well as crisis management, threat assessment, conflict resolution, employee termination, physical security assessment, expert witness testimony, policy authorship, protective intelligence, and vulnerability reduction.
About San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of ASIS
The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of ASIS is one of the founding chapters of ASIS and was chartered on September 24, 1956. With over 600 members, SFBA is one of the largest ASIS Chapters worldwide. Their membership represents the entire spectrum of security professionals including managers and directors of security from many Fortune 500 companies.
