As many of you know, Regal Security has expanded into Vancouver, BC.
We had the chance to sit down and speak with Gabriel Karesa, Senior Director, Western Operations, Regal Security, about his new role.
Here is our Q&A to learn more about Gabriel and his passion for working in the guarding industry.
Q: Can you tell us more about yourself?
A: Yes, I am born and raised in Vancouver. I have spent my entire time living in the Lower Mainland. I attended Douglas College for the Hospitality Management Diploma. I am proud to call Vancouver home and couldn’t imagine permanently moving to anywhere else on the planet. A fun fact I have been to every province, territory, and state in North America, Including Canada, USA, and Mexico.
Q: Tell us about your experience in the security industry?
A: I have been in security for 27 years; I started in 1995 fresh out of High School as I was unsure what I wanted to do with my life. I needed to make some money and a friend told me about security. I was hired and have been doing this ever since. Another fun fact is I did not enter security as a steppingstone, I had no aspirations to get into law enforcement or corrections etc. I just needed a paycheque and thought I would check it out. Almost 30 years later and I am still loving it.
Q: Can you tell us what you like most about working in the industry?
A: My number one love in the security industry is the people. Building teams, mentoring, and watching my teammates attain and surpass their goals and objectives. I also am very fond of the fact here is never two days the same in our industry. It goes from zero to a hundred instantly and often goes back to zero just as quickly. You are forced to triple P (Plan, Prepare, Provide) for our teammates, clients, and the general public.
Q: How have you seen the industry change during your 20+ years in the industry?
A: One major difference I have noticed over the last two and half decades are the personnel in the industry. Security use to be very focused on hiring people looking to get into Policing, Sherriff’s, and Corrections. Now you are seeing students in med school, business majors, and many more exceptional people entering our industry. The stigma of being a rent-a-cop and Wanna-Be has also changed. There are people entering the security industry as a career, instead of as a steppingstone. That is cool to see.
Q: What made you join the Regal Security team?
A: When I was in the early stages of getting to know Regal and deciding if this was the correct position for me, I was afforded the opportunity to be flown out to head office to meet the team. Once I got to meet the team and see the operation, I knew I wanted to be part of what we are building. My opinions are heard and valued, collaboration is paramount, and we are an amazing team. Coming up on a year with the team, I have never looked backwards, and am just excited today as I was when I started to be part of this amazing journey, with the team.
Q: How does it feel heading up the Vancouver/BC operations?
A: Being given the opportunity to lead a team into a new market, and use my expertise, and vision to create our company’s presence has been an amazing adventure. I feel empowered, supported and trusted to make the right decisions on growing our brand, and I know I have the support of the entire company in all the adventures we undertake here.
Q: What sectors will Regal be servicing in Vancouver?
A: Regal is fortunate in the fact we have a lot of depth and experience in just about every vertical. So, we will be focusing on long term partnerships with like-minded customers, looking for solid best practise security solutions. We offer expertise in Post-Secondary, Airport, Marine, Rail, Commercial and Residential property management, Government, Oil and Gas, to name but a few. We really are a full-service security solutions provider.
Q: How will businesses and organizations benefit from utilizing Regal Security?
A: Partnership. This is the key to success for both our clients and our firm. We begin by fully understanding what the problem or the need is that our clients are trying to solve. We then utilize our expertise to look for the best most fiscally responsible solution. When partnering with Regal Security we are your complete and dedicated solutions provider for everything security related.
Q: What make Regal stand out from the competition?
A: The number one differentiator is our people. We simply put, have the best security personnel in the business. Everyone on our team from the CEO to the on-call casual security guard are treated with the same respect and afforded the same opportunities for success. As a united team we refuse to be a “numbers company”, meaning we don’t just treat our staff as replaceable. We treat them as our teammates, and we all want to be successful in our venture. Another differentiator is our ability to scale on very short notice. We can stand up a contract of 3-5 guard, or 75 to 100 in a concise, well thought out manner on very short notice.