Gary Thompson, Cpp Email & Phone Number

Maintained fiscal responsibility for $1.4M Building Security and Audio-Visual Program budget and $350K fiscal year budget for County of Santa Barbara Television service operations.Serve as Sergeant at Arms for weekly public hearings with up to 200 attendees: command safety and security operations and personnel protection details.Advise 25 County departments including County Executive Office, Board of Supervisors, Superior Courts, Public Health, Sheriff’s Department and Social Services in developing physical security strategies.Direct weapons screening operations at County Administration Buildings housing 500 staff and welcoming 56K visitors annually.Design and support physical security strategies based on County Network Security and Information Security Risk profile, policies, and regulatory requirements.Engage in ongoing collaboration with IT to develop next-generation access control platform with estimated $3.6M budget to improve physical security risk mitigation and achieve interoperability between access control and video surveillance.Implemented Safety Improvement Strategy emphasizing long-term risk mitigation solutions. including Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, centralized communication to stakeholders, centralized incident reporting database, and employee safety awareness training.Collaborate with Risk Management and Human Resources on workplace violence prevention and intervention and serve as Co-chair of the County Threat Management Team, leading team through 45 evaluations since 2020. Host “Workplace Violence Awareness and Prevention” presentations at departmental all-hands meetings for average of 80 employees per session.Consult on planning, design, and quality assurance for security phases related to facility construction and commissioning for multi-million-dollar capital improvement projects, including $17M Fire Dispatch Center, and Juvenile Hall Security Systems Upgrade.

Greater Atlanta Area

Aaron’s, Inc. (NYSE: AAN) a specialty retailer with 13,000 employees and a $3.9B market cap. Recruited to build the first security program in company history. Performed threat and vulnerability assessments for 17 distribution centers, each housing approximately $10M worth of merchandise within 118K square feet.Identified $3M in savings in 7 years by applying technology to drive cost efficiency, contribute to EBITDA, and align with company core business strategies to recapture profit margins.Negotiated master service agreements with 6 business partners, reducing company liability by $500K in 2017.Slashed physical security system integration costs by $1.4M (16%) over 2 years through RFP processes while upholding company security policies.Decreased spending on storefront countermeasures by $400K in 2014; restructured corporate storefront protection guidelines and design based on local crime metrics.Investigated and consulted business leaders on 42 workplace violence incidents, led a multidisciplinary team in the development and training of comprehensive workplace violence prevention and response programs and conducted victim interviews and coordinated protection measures with law enforcement and business partners.Served as trusted advisor to C-Suite, Board of Directors and executive administration for physical security and executive protection related issues and inquiries.Organized and directed emergency response programs to include safety awareness and training for 150 employees annually.Developed and commanded large-scale event security strategies nationwide in coordination with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and venue management, including business events with 1.5K attendees in major cities across the US.Created security standards and best practices for company-wide corporate stores and supply chain management using physical and cybersecurity convergence methodologies in coordination with information security and compliance.

Augusta, Georgia, United States

Independent Consultant for Abet Alliance.Special covert intelligence analysis and open-source investigations project to neutralize the purchase of badges through the secondary market to uphold the integrity of Augusta National’s ticket policy. The Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National hosts 50,000 patrons over four days.

Greater Atlanta Area

Cox Enterprises a leading communications, media and automotive services company. With revenues of $18B and approximately 55K employees.Developed emergency response plans to support 1.2K employees attending special events throughout the United States, Mexico and Central America. Deployed as lead security and emergency response advisor. Designed physical security standards for customer payment centers, data centers, and over 200 wireless retail store outlets.Collaborated with project committees to establish capital budgets ranging from $500K to $3M. Teamed with architects to deliver modern technology solutions for high-rise environments. Authored and managed electronic access control and closed-circuit television request for proposal process with business partners.Delivered 27 threat and vulnerability assessments requested by executive leadership in response to workplace violence incidents at radio, television and newspaper production facilities. Developed and facilitated site-specific emergency response plans and procedures for severe weather, workplace violence, evacuations, suspicious package, hazmat containment, bomb threats and pandemic response. Maintained medical first responder certification.Participated in post Hurricane Rita recovery efforts, supervised armed security details. Responsible for mobile command unit operations.Utilized innovative risk mitigation solutions for new construction and retrofitted office complexes, television and radio stations, master telecommunication centers, data centers, and retail outlets. Introduced anti tail-gaiting revolving door technology to minimize the recurring cost of contract security staffing.Managed operations for a $10M guard force contract; supervised 24-hour security operations center.Directed response and trained management on threat mitigation procedures to ensure a safe environment for conducting reduction in force and employee disciplinary meetings.

Greater Atlanta Area

Event security management for NBA Basketball, NHL Hockey and special events. Supported 160 events and a total of 1.6M guests annually.Supervised 21 full-time and 100 part-time security operations team members. Managed pre-airport screening with the Transportation Security Administration for all visiting NBA teams.Organized crowd control and VIP guest assignments with local and state law enforcement agencies. Supervised the security operations command center.Responsible for scheduling and administration including employee onboarding and offboarding process.

Greater Atlanta Area

Managed a $4M baggage service/security contract with 130 full-time employees. Developed and executed client security measures, formulated and responsible for operational budgets.Researched and co-authored armed and unarmed security service contract proposals.Created emergency risk mitigation plans, defined roles and responsibilities, and scope with airport managers and functional groups.

Masters, Business Administration

Bachelors, Communications