FGH Security is twelve years old today. What a twelve years it has been! It would be quite easy for me to blog about our achievements; the awards and accolades that we have been recognised with, the milestones we have reached and the blue chip client base we have formulated but I don’t believe in dwelling on the past. I find it more fitting to write about the direction in which FGH is heading. We have made a strong start to the year; yesterday our security guarding division was re-awarded prestigious multi-site public sector contract for three further years. I would like to congratulate the team involved who fought off competition from other competitors to secure the contract.
Our strategy for 2015 will be much the same as 2014 as we further align ourselves with the company strapline of “Quality People in Quality Places”.
Our HR team works hard to recruit and screen the generation of security professionals. This is helping to facilitate a steady expansion. Once on board our new team members will receive some of the finest specialist training; we have increased our core training team and are utilising the skills of our most qualified and experienced staff in delivering over 20 different training courses. These range from “First Class Customer Service” to “Advanced Patrol Techniques”. We are looking outside of our immediate industry for tips and guidance on honing our training. We anticipate that this will be ground breaking and help benchmark and improve industry standards. Furthermore our supervision staff will be undertaking refresher training in junior management to ensure that our customers get the absolute maximum value out of our frontline team. On a managerial level we currently have three members of the office enrolled on both Batchelor’s and Masters level qualifications at Lancaster, Manchester Metropolitan and Buckinghamshire Universities. This ensures that our processes, paperwork and strategies remain leaps and bounds above what our competitors can offer.
We are in the process of changing to a new uniform supplier. It is important to us that the kit we issue to all our staff is not only fit for purpose but of a higher calibre to the offerings of our competitors. We appreciate that the right tools, be that a digital radio or an LED torch, help our staff to deliver excellent customer service and a quality security service. We have again had to look outside of the security industry to find a supplier that matches our expectations. Our new supplier deals predominantly in the aviation sector.
Team morale is at an all time high due, in part, to regular communications and appraisals with management, accurate payrolls, above industry pay scales and benefits ranging from contributory pensions to sports scholarships. As such we are able to ensure our staff retention is the best in the industry; for one particular client this has resulted in the deployment of a supervisory team with an average of 8 years experience to their award winning festival. When we know something works well we don’t change it, refinement is all that’s needed. I feel this statement is a good introduction to what we mean by the “Quality People” of our company ethos. ‘Quality People in Quality Places’ are not just a phrase to us; it’s a way of being crucial to our business model.
As for “Quality Places”: we do not wish to appear to discredit any potential clients but have come to realise that the only way to retain the finest calibre of staff is to ensure they have similar places to work. We appreciate that our most prized asset is our reputation and therefore cannot afford to be involved with any party that may bring us into disrepute. The senior management team and I are therefore cautious in our growth plans; our annual growth target is just 10%. We do not have or want a sales team, or even a sales representative; we are in no hurry to accelerate business growth. It is a little known fact that we have to turn down far more work, potential clients and offers to tender than we are able to take on. Twelve years in the business has taught us there is a provider for every client and we know our clientele. We are happy with our existing client base. In looking to add to it we require customers who appreciate a quality service. These are customers who would wish to continue with us on our journey for the next twelve years to come, not just the next twelve months. This does mean we supply to customers willing to pay slightly more for a considerably superior service. Analogically this can be seen as offering someone the option of owning a Ferrari for just 10% more than a Ford Focus.
We may be relaxed in our approach to growth but we know that growth is necessary. We would not be able to afford to continually invest into FGH if progress ceased altogether. The 2015/16 financial year has already seen us achieve 45% of our targeted growth with pre-orders and organic expansion. We also have a small pipeline of just ten potential new clients valued at roughly a million pounds. This is more than enough to keep us busy. Indeed our existing team of nearly 400 security operatives and valued loyal clientele is where our attention really needs to be focused. Growth naturally follows when your foundations are solid.
Thank you to all who have spent another year with FGH Security. It has definitely been fun for me. I hope is has been equally as enjoyable and profitable for you.
Goodbye for now,
Peter Harrison, MD.
