The 30th Annual International Organization of Black Security Executives (IOBSE) Conference was held last week in Chicago at the Sears Holdings Corporation corporate offices. This year's conference theme was "Celebrating the Past, Embracing the Future." Under the dynamic leadership of Suni Shamapande, Vice President, Loss Prevention, Sears Stores, the three-day event was kicked off with a full day of career enhancing advice to a group of college students as part of the IOBSE student program to help them in "embracing the future."

This program is one that is superb in all aspects. One of the key components is the vetting process that each student goes through to become selected and to receive scholarships funds. They also received outstanding coaching and mentorship offered by attending LP professionals. The well-respected executive search firm of Heidrick & Struggles provided subject matter advice, which is rarely offered with other similar programs. One of the other program highlights was the awarding of 10 full LPQ certification scholarships and 45 annual memberships to the Loss Prevention Foundation. Both of these items are designed to enhance each student's industry knowledge and credentials. A student program such as this is clearly a model for all others to follow.

Celebrating the past was featured by conducting an inspirational and touching panel discussion with two of the original founders of IOBSE. The next two days included presentations from industry leaders such as Bill Titus, Vice President of Loss Prevention, Sears Holdings Corporation on the evolution of the LP industry and a thought-provoking session by ADT on the lightning speed of how industry technology is changing. Keeping in line with the conference theme, the conference finished with a black tie event and the guest speaker, Chris Carter, former NFL pro football player.

We would like to give special recognition to Will Baker from Ross Stores, Fanchon Barnes from Target, Venus Finley-Akins from GAP, Levell Hedgspeth from Cracker Barrel, Don Knox from Caterpillar, Michael Nelson from Kohl's, Courtney Record from Sears, and Mike Rock from Walmart for their dedicated efforts in mentoring the future leaders of tomorrow.

I'll never forget having dinner with a well-known industry leader just after the team at Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates launched the certified forensic interviewer (CFI) certification in 2002. It struck me how critical this individual was of the program. He voiced the belief that our industry didn't need another interview-and-interrogation class. He questioned why any seasoned professional in our business would need a certification, firmly believing that years of experience should simply speak for itself.

Value of Certification

This person had no understanding of the true value of certification, and the validation of knowledge that results when completing a professionally developed exam. He failed to realize that by only participating in seminars, conferences, and workshops, regardless of how good those programs might be, there is very little confirmation that the message is understood and the lessons learned. There is no constant standard that measures comprehension or successful application of the information.

Even our pillars of higher education can lack consistency. With each professor and each university interpreting and communicating information in their own way, it can be very difficult to ensure that students always learn the same lessons and share a common understanding. Certification not only offers a forum for learning, but a benchmark for consistency. Everyone must demonstrate that they understand the content by passing a validated exam.

That same person now embraces the CFI program. Why? He opened his mind and took time to evaluate it objectively. Ego and personal agendas were replaced by the heart of a leader. He realized that just because he wasn't involved in developing the program, it didn't mean that it wasn't a great thing for our industry. He also decided to welcome positive change and accept progress by taking a leadership role, for it takes vision and guts to be one of the first.

"A Waste of My Time"

I remember in 2006 when LP Magazine led discussions for creating a general industry certification. I had someone tell me that participating on a content-development committee was "a waste of my time." I remember others becoming defensive about the idea for many of the same reasons cited above.

Over the years since, I have had many conversations with senior LP executives regarding whether our profession needs professional certification. I've concluded that clearly those that did not express a positive attitude toward continued learning were often threatened by the idea of professional certifications. They were those who were unwilling to take the time for self-improvement; those who were skeptical and often resistant to the idea of something new.

How can anyone possibly believe that establishing industry educational standards and the creation of LP-specific degree programs could be anything but a positive reflection on the industry? Could it be the fear of finding out that, regardless of their years of experience, they might not actually know as much as they thought? Perhaps the fear that others might find out they failed an exam? These same executives resisted MBO plans and opportunities for self-discovery and improvement. They were the ones who hated to establish goals and objectives. They were often the ones who would prefer to be critical versus volunteering to help create. They were the ones who always seemed to criticize peers who took the time to speak at national conferences, but would never volunteer themselves.

Some Just Don't Get It

I have concluded that some people just don't get it, and others just don't want to get it for self-serving reasons. Some say they are career-motivated, global thinkers and want to advance, yet are not willing to invest time and energy into learning. They fail to see that it is their responsibility to educate themselves and not their company's responsibility to do it for them. They always offer the excuse that they are too busy. Deep down inside, I think they are afraid to push the envelope. Ultimately, they are followers, not leaders.

Why should we embrace certification for our teachers, financial planners, realtors, tax preparers, internal auditors, safety, and human resources, but not loss prevention? I think you know why. Just look at past actions and attitudes, and the reasons become crystal clear.

As 2012 starts, we want to thank the Wicklander-Zulawski team for having a vision to elevate our industry. And, thanks to the majority of LP executives for supporting the Foundation's efforts to further evolve this industry into a true profession.

Recently Certified

• Kevin Ach, LPC
• Carson Altice, LPC
• Anthony Arnold, LPQ
• Wes Bank, LPC
• Lee Bland, LPC
• Mark Bunyan, LPC
• Jeffrey Cotterman, LPC
• Tom Counts, LPC
• Dereck Ethington, LPC
• Grady Fuller, LPQ
• Christopher Gibson, LPC
• Gina Guardamondo, LPC
• Jarod Gustafson, LPC
• Keith Harmon, LPC
• Tyrun Haynie, LPC
• Brent Holley, LPC
• Reginald Holliday, LPC
• Ronald Holliday, LPC
• Thaddeus Hugues, LPC
• Laura Kay, LPQ
• Patrick Kerby, LPC
• Jody Kershaw, LPC
• Jason Lutz, LPQ
• James McClory, LPQ
• Kevin McMenimen, LPC
• Dane Meaux, LPQ
• Michael Miller, LPC
• Mark Mnich, LPC
• Anthony Nelson, LPQ
• Thomas O'Mara, LPQ
• Andrew Palmer, LPC
• Dan Provost, LPC
• Danielle Pyle, LPQ
• Glenn Rowe, LPQ
• David Shaffer, LPC
• Nesha Smith, LPC
• Ron Taylor, LPC
• Renee Thomas, LPQ
• Joseph Throneberry, LPC
• Stephen Trefry, LPQ
• Daniel Tucker, LPC
• Kevin Valentine, LPC
• Melissa Van De Carr, LPC

Did you know the unemployment rate for our young men and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq in May was 30 percent? Did you know that unemployment payments to service members fresh out of the military have doubled since 2008?

Many of us find these statistics not only alarming, but unacceptable. As a hiring manager, you may be able to do more about this than you think.

We all recognize that these young men and women have sacrificed much so the rest of us could go about living our normal life. We all shudder to think that we forget the sacrifices their families have made so we can have our freedom. We may even be alarmed to know that this 30 percent does not include the thousands that have re-enlisted for another tour of duty because they could not find employment as a private citizen.

We salute the retailers who have a history of hiring veterans. We can't thank them enough. However, what are we doing as a profession to help? Clearly, we can do much more.

Military Transition Committee

The Loss Prevention Foundation has a Military Transition Committee chaired by ADT's Kevin Lynch. Recently, Lynch along with Brand Elverston of Walmart, Scott McBride from American Eagle, and I met in Washington D.C. with various high-ranking military leaders to discuss how retail loss prevention could be more active in helping veterans find jobs. As a result of this meeting, the Foundation is aggressively moving forward with a comprehensive plan that will help to attract more qualified enlisted military and veteran candidates into the industry.

Many of these young men and women have excellent transferrable skills for retail loss prevention. Ken Rayca, director of LP at Liz Claiborne, said it best: "If they can learn all that the military teaches them, surely they can learn what we need to teach them." Think about that. Military personnel have been conditioned to make a plan, follow a plan, and flex to it if needed. They understand loyalty, dedication, and the importance of accomplishing a goal. They are taught organizational, leadership, and time-management concepts. They are trained to pay attention to detail or suffer the consequences if they don't. Sounds like a great training academy for future LP professionals. In addition, many have college degrees or at least have taken classes while in the service.

Unfortunately, with all of this training, they still lack understanding the retail business and culture of the private loss prevention industry. We believe exposing high-potential military personnel to the LPQualified (LPQ) course will help to ensure they understand our profession, as well as prepare them for an interview; subsequently increasing their chances of getting hired. Since they would have a much better understanding of what they are getting into from the LPQ, the turnover rate should be lower for retailers when they do get hired.

A Mission to Make a Difference

The mission of the Foundation's Military Transition Committee is to "attract, prepare, and promote the hiring

of veterans, non-returning active-duty approaching separation, National Guard, and reserve military personnel to retail loss prevention."

Other members of this committee, including John Clark, Jeff McPike, and David Phillips, LPQ, have also done much to prepare our plan.

Here are just a few key items the committee has been working on:

• Establish critical military partnerships,
• Promote retail loss prevention in various military sources as a career alternative,
• Obtain LPQ course approval as a military transition course,
• Have the Foundation and retailers attend key military job fairs,
• Link qualified candidates to retail opportunities, and
• Provide job search advice and supporting resources.

If you are a hiring manager and have been successful in filling jobs with former service members, the committee would like to hear from you. If you would like to get involved, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

For more information on the Military Transition Committee, visit the Foundation website, www.losspreventionfoundation.org.

In the near future, please look for more information on how we all can help. Together, we can help make a difference in the lives of many to whom our nation owes a great deal.

Recently I had the pleasure of attending the LP Magazine 10-year anniversary celebration [see the article here]. What a walk down memory lane! I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if we had no professional magazine. Many of us can remember a time when we had no magazine; no LPRC; no exception reporting, EAS, or video analytics; no LPQ, LPC, or CFI certifications. Isn't it great to have these wonderful resources that add such value to our industry?

Congratulations to Jack Trlica, Jim Lee, and the entire magazine staff for a great celebration, and for providing us with such a wonderful resource. It has clearly helped to elevate our professional perception in so many ways. Just think of the many wonderful articles and the wealth of information that has been shared over the past ten years, providing us all with such tremendous learning opportunities. Just think how many throughout the retail industry have gained valuable insights from an article they've read. And the best part of it all—it's free to LP professionals due to the generous support of our solution providers, who fully fund the magazine through their ads and assistance. Thanks to all of those who offer their resources and support. We are very appreciative of the efforts...and the result.

At this celebration event, it was extremely inspirational to hear so many industry leaders referencing professional development, and how important they feel that the LPQ and LPC certifications are in contributing to those efforts. In one specific presentation, the vice president of loss prevention for a major retailer expressed how much value he found upon completing the LPC himself. He told everyone how impressed he was with the quality of the content and that after completing the LPC, he approached his human resources group to add the LPQ and LPC to his job descriptions and job postings as a preferred requirement. He then took his efforts a step further by having LPC and LPQ approved under tuition reimbursement assistance for his department. I guess he thought it was worthwhile. What do you think?

This same vice president then expressed his strong belief that there shouldn't be a question as to if LP leaders should get certified, but rather when they should get certified. He referenced the endless challenge that we have all faced with trying to improve the professional perception of our industry. His challenge to all of those listening:

"If you are a true leader and truly committed to this industry, then it should not be a question as to whether or not you should get certified. Rather, you should recognize that it is your obligation to get certified. Are you going to lead by example and be a true leader? Or are you going to jump on the wagon only when you have to, and simply follow the crowd?"

New Foundation Board Members

The following individuals have accepted nominations and have been approved to serve on the Foundation's board of directors:

• Lee Bland, Director of Loss Prevention, Stage Stores
• David George, CFI, LPC, Vice President of Asset Protection, Harris Teeter
• Jeffrey S. Levitt, Senior Manager Asset Protection, Panera Bread
• William Napier, LPC, Senior Manager Corporate Asset Protection, Cabela's
• Kevin R. Wolfe, Vice President of Loss Prevention, Big Lots Stores

New LP Certified Professionals

Congratulations to the most recent LP professionals to earn their LPQ and LPC certifications.

• Shawn Abernathy, LPC
• Jeremy Bailey, LPC
• Jerry Bell, LPQ
• Timothy Boyle, LPQ
• Jason Byers, LPQ
• William Carleson, LPQ
• Jarid Catalano, LPQ
• Dave Cheema, LPQ
• Raifield Clark, LPQ
• Tyler Davis, LPC
• Cris Drugan, LPQ
• Carmen Dubose, LPC
• Philip Dutto, LPQ
• Jeffrey Feldman, LPC
• John Gallemore, LPC
• Steven Garcia, LPQ
• Mark Gaudette, LPC
• Dennis Gibbons, LPC
• Gary Grimes, LPC
• Laura Guerry, LPQ
• Susan Hakes, LPC
• Kelly Ann Heuer, LPQ
• Jeff Hill, LPC
• James Hiscock, LPC
• James Jardine, LPC
• Jean Johnson, LPQ
• Paul Jones, LPC
• Karla Leitgeb, LPC
• Robert Padovano, LPQ
• Joseph Palinkas, LPC
• Karl S. Pellegrino, LPQ
• Jason Scheel, LPQ
• James Simpson, LPC
• Jesse Sincler, LPC
• Norman Smaligo, LPQ
• Andrew Spears, LPC
• Donald Tarney, LPC
• Damon Trite, LPC
• Justin Voss, LPC
• Crystal Ward, LPQ
• Wesley Webber, LPC
• Kevin Wells, LPQ

It may not be the equivalent of the NCAA tournament, but March has been an exciting month for the Loss Prevention Foundation and an industry hungry for certification. It's been clear throughout the beginning of 2011 that certification has continued to build on a groundswell of momentum. The most exciting part of this rapidly growing initiative is the difference it makes in the lives of loss prevention professionals. Consider the following examples.

Scholarship Winners

The LP professionals shown in the box below have made a commitment to advancing their careers through obtaining certification and have been awarded scholarships by Vector Security.

The Foundation is very fortunate to have such a valuable partner in Vector Security. They administer and promote one of the most popular scholarship programs in the industry, all for the continued education of individual loss prevention practitioners.

We applaud the Vector team for having the vision to help provide quality education to our profession through supporting the LPQualified and LPCertified certification programs.

FMI Promotes Certification

The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) asset protection conference held in Orlando in March was the best FMI conference we have attended. Congratulations to Rhett Asher and his team for raising the bar in terms of quality education and valuable networking opportunities.

For anyone in attendance, there was no doubt of FMI's commitment for providing educational offerings through certification. FMI provided an LPC scholarship with fellow Foundation partners Stanley Security, eBay, InstaKey, and LexisNexis. The following individuals received scholarships at the conference:

• Maureen Fuller, Big Y Foods
• Ron Holliday, Giant Eagle
• Tim Hopson, Hy-Vee
• Lloyd Fry, Sobeys
• Tim Bartkowiak, Spartan Stores
• Betty Kraus, Schnucks

It's been clear throughout the beginning of 2011 that certification has continued to build on a groundswell of momentum.

Staples National LP Meeting

Staples led the industry last year in becoming the first retailer to have the LPQ and LPC certifications approved under their tuition-assistance program. This year they piloted a day of education in conjunction with their national LP meeting held in Orlando by blending the LPC content into two sessions. The first session was dedicated to personal development while the second session discussed building and leveraging partnerships.

These sessions, supported by the Foundation, as well as their conference counted toward CEUs for LPC-certified professionals. Foundation partners Bass Security, eBay, Security Resources, and LexisNexis also supported the Staples meeting by providing LPC scholarships.

Vector Security Scholarship Winners

LPC Scholarships

Ken Parsons, Dick's Sporting Goods

Keith Weiner

Thaddeus Hugues, Fred Meyer

Kathy Wood, Kohl's

John Watson, Lowe's Companies

Marcus Collins, Lowe's Companies

Martha Skokowski, Luxottica Retail

Amy Stephens, Macy's

John Reid, Michaels Stores

Brian Clark, Sears

Tiffany O'Brien, Staples

Louis Senecal, The Zellman Group

Monty Whitlow

Sal D'Amico, Walgreens

Laura Guerry, Walmart

LPQ Scholarships

Brad Johnson, Cabela's

Lucio Botello, CVS/pharmacy

Casey Alexander, Gordman's

Neil Jones, Lowe's Companies

Tyson Robertson, Marshalls

Jose Mendoza, Michaels Stores

Mike Otten, Panera Bread

Deborah Giordano, Pep Boys

Andrew Diamond, Publix

Renaldo Johnson

Tom Chason

Kenneth Williams, Walmart

Patrick Foy, J.D. Maurer & Associates

Brandon Mathews, Sears

Cameron Hess, Belk