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Hawaii's top veteran-owned businesses No. 2: Executive One Protection
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May 20, 2022, 6:47am HST Updated: May 20, 2022, 6:52am HST
EUGENE TANNER | PACIFIC BUSINESS NEWS
Rod Bambino, head of Executive One Protection, Friday, May 13, 2022, in Pearl City, Hawaii.
Founded seven years ago by co-owners and married couple, Becky Bambino, vice president and CFO, and Rod Bambino, president and CEO, Executive One Protection offers such services as uniformed guard patrol, condo and hotel guards, office building security, mall and retail protection, video surveillance and more. PBN caught up with Rod Bambino by email for insights into the company’s operations.
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First, could you tell us a little bit about your military service?
I was strongly influenced by my father, 2nd Lt. Herbert Bambino. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in WWII as a fighter Pilot, flying the P-51 and the P-47. I followed in his footsteps as soon as I could and joined the U.S. Air Force at the age of 17. I served from January 1985 to 1993. I was assigned to the 446 Military Airlift Command at McChord Air force Base in Tacoma, Washington. My team was responsible for the daily operations of all aircraft that flew in and out of the base [such as the] F-14, F-15, B-52, C-141, C-5, and A-10. I received the prestigious award of “Airman of the Year” from my unit commander, Col. Ryan in 1991, chosen from over 900 candidates. I was also assigned to other tours in Guam, Korea, Germany and the Philippines.
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In the first year of Covid, we learned that security companies were growing hugely because so many business owners needed extra eyes on their properties during the lockdowns. Has that Covid bump ended? What is it that your business clients need most now?
The Covid bump has not ended, and we continue to see growth at an accelerated rate. What our clients need most from us at this time is active and open communication. We are all trying to get through this crisis together and keeping an active line of communication open with our clients is the only way to effectively combat any issues that can arise. We strive to build our client relationships on trust and reliability and transparency.
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How did you approach your expansion beyond Hawaii to other states? What advice would you have for other Hawaii-based businesses looking to do likewise?
Expanding our business outside of Hawaii required an extensive amount of research on that state’s particular requirements for operating and being compliant. Hiring a business lawyer and accountant in that state can ensure that you are meeting all of that state’s requirements for legally operating your business. Applying due diligence is a key factor in the operations and success of your company.
We currently are in Hawaii and Florida, with Hawaii being our corporate headquarters. Our future plan is to expand into northern and southern California in the summer of 2023.
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A lot of family-run businesses read PBN — do you have tips for how you and Becky navigate family/business?
Setting clear boundaries between family and business is critical to establishing and maintaining success. If you have a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each person, it will enable you to handle any conflicts which will help you operate effectively together. It is important to set up family time outside of business that excludes all talk of business relations. This promotes a healthy balance between family and business, which makes for a happy outcome all around.
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In just seven years since starting the company, you and Becky have grown the company to be No. 2 on our List of veteran-owned business, by employee headcount. What was your strategy for growth?
Two things have to happen to be a successful company. One is making sure that each and every account that we have is treated as if it were our one and only account. And two, our company is only as strong as our weakest employee. We train our guards to know and understand that they are as much a customer relations officer as they are a security officer. Training the guards to be humble and how to deescalate situations is crucial in having a well-rounded security officer. Our strict guard selection process ensures that we provide the highest-quality applicants.
Our uniformed guard services are monitored 24/7 in real-time using our app-based Guard Tour System [which assures] our clients that they are getting the service that they expect. We are one of the very few companies, if not the only one, that allows our clients full access to shift reports, incident reports, and analytical reports in real-time from their own personal portal. Clients can log in 24/7 in real-time to see what their guard is doing and view their activity.
We are currently on track to gross $4.5 to $6 million this year, and at the current rate of growth we anticipate surpassing $10 million by 2025.
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Executive One Protection
Becky Bambino, Vice President and CFO, and Rod Bambino, President and CEO
Address: 98-023 Hekaha St., Ste. 208, Aiea, 96701
Phone: 808-954-1119
Website: executiveoneprotection.com
A. Kam Napier
Editor-in-Chief
