Security and Business Threats

By Fred Grauer

The whole issue of security has become pretty frightening. Itwasnt long ago that I, like a lot of guys, was convinced I shared many traitswith Supermanyou know: invincible, able to leap over tall buildings, fasterthan a speeding bullet, able to handle almost any threatening situation. But inthe last few years, my mental awareness has sure undergone a course correction.

Most weeks, you can find me at the airport- security check-inarea getting ready to board another plane. To those who dont travel veryoften, this may sound glamorous and fun. But Im here to tell you: After 9/11,this is most certainly not the case. That fateful day changed the Americanlifestyle forever. But for me, the fun of travel is sharing the details of mybusiness with those interested in the car-wash industry.

With the ownership of any business comes added awareness ofsecurity. As defense is such a broad-based, billion-dollar business, how do yousift through all the hype and boil it down to those items you need most? Asbusiness owners, we face the unknown every day. Many events occur over which wehave absolutely no control; but once in a while, we come face to face withterrifying situations we can do something about.

Types of Threat

First, lets look at the economy, which represents afinancial threat. On a national level, we have little control over it; butlocally, we can do something to secure the future of our businesses. In a crisissituation, the government mobilizes its SWAT teams. When your livelihood is being threatened, you can use asimilar strategic advantage: In business, we call it SWOT analysis. You bringyour team together to list and review your companys strengths, weaknesses,opportunities and threats. Afterward, you have the makings of a tacticalinitiative that will secure your position and allow you to go on the offenserather than the defense.

In business, we deal with other types of threats. Internally,they take the form of breaches in security. Sometimes violations are caused byhuman intent, other times by accident. Often they occur because significantsafeguards or disciplines do not exist. In the lucky event you have not experienced a business lossemployeetheft, a break-in, other criminal activitycount your blessings; and then callin experts to ensure you have all the proper defenses in place for the future.

In a retail environment, security takes a different twist.Here we (including our customers) are exposed to many different risks. What can you do to ensure the safety, performance and qualityof your business? Every time I meet a client to build a new car wash, thequestion of personal, property and equipment safety enters the discussion. How do you design the facility to minimize risk? What productscan guarantee customers get what they pay for and we receive our return oninvestment?

The Role of Technology

Fortunately, the electronics industry and the expansion oftechnology has lead to the launch of some very cool, exciting products. Not only can we monitor all the activities of our businesses,we can do so remotely and from great distances. For example, I was recentlyintroduced to a web-based management tool that allowed me to enter a URL, typein a password, and watch in real time what was occurring at a car-wash location. This kind of access brings tremendous peace of mind. Inaddition to tracking activity at your sites, think of the comfort you providecustomers when they know they (and their goods) are on camera.

In the coming months, more data-collection and securityproducts will become available at affordable prices. New point-of-sale systems,wireless devices, cameras and camera phones will enable us to track, manage andminimize our business risk. As the car-wash and self-storage industries becomemore mature, they will have more sophisticated technology available to maintain security at a reasonable cost.

Fred Grauer is the vice president, distributor network, forMarkVII Equipment LLC, a car-wash equipment manufacturer in Arvada, Colo. He hasmade a life-long career of designing, selling, building and operating carwashes. He can be reached at [email protected].