Michael Hymanson

The book begins in the 19th Century, with early U.S. legendary detectives, Allan Pinkerton and William Burns. Then, the book focuses largely from the mid-20th Century to the present, where successive generations of legends built large-scale contract security companies which competed with, and then acquired, those formed by the early legends. Part II legends George Wackenhut, Ira Lipman, and Tom Wathen; Part III legends, Charles Schneider, Kenneth Oringer, William Whitmore, Jr., and Albert Berger; and Part IV, Scandinavian legends Jørgen Philip-Sørensen, Lars Nørby Johansen, and Thomas Berglund, who all developed major security companies. Part V includes current global security leaders Helena Revoredo Gut, Stephan Crétier, and Steve Jones. Part VI reviews the timelines and successful leadership of these legendary leaders, with a look at the future of the industry.

The legends’ personal stories contain colorful insight into how they capitalized on the industry’s explosive growth. While each generation of legends faced unique social and competitive landscapes, their personal stories illustrate how they respectively succeeded. Their leadership and management prowess enabled them to achieve great success, as they displayed vision and achieved their goals through grit, determination, hard work, charisma, organizational skills, and calculated risk-taking.

Each chapter has been extensively researched, and includes firsthand accounts based on interviews with living legends, colleagues, and family of deceased legends. Personal and company photos add further color to the moving narrative. Their stories are not only highly interesting, but also provide a framework for current leaders, and the next generation of entrepreneurs, on how to build and lead large-scale security service companies.

With a Foreword from Robert D. McCrie, Ph.D., longtime John Jay Professor and editor of the renowned industry publication The Security Letter.


Table of Contents
Part I: The Early Legends
PART ONE details the stories of Allan Pinkerton and William J. Burns, who began their careers as master detectives, and their companies as investigative services. The period of their careers was marked by both the Industrial Revolution and westward expansion in the U.S.

Allan Pinkerton: America’s First Great Detective
William J. Burns: Showman and Master Investigator

Part II: New Legends Take On The Old Guard
PART TWO focuses on the next generation of legends, three men who founded or led companies in the mid-20th century that were the first set of serious competitors for the Pinkerton and Burns agencies. They used their vision and skills to build great companies, operating in an era of growing commerce in the U.S. after World War II.

George R. Wackenhut: “Know-How and Know-Whom”
Ira A. Lipman: Principles and Profits
Thomas W. Wathen: No Fear of Flying
Part III: A New Wave Of Competitors In A Golden Era

PART THREE discusses the next generation of Legends, who led U.S.-based companies in the last quarter of the 20th Century and into the early 21st These entrepreneurs worked hard and obtained and leveraged extraordinary leadership and management skills necessary to succeed in industry, and the security services industry in particular.

Charles R. Schneider: Engineering Success
Kenneth W. Oringer: The Artful Closer
William C. Whitmore Jr.: A Steady Hand
Albert J. Berger: The Right Formulas
Part IV: Scandinavians Build Global Companies
PART FOUR of the book travels overseas, specifically to Europe, where three Scandinavians dramatically expanded their respective companies into global security giants. The leading European security companies primarily evolved from small night-watch companies. The legends in these chapters were instrumental in the acquisition of the largest U.S. based companies, Pinkerton’s, Burns and Wackenhut.

Jørgen Philip-Sørensen: Traversing the Globe
Lars Nørby Johansen: Gaining Trust Through Solutions
Thomas F. Berglund: Success by Lifting Others

Part V: Today’s Global Security Leaders
PART FIVE, the final set of profiles, covers three present-day legends.

Helena Revoredo Gut: Resilience and Vision
Stephan Crétier: The Disruptor
Steve Jones: Up Tempo

Part VI: Conclusions: Dynamic People, Companies And Times
PART SIX Showcases an industry with great forward momentum, with advancing technology and continued growth. The lessons learned from the legends includes a recognition of their respective and collective qualities while requiring accountability, guarding one’s personal and company reputation, and rewarding loyalty. The Legends knew people, understanding that human resources have to be a priority in building great teams needed for a service business, and that strong interpersonal skills are necessary to get the best out of people. The legends increased their chances of success by taking risks – and by making the right choices at opportune times.

Forward Momentum
Opportunities for Future Leaders in the Security Services Industry