THE staff and clients of Alternative Security Services St. Lucia Ltd have been celebrated for their confidence and commitment to the company established here five years ago.
A special awards night was held to mark five years of operations in St. Lucia for the Trinidad based security firm which also has footprints in Grenada, Barbados and Guyana.
Executives from head office in Trinidad and Tobago and regional managers joined staff in St. Lucia in celebrating the occasion.
The General Manager of St. Lucia operation, Andrew Callender said it was a night to show appreciation and to encourage those who contributed to the company in its initial years.
Callender told the gathering: “When operations started in 2010 three groups of individuals took a leap of faith: one, the chairman for establishing business in a new country, two, the very first set of workers who joined not knowing, not having any idea what they were getting themselves involved in, and three, those business partners who decided to come on board and give us their business. I am standing here to pay tribute to all”.
Callender noted that it had not always been smooth sailing, but they persevered and faced the challenges head on.
“We have worked closely with you our business partners to determine how to meet your security needs in the most cost-effective manner while at the same time ensuring that the overall security is not compromised”, he said. He commended staff acknowledging that “our people with their commitment to the highest standards of excellence and integrity are our guarantee for the delivery of efficient, professional and reliable security services”.
Brian Ramsey, the Regional Development Manager of the parent company Amalgamated Security Services Ltd supported the views expressed by the local general manager adding that “the foundation of our business is staff. And my initial fears of whether we would find good staff have proven to be unfounded. While we honour these employees tonight I pay tribute to all our staff”.
Ramsey recalled Hurricane Tomas in 2010 and the commitment showed by staff in very trying circumstances. He said: “After the hurricane I was sitting in Trinidad and I was worried that staff would not turn up for work, that they would say they have to see about their house and their family and their wives. And when I was told of the distances that staff walked to get to work I was reassured that we have good staff in St. Lucia”.
Present for the celebration of staff was the Acting Commissioner of Police Errol Alexander who spoke of deepening the close working relationships between law enforcement and security firms.
He said: “There is a need to continuously establish and retain a formal relationship between the police and yourselves as private security, as we both have common goals and you provide a major protective role in society. That is to say we both are in the business of crime prevention to create a safe environment for citizens and visitors alike”
The Chairman of Amalgamated Security Services Ltd, the parent company, Michael Aboud, gave what he considered to be his inaugural address, since the soft launch five years ago.
Aboud commended the operations in St. Lucia noting the tremendous progress made in five years, “To date we are happy to report that from our estimates we presently have 24% of the market share which is a significant milestone and we look forward to further growth as we endeavour to continue to do our best and serve our clients and employees faithfully”, he said.
Aboud praised the award winners for adhering to the watchwords ‘service and excellence’, observing their commitment to high standards, integrity, and for delivering efficient, professional and reliable security services.
Over a dozen staff members were celebrated with awards and special trophies for their dedication and hard work since inception in St. Lucia.
Amalgamated Security Services Ltd is looking at establishing a base in Antigua by mid-2016.