2011 CALSAGA Annual Conference, Recap

On October 6-7, the 2011 CALSAGA Annual Conference, “Bridging the Gap, Securing the Future”, was held in beautiful San Francisco! The program provided attendees with topics focused on strengthening California’s security industry through increased knowledge and networking amongst the various segments of our industry. We also had outstanding representation by some of the industry’s most innovative vendors, offering products and services to attendees at competitive rates.

The event kicked off with a rousing presentation by Assemblyman Isadore Hall (D-52), who is an industry friend and author of our AB 811 legislation. Hall discussed the importance of creating a business friendly California, stating, “…we as legislators must stop putting a strangle hold on California businesses.” Engaging in a dialogue with attendees, Hall made it very clear that he intends on continuing to support the business community throughout the state, and invited attendees to reach out directly to him to discuss any further industry related issues they are facing.

Following an informative lunch session on the state of the Capitol by CALSAGA’s lobbyist Kelly Jensen, attendees heard from Basim-Abu Hamid, the Director of Operations for Global Consulting and Logistics, Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations, on the perils of homegrown terrorism and how to safeguard our infrastructure from these threats. Additionally, Alejandro Reyes, a social media consultant at Winning Local, spoke with attendees about the importance of social media in business marketing, offering various strategies on how to effectively use the many available platforms.

The first day’s program ended with a panel discussion, “Bridging the Gap Between Contract and Proprietary Security: The Growing Need for Collaboration”, with insight from some of the leaders in both the proprietary and contract security fields.

Closing out the whirlwind day of activities, TWIW Insurance Services hosted a reception on behalf of the CALSAGA Security Political Action Committee (PAC). Attendees generously contributed to the fund that helps CALSAGA and the industry stay active around the Capitol and throughout the election process, all while enjoying some great libations and the company of new and old industry friends.

Following the reception, CALSAGA honored Barry Bradley as the 2011 Al Howenstein Security Professional of the Year Award recipient at the Second Annual CALSAGA Conference Gala and Awards Dinner. As a founding member of CALSAGA and tireless advocate of the industry, Bradley was presented the award by its namesake, Al Howenstein, and was honored by the overwhelming attendance of his peers and friends.

Secretary of the California Emergency Management Agency, Mike Dayton, kicked off day two with a breakfast presentation on the current state of California’s infrastructure and the mechanisms in place to protect them. Secretary Dayton also discussed the importance of partnering with CALSAGA and our members to increase security throughout the state. (Stay tuned to learn more about what the association is doing to partner with Secretary Dayton and his agency)

Attendees then broke out to one of three sessions designed to offer pertinent business information from leaders in the legal, insurance and law enforcement fields. If you missed any of the presentations from CALSAGA favorites, Gary and Barry Bradley (‘BOZOs Need Not Apply: Good Hiring Practices and Workplace Investigations’) of Bradley and Gmelich, Shaun Kelly (‘Employment Practices and Liability Insurance’) of TWIW Insurance or Detective David Iorillo (‘Organized Retail Crime Alliance’) of the San Diego Police Department, please contact our staff to for presentation information.

Closing out the events for the 2011 CALSAGA Annual Conference, BSIS Chief Jeffrey Mason addressed the changes the Bureau has made in the last year. Chief Mason particularly focused on the successes the Bureau has experience in reducing the time it takes to issue guard cards by creating unified licensing teams throughout the department.

On behalf of the CALSAGA Board of Directors and staff, thank you to all of the speakers, sponsors, vendors and attendees that made this event so successful. The CALSAGA Annual Conference is truly the premier security event in California, and this event would not be possible without your support. If you attended the event, or if you simply have thoughts on how we can improve our events in the future, please take a few minutes to fill out the survey. Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated and will be beneficial in our planning for the 2012 Annual Conference!