At a recent security industry conference in New York City, DSS President and COO Mario J. Doyle, CPP, spoke about some of the many challenges facing start-up companies.

Mario was a panelist at The SIA Startups Experience, a new event hosted by the Security Industry Association (SIA). The program provides a platform for security company founders and investors to share their experiences and best practices in management, marketing, financing, recruitment, and other aspects of building a business from the ground up.

Mario joined fellow industry leaders for the highly engaging session, "Building Your Dream Team." Designed specifically for emerging companies and innovators, the panel focused on one of the most critical challenges of scaling a business: finding, vetting, and retaining top-tier talent.

Drawing on his extensive experience founding DSS twenty years ago and guiding the company from its early days to its current status as a premier security services provider, Mario shared actionable insights into the mechanics of team building.

During the discussion, Mario emphasized the importance of hiring individuals who align with the company’s values. He noted the need for rigorous pre-hiring vetting standards to ensure trust and reliability. Mario also highlighted the need to create an organizational environment that makes talented security professionals feel valued and supported, and that provides opportunities for career growth, improving retention.

At DSS, we have always maintained that in the security industry, technology is powerful, but people are paramount. No matter how advanced the tools become, the true strength of any security organization lies in the team behind it.

The SIA Startups Experience panel provided Mario with the opportunity to provide valuable guidance to fledgling entrepreneurs. Imparting the lessons learned through the founding and growth of DSS to a new generation of security professionals helps invest in the future of our industry.

By mentoring the next generation of security entrepreneurs on critical topics such as recruiting top talent, we help cultivate the next wave of innovators who will drive the industry forward in the coming decades.

DSS would like to express its gratitude to the SIA for curating such a vital platform for collaboration. It was an honor to contribute to the growth of promising security industry startups and entrepreneurs!