Dog handlers from Guardsman display the prowess of their guard dogs at the 50th staging of the Hague Agricultural Show earlier this year. - CONTRIBUTED
THE GUARDSMAN Group of Companies is recruiting a number of senior managers as part of its expansion plans.
Valerie Juggan-Brown, managing director of Guardsman Group, said several management positions are available for both the Jamaican and Eastern Caribbean operations.
As Jamaica's leading provider of security services, the company now contracts 6,000 security officers, having undergone rapid growth in recent years.
Guardsman has moved from being a company whose principal activities centered on the training and rental of guard dogs, to becoming an 11-member conglomerate offering comprehensive security solutions to meet the needs of its clients.
The group has established three new businesses in the Eastern Caribbean islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, and Barbados, and is aiming to boost the service available in these markets.
The move to recruit new managers is a direct result of the "significant growth in Guardsman's armoured car services as well as the prospective introduction of additional services, which will include inventory management and the control of high value assets," according to Mrs. Juggan-Brown.
Coupled with the need to effectively manage the expansion of its armoured car operations, Guardsman also intends to strengthen its management resources in the delivery of electronic security solutions.
"As security costs escalate, electronic solutions will be the preferred choice of many organisations. Therefore, strength-ening management resources in this area is paramount in preparation for the increased demand," says Mrs. Juggan-Brown. "As a corporate body, Guardsman has a responsibility to its clientele to ensure that a solid management succession plan exists."
Further afield in the Eastern Caribbean, Guardsman intends to recruit two managers for its St. Vincent operations and one for Guardsman Barbados.
In St. Vincent, the two new managers will help to reinforce the existing management structure to support its armoured car services.
Additionally, the company's services will be expanded to include electronic monitoring and response services, therefore extra management resources are extremely necessary.
Launched in May 2005, the recently-established Barbadian operation represents the group's third subsidiary in the region.
As Guardsman positions this business as a leader in the industry the need to increase the scope of expertise of its management team in Barbados is a number one priority.
As such, Guardsman plans to recruit a general manager and a number of specialist managers to develop the various service lines offered by the company in the near future.
This will ensure that the security firm maintains its foothold in Barbadian market and delivers the same high quality services that its Jamaican customers are accustomed to in the Eastern Caribbean.
Founded by Kenny Benjamin in the 1980s, the Guardsman Group also operates a gym, a landscaping business and offers plant sales.
