| MVM: Protecting Assets |
| Professional Services | |
| Written by Liz Jones | |
| Monday, 01 October 2007 | |
 Dario Marquez talks about what it means to be one of the largest providers of access control services to the federal government—and it’s harder than you’d think. Initially, the Anaheim, Calif.-based company’s primary focus was executive protection, risk assessment, and training programs. Marquez recalls protecting the children of King Hussein, the present King Abdullah II of Jordan, and the Saudi royal family as they traveled through Europe and the US. It also had some big-wig domestic customers such as Time, Ford Motor Company, and United Brands. In 1984, Marquez purchased the company from his two partners and decided to take it in a different direction. “I wanted to focus on a very specific market: the federal government. Up to that time, we had no such work, but once we made the decision to be a sole government contractor, we pushed hard to accomplish it,” he said.  Dario Marquez The Omnibus Antiterrorism Act of 1987, aimed at rebuilding and reinforcing foreign embassies to better protect military personnel and other American citizens, put MVM on the fast track for growth. “The US State Department was going through a massive reorganization, especially their security and administrative divisions, and they were hiring a lot of agents. We were a very small company at the time, but we started pursuing those contracts and won one in which we provided access control services for the embassy in Moscow,” said Marquez. Marquez signed the Moscow contract in September 1987 and signed another contract to provide access control services to embassies worldwide in December. “It was a $54 million contract that set us squarely into the government contracting business. It was an unbelievable win for a small company and a dream come true.” MVM held that contract for the next 10 years. With that experience under its belt, MVM began pursuing domestic—and unusual—opportunities. For instance, when President Aristide reclaimed his position as president of Haiti, but law prohibited US armed forces from protecting a head of state in his/her own country, MVM was on the job. “We worked with the Haitian government and the state department to ensure his security for a number of years,” said Marquez. From there, the company started rolling, and the primary source of income became access control services—the act of providing uniformed security officers to government buildings. The next growth spurt occurred when MVM started winning contracts to provide former law enforcement personnel to the US Marshals service to secure federal court houses. From $400,000 and 26 employees in 1986, MVM is now pushing $200 million and employs over 2,700, making it one of the five largest privately owned security services providers in the US. But Marquez is quick to point out that MVM is no longer just a security company. “We are a government contractor that provides services specifically to the law enforcement, intelligence, and military communities,” he said, adding that the company currently has strong operations in the Northeast, the Washington DC metro area, Miami, and Chicago, as well as California, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Quality and consistency MVM is currently organized into three divisions: basic security/access control, international services, and support services. Its support services division employs skilled professionals, such as linguists, who are, for instance, helping the Drug Enforcement Administration fight the war on illicit drugs. As the federal government is MVM’s primary customer, quality and consistency are top priorities. According to Marquez, MVM has a stringent program in place to ensure both. “To be a responsible government contractor, we must have the processes to prove we are a good steward of the taxpayers’ money. That means conducting audits and inspections to ensure we are doing exactly what the government has asked of us—with all the proper documentation and certifications.” With that said, MVM rests a great deal of responsibility and authority with its project managers. Each project manager receives the Project Manager’s Technical Compliance Manual, which outlines detailed contract requirements. “In many cases, what is asked for by the government in a contract can be misinterpreted by those who are operating in the field. The manual breaks down each policy and procedure so there is no guessing. It protects us and our clients.” Quality mangers in the field report back to their respective project manager and manager of operations, who, in turn, report to the compliance center, which monitors each project’s performance against contract specifications. For example, if a project requires all assigned officers to be CPR certified, but one officer’s certification has expired, the compliance center will not only ensure the officer gets the proper training and documentation, it will also pinpoint why the problem occurred in the first place. “Sometimes, we have to remove people from their posts due to expired certifications until we can determine what went wrong and rectify the situation,” said Marquez. Marquez says the company’s success is due, at least in part, to two core principles: mutual respect and mutual support. “Mutual respect means we treat each other with integrity and honesty, and mutual support means we agree to stay together as long as it is beneficial for each other and the customer,” he said. “It is a simple motto, but it lays the foundation for who we are, what we do, and how we operate with each other.” To that end, MVM ensures all employees have the tools they need to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. For instance, each year, the company hosts the Project Manager’s Leadership Conference. For three days, project managers, assistant project managers, and corporate staff engage in interactive learning, leadership, and teambuilding activities. The conference is also an opportunity for the company to roll out new programs, such as the new quality assurance program and contract compliance program established last year. MVM also presented Vision, a manpower utilization and planning tool, several years ago. “We use this conference as a vehicle to get our project managers on the same page and give them the support and training they need.” The conference, which is in its eighth year, continues to grow, and feedback has been nothing but positive. “Our employees especially enjoy the dinner cruise,” Marquez laughed. “The event is good for building camaraderie and spirit between people who work on opposite ends of the earth.” |
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American Executive is a RedCoat Publishing publication.
American Executive is a RedCoat Publishing publication.
