Staff
Versatility and depth of expertise
A company is known for the people it keeps.
Jeff Kirby
Owner & Chairman
We focus on our two top priorities: Our valued customers and our valuable employees.
Jeff Kirby founded the company in 1981 with one patrol vehicle and one client. Over the years he has grown the company into one of the leading full-service security service providers in the Pacific Northwest. He has created a professional work environment where managers and security personnel operate with pride and expertise. Jeff is a highly decorated and respected leader in the security industry and has served for many years as President of the Washington State Security Council. He has been active in several community and law enforcement organizations. Jeff was instrumental in establishing legislation for regulating the private security industry.
Jeff is a police academy graduate and has expertise in many areas of security including premises liability, security hardware, vehicle patrol, security audit procedures, school security, investigations and law enforcement liaison, and Security Guard licensing, training and management. Jeff has created a quality security company that is beyond the ordinary.
Read the article "Staff: Light Their Fires" by Jeff Kirby and published in Security Magazine.
George Schaeffer
CEO
George Schaeffer has been working in the security community since 1979 in a variety of capacities both as a contractor and as a client. During his career, George has been responsible for the successful operation of the several of the largest contracts in the state of Washington. His dynamic approach to training and development has changed the industry and continues to be used on a daily basis. He is a self-motivated team leader who is never satisfied with the current result and is always looking for a way to provide more efficient and cost effective service to his clients George’s ability to lead has been demonstrated in organizations both large and small. George is tasked with continued development of Puget Sound Security’s professional service strategy. He is a hands on executive dedicated to providing unmatched service.
William Cottringer, Ph.D., CHS-III
President
I will always be looking for ways to improve the quality of our security service.
Dr. Cottringer has been involved with the security field since 1962, when he started as a security specialist for the U.S. Air Force. Bill has had a diverse professional career in many areas, including law enforcement, mental health, prison administration, university teaching, security management and building maintenance. His areas of expertise include human resources, organizational effectiveness, policies and procedures, emergency preparedness planning, risk analysis, conflict resolution, communication, and leadership. Dr. Cottringer was recently awarded certification in Homeland Security-Level III by the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute. He was also selected to serve on Washington State’s Emergency Preparation and response team. Bill has successfully published six personal development and business management books and over 100 articles in professional journals.
Bill’s special areas of expertise include strategic planning, criminal justice leadership, security guard and supervisory training, law enforcement liaison, conducting security surveys, expert court testimony, human resources, policies and procedures, computer security and anti-terrorism.
Read the article "Are You Practicing Common Sense Leadership?" by William Cottringer, Ph.D. and published in Police Chief Magazine
Steve Squire
Operations Manager
“I am the operations problem-solver for PSS and I pride myself on having a file cabinet full of solutions, even on a Friday afternoon!”
Mr. Squire has over 12 years of security management experience with Puget Sound Security and other companies. He knows the business inside-out, having served in many capacities with PSS including: Human Resources Manager, Scheduler, Site Supervisor, Dispatcher, Patrol Officer and Security Officer. All of this experience has made it quite easy for Steve to communicate, train and supervise all of our Security Officers and deal with diverse customer needs. Steve is an expert at security operations and is quick and efficient in responding to client concerns and issues before they become problems. He is very practical and easy to work with.
Mike Baker
Assistant Operations Manager
“I am the go-to person for PSS with a can-do attitude and a get-r-done philosophy!”
Mike is the newest addition to the corporate management team at Puget Sound Security, but not new to the company where he has worked for over 8 yrs in various important positions as radio/dispatcher and patrol supervisor. Currently Mike is responsible for the efficient scheduling of over 250 security officers and 6,000 weekly hours of security guard service. Mike brings valuable knowledge about employees and clients to his new position in support of our mission to deliver a high quality security service. He is a team player, willing to go the extra mile to get the job done, and a pleasure to work with.
Mikhail Lakhter
Business Manager
“I pride myself in completely accurate accounting so that we are an efficient company who can offer you the best value in security service.”
Mr. Lakhter has been with Puget Sound Security for over 9 years in his current capacity as Business Manager. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Byelorussian Polytechnical University where he graduated with a 3.95 GPA He also holds an Associate Degree from North Seattle Community College in accounting (3.92 GPA). Mikhail is committed to not making mistakes on payroll and billing and will be glad to provide the information you need regarding service or invoice detail.
Suki Heidel
Accounting Assistant
“Sometimes I have the task of dealing with billing questions, but don’t worry I am very friendly and understanding!”
Suki Heidel is our Accounting Assistant and Benefits Administrator. She attended Missoula Vocational Center with a major in Accounting. She has also taken classes in Excel and attended many Customer service seminars, which shows in her accounting competency and pleasant approach to people. She contributes by answering billing questions, keeping accounts receivable current, solving payroll problems and helping answer questions regarding benefits. Suki came to PSS with 5 years accounting experience in the security industry.
Barbara Carr
Aberdeen Branch Manager
“I run the Aberdeen Office for Puget Sound Security; I am able to apply vast corporate resources and my extensive knowledge of the local area to get good results.”
Barbra has worked in all phases of the operation at the Aberdeen Branch and was eventually promoted to the position of Branch Manager several years ago. Her job is to interface with existing clients to make sure service quality is at the expected level, as well as attend to all the many administrative functions of running a Security company branch office. Barbara is an excellent motivator of the security guards and supervisors and specializes in customer service.
Will Markley
Operations Manager (Aberdeen Branch)
“My voice is the voice you will hear after-hours when you call us and I will always try to answer your questions quickly and effectively.”
Will has worked in the security field longer than most of the corporate staff and knows the Aberdeen market well. He is responsible for helping select new employees, training them on Department of Licensing and client On-the-Job requirements, fixing operations problems and supervising guard’s performance in the field. Will is always available to help solve your site security problems. He has a wealth of practical experience and his approach is filled with common sense.
Debbie Squire
Administrative Assistant
"I am the behind the scenes person who deals with many different operational details to help get payroll and billing correct and help out in other areas as needed.”
Debbie is a quiet achiever who stays busy behind the scenes dealing with important day-to-day details of the Operations Department to make sure things run smoothly and make sure both clients and employees are getting what information they need. Without Debbie’s great attention to details, many things would get lost between the cracks and show up as service issues and problems. PSS is very grateful for Debbie’s enthusiasm and can-do attitude to complete special projects that help define the quality of security service we intend to deliver to all the clients who ask for it.
Published authors of many professional books and articles.
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