Certification by Gene Smith
March Momentum I
t may not be the equivalent of the NCAA tournament, but March has been an exciting month for the Loss Prevention Foundation and an industry hungry for certification. It’s been clear throughout the beginning of 2011 that certification has continued to build on a groundswell of momentum. The most exciting part of this rapidly growing initiative is the difference it makes in the lives of loss prevention professionals. Consider the following examples.
Smith is president of The Loss Prevention Foundation, the not-for-profit organization charged with the responsibility of managing certification. He was formerly president of the industry’s largest executive search and consulting firm. During the past fifteen-plus years, Smith has provided career counseling for thousands of industry professionals nationwide. He can be reached at 704-837-2521 or via email at gene.smith@losspreventionfoundation.org.
tuition-assistance program. This year they piloted a day of education in conjunction with their national LP meeting held in Orlando by blending the LPC content into two sessions. The first session was dedicated to personal development while the second session discussed building and leveraging partnerships.
It’s been clear throughout the beginning of 2011 that certification has continued to build on a groundswell of momentum.
Scholarship Winners
The LP professionals shown in the box below have made a commitment to advancing their careers through obtaining certification and have been awarded scholarships by Vector Security. The Foundation is very fortunate to have such a valuable partner in Vector Security. They administer and promote one of the most popular scholarship programs in the industry, all for the continued education of individual loss prevention practitioners. We applaud the Vector team for having the vision to help provide quality education to our profession through supporting the LPQualified and LPCertified certification programs.
These sessions, supported by the Foundation, as well as their conference counted toward CEUs for LPC-certified professionals. Foundation partners Bass Security, eBay, Security Resources, and LexisNexis also supported the Staples meeting by providing LPC scholarships.
Vector Security Scholarship Winners LPC Scholarships Ken Parsons, Dick’s Sporting Goods Keith Weiner Thaddeus Hugues, Fred Meyer Kathy Wood, Kohl’s John Watson, Lowe’s Companies Marcus Collins, Lowe’s Companies Martha Skokowski, Luxottica Retail Amy Stephens, Macy’s John Reid, Michaels Stores Brian Clark, Sears Tiffany O’Brien, Staples Louis Senecal, The Zellman Group Monty Whitlow Sal D’Amico, Walgreens Laura Guerry, Walmart
FMI Promotes Certification
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) asset protection conference held in Orlando in March was the best FMI conference we have attended. Congratulations to Rhett Asher and his team for raising the bar in terms of quality education and valuable networking opportunities. For anyone in attendance, there was no doubt of FMI’s commitment for providing educational offerings through certification. FMI provided an LPC scholarship with fellow Foundation partners Stanley Security, eBay, InstaKey, and LexisNexis. The following individuals received scholarships at the conference: ■ Maureen Fuller, Big Y Foods ■ Ron Holliday, Giant Eagle ■ Tim Hopson, Hy-Vee ■ Lloyd Fry, Sobeys ■ Tim Bartkowiak, Spartan Stores ■ Betty Kraus, Schnucks
Staples National LP Meeting
Staples led the industry last year in becoming the first retailer to have the LPQ and LPC certifications approved under their
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LPportal.com
LPQ Scholarships Brad Johnson, Cabela’s Lucio Botello, CVS/ pharmacy Casey Alexander, Gordman’s Neil Jones, Lowe’s Companies Tyson Robertson, Marshalls Jose Mendoza, Michaels Stores Mike Otten, Panera Bread Deborah Giordano, Pep Boys Andrew Diamond, Publix Renaldo Johnson Tom Chason Kenneth Williams, Walmart Patrick Foy, J.D. Maurer & Associates Brandon Mathews, Sears Cameron Hess, Belk
