Back to Work

Phil Lake doesn’t have to work. He retired only to find himself back behind the desk running an integration company in Austin, Texas. His retirement, I guess, is working some more.

During our conversation, Lake told me that after retirement he rode his Harley as much as he wanted, and yet there was something more he felt he had to do. He just couldn’t leave well enough alone, so it was back to work just to stay busy. I think that’s today’s American dream: work long enough to retire until you’re tired of it, then go back to work.

From our conversation, Lake is very well connected in the security industry, and the company’s goal is to serve the industry well and stay in the forefront of technology. How does this work? It actually benefits the customer quite well because the mandate is service.

Like Lake said, “We’re really in a service business.”

It must be working; the business is booming. Lake said that Knight Security is growing 40 percent year over year. Knight Security is located in Austin, Dallas and Houston, with satellite offices in other parts of the Lone Star State. Their reputation is one of honor, integrity and, of course, service.

Knight Security has formed numerous partnerships, one being an association with the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. DHHS has locations spread out all over the state and Knight Security monitors the health of the system. They often know before the customer knows that there is the potential for a problem, or that there is a problem. It is often fixed before the customer even knows about the challenge.

That’s how you grow a business. I’m not sure about the retirement side of Lake’s life. He didn’t give any pointers about working a lifetime then enjoying retirement, but he sure seems like a happy man helping others secure their facilities.

This article originally appeared in the September 2015 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.

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