Joseph Grillo Announces Retirement from ACRE

ACRE founder and CEO Joseph Grillo has announced his retirement, May 20. A proven and respected leader who has driven ACRE's business transformation and growth strategy, Grillo's deep knowledge of the security and access control businesses resulted in strong operating results, a track record of 11 successful acquisitions, innovative solutions and a relentless commitment to ACRE's customers, partners and employees.

Grillo has had a noted career, having spent 40 years with leading high-tech brands in the security industry across the globe. He established ACRE in 2012 as principal and CEO, focused on developing the company's position as a leader in the access control industry with an eye on rapid organic and acquisitive growth. Under his leadership, ACRE leveraged opportunities within the highly fragmented market and has grown to a company with close to $300M in revenue and more than 500 employees worldwide.

"It has been an honor to lead ACRE over the past decade, and I am proud of all we accomplished in our mission to help our customers protect their most valuable assets,” Grillo said. "It’s been incredible to see the changes in the company over the last 10 years, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that ACRE is now recognized as one of the major global security leaders in the industry. I've made lasting friendships, and I am fortunate to have worked with the absolute best people in the industry.

“With our new investor Triton Equity Partners, which acquired ACRE in 2021, and an experienced and successful new CEO, Don Joos, coming on board, the future is brighter than ever for ACRE. After 40 years of working in the security industry, it’s time for me to explore new non-work related experiences.”

Grillo is probably best known as being one of the founders and long-time president of HID. He led the carve out of the business from Hughes Aircraft in 1995 and the effort to sell the company, which was acquired by Assa Abloy in January of 2001.

Prior to his role at ACRE, Grillo led Assa Abloy's Global Technologies Division as its President and CEO from 2003 to 2008, successfully transitioning its HID Global, Besam and Hospitality business units through acquisitive growth and improved financial success. He was instrumental in launching the Global Technologies Division while a participating member of Assa Abloy’s Management Board since 2001.

In 2021, ACRE was acquired by Triton, a leading European private equity investment firm. Since then both teams have worked diligently on strengthening ACRE’s position as a global provider of intelligent security solutions by working to build up the company’s product portfolio and gain brand awareness. Grillo has been invited to stay on as a nonexecutive member of ACRE’s Board of Directors.

Featured

  • Survey Shows Election Anxiety Crosses Party Lines

    New reports of election worker intimidation are raising concerns about election interference. A majority of Americans (71%) are worried about voter intimidation or safety at the polls, and 75% want security cameras at their voting place, according to a new national survey. Read Now

  • 66 Percent of Cybersecurity Pros Say Job Stress is Growing

    Sixty-six percent of cybersecurity professionals say their role is more stressful now than it was five years ago, according to the newly released 2024 State of Cybersecurity survey report from ISACA, a global professional association advancing trust in technology. Read Now

  • Live from GSX 2024: Post-Show Recap

    Another great edition of GSX is in the books! We’d like to thank our great partners for this years event, NAPCO, LVT, Eagle Eye Networks and Hirsch, for working with us and allowing us to highlight some of the great solutions the companies were showcasing during the crowded show. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • Research: Cybersecurity Success Hinges on Full Organizational Support

    Cybersecurity is the top technology priority for the vast majority of organizations, but moving from aspiration to reality requires a top-to-bottom commitment that many companies have yet to make, according to new research released today by CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the technology industry and workforce. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction. 3

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file. 3

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge. 3