Joseph Grillo Announces Retirement from ACRE

  • May 02, 2022

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

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

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.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.