PROTECTING WHAT MATTERS
A series of National tragedies, turned into purpose
The story behind my life’s career in protection, investigations and entrepreneurial pursuits rises from a series of national tragedies. Three to be precise. The first happened on June 6, 1968. While my career and businesses begins with my life, my purpose, and my vision, the complete story involves many dedicated, passionate and purpose-driven team members.
That’s the real story behind any success I have had throughout my career or in the businesses I have been privileged build and lead.
The First National Tragedy Leading to My Purpose in Life: The Assassination of U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy
For those of us old enough to remember, 1968 was no ordinary time. As the recent CNN Original Series 1968 – The Year that Changed America illustrates, this was a pivotal, turbulent and transformative time in our nation’s history. Headlines were dominated by the Vietnam War, domestic conflict at home, the struggle for civil rights and human equality, and the ever-increasing violence across America which was highlighted by the assassination of two of our country’s most passionate and purposeful leaders: Dr. Martin Luther King and Senator Robert Kennedy.
My pull toward the United States Secret Service and its critical role quickly turned into personal conviction, the belief that the Secret Service’s mission was a noble one and its purpose honorable. And while a clear entrepreneurial vision had yet to emerge, my early passion shaped my decision to pursue a career in federal, state, and local law enforcement and ultimately became my purpose in life – “protecting what matters.”
During a break from my summer lawn-mowing duties in the mobile home park where we lived in South Louisiana, I entered my home to join my family for dinner when I heard Walter Cronkite on the CBS Evening News say “and the President has dispatched the Secret Service to protect the remaining Presidential Candidates” Senator Robert Kennedy, the leading presidential candidate and winner of the California Democratic primary, had been shot the after his victory speech to supporters in the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Kennedy, it turns out, had been mortally wounded, felled by an assassin’s bullets, like his brother President John Kennedy just five years earlier. Although I was only eight when we lost JFK, the memories of that tragic day rushed back to collide with the day’s news of his brother’s assassination. These horrific national tragedies were and will be forever seared in my memory.
I’ve never forgotten hearing Walter Cronkite report that President Lyndon B. Johnson had issued an executive order, dispatching the United States Secret Service special agents to protect the remaining candidates seeking the nation’s highest office. This order would forever change presidential elections as the Secret Service would now have this responsibility embedded in its protective mission. While I didn’t realize it at the time, this tragedy – the assassination of two brothers who were trying to serve America and our democratic principles of government – would consume my life and guide my passion and future profession.
Later that evening, in the days that followed, I wanted to know more about the Secret Service and its mission. My interest had been piqued. Since the personal computer, the internet, and Google were still 30 and 40 years in the future, I reached for a World Book encyclopedia that my parents had recently acquired for the family. That night and for many to come, I would be consumed with the “mysterious” federal agency, its protective mission, and the brave men who swore an oath to serve the nation and the leader of the free world. (Note: I only say brave men because the brave women would join the USSS 3 years later in 1971.)
My pull toward the Secret Service and its critical role quickly turned into personal conviction, the belief that the Secret Service’s mission was a noble one and its purpose honorable. And while a clear entrepreneurial vision had yet to emerge, my early passion shaped my decision to pursue a career in federal, state, and local law enforcement and ultimately became my purpose in life – “protecting what matters.”
The Second National Tragedy: The Assassination Attempt of President Ronald Reagan
I began my career of protecting what matters with every job I took, starting with early jobs as a lifeguard at Thunderbird Beach and as a store detective at the D.H. Holmes department store in Baton Rouge. Upon graduating from Louisiana State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Law Enforcement degree, I remained focused and committed to joining the U.S. Secret Service.
When I emerged from college in the late 70’s, the federal government was not hiring many personnel. This led me to start my law enforcement career as a uniformed police officer with the Baton Rouge City Police, as a Criminal Investigator with the Louisiana Department of Justice, and as a state trooper and detective with the Louisiana State Police.
My childhood dream came true on February 7, 1983, when I was accepted by the U.S. Secret Service and joined the exclusive agency’s ranks as a special agent in the New Orleans Field Office.
While serving with the Louisiana State Police, I was approaching a time in my life when I needed to commit to an organization and, frankly, I loved the work I was privileged to perform in the state police. All of this would change on April 30, 1981, with John Hinckley’s attempt to assassinate President Ronald Regan. This national tragedy would lead to a national priority that would impact my life’s pursuit – strengthening and building the capability of the United States Secret Service.
My childhood dream came true on February 7, 1983, when I was accepted by the U.S. Secret Service and joined the exclusive agency’s ranks as a special agent in the New Orleans Field Office. Two weeks into my Secret Service career, I would find myself protecting what matters while off-duty one Friday night when I found myself face-to-face with an active shooter in the Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After bursting in to Larry K. Sullivan’s restaurant, with a slew of officers on my heels, to rescue a gravely wounded hostess, I began an intense negotiation with the shooter. During the negotiation, the shooter, Carl Acosta, fired directly at me. The round narrowly missed my head and struck a wall slightly above me. The largely one-sided negotiation continued until Acosta walked out to surrender himself to me.
The Third National Tragedy :
September 11, 2001
My career in the Secret Service was all I imagined it would be. A career of great satisfaction, accomplishment and pride. Most importantly, I found myself working side-by-side with some of the most committed and professional group of men and women in the world, people who shared my purpose, passion, and pride and with whom I’ve established lifelong friendships.
Spanning the administration of five U.S. Presidents, my career included service on the elite Presidential Protective Division (PPD) protecting President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush and President and Mrs. William Clinton. Later, I worked at headquarters in leadership positions responsible for liaison with foreign embassies in D.C. and as the Agent in Charge of Public Affairs.
In June of 1997, while on a flight to Denver for the 23rd G8 Summit, I began daydreaming of establishing a security risk management firm built on the prevention-oriented methodology engrained in me by the Secret Service. This is the true beginning for AllSecure Strategies which I started in January 2004 and then in July changed it’s name to Hillard Heintze when I asked Terry Hillard, the retired Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, to join me.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was serving as the Special Agent in Charge (SAIC) of the Chicago Field Office, one of our largest in the nation. Like everyone around the world, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing on the morning news. For the days and weeks that would follow, I found myself visioning about the company, capturing my notes in a hard-bound journal.
In 2004, I incorporated AllSecure Strategies, LLC as a holding company and launched the first of a variety of businesses operating in the United States and around the world: Hillard Heintze.
About Hillard Heintze, A Jensen Hughes Company
Over the 15 years that I had the privilege of leading Hillard Heintze, we assembled a high-performing cadre of senior experts and transformed them into a globally recognized strategic security risk management and investigations firm. Under our team’s leadership, Hillard Heintze emerged as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. For three years in a row, it was ranked on the annual Inc. 500/5000 list. In its sixth year, the firm was recognized by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, which extended the firm its annual award for the fastest-growing inner city business in the U.S., naming Hillard Heintze #6 in the nation and #1 in Chicago.
Hillard Heintze systematically set new best practices in security risk management and investigations across the board – a track record that quickly and dramatically expanded the firm’s client list to include a “Who’s Who” of Fortune-ranked corporations with leading positions in their industries – across the country and, in many cases, the world. After years of pursuit by private equity investment firms and 20+ purchase offers, Arnette sold the business in 2019 to Gryphon Investors and Jensen Hughes, an engineering firm with market leadership positions in safety, security, and fire protection.