SIA New Member Profile: Ross & Baruzzini | DVS

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member Ross & Baruzzini | DVS – the security division of Ross & Baruzzini – works to provide the most advanced technology and specialty consulting solutions to achieve the ultimate end user experience. Ross & Baruzzini | DVS is located in New Haven, Connecticut; Ross & Baruzzini, which is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, has 13 additional office locations in North America and has provided consulting and engineering on projects in more than 30 countries.

SIA spoke with Brian Coulombe, principal and director of operations at Ross & Baruzzini | DVS, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

BC: DVS was founded in the early 1960s by retired FBI agent Joseph M. Chapman with the founding mission of providing security consulting services. Joseph ultimately partnered with DVS founding principals Bob Ducibella, Jeffrey Venter and Phil Santore, who brought security engineering and implementation expertise. The combined knowledge of the firm’s founders helped broaden service offerings DVS provides to include master planning and security program development, design and engineering, bid and award and construction administration. In 2015, DVS was acquired by Ross & Baruzzini, a premier international technology, consulting and engineering design firm.

What solutions/services does your business offer in the security industry? And what makes your offerings/company unique?

BC: Ross & Baruzzini | DVS is truly a full-service security consulting and engineering firm. While most firms focus on either consulting or engineering, we have deep experience and expertise in both. On the consulting side, our services include threat and risk assessments, master planning, security program development and staffing plans. Our engineering services often flow out of our consulting engagements and include full electronic security system design, including coordination with all design team trades where applicable.

Due to the high-risk nature of many of our projects, our services often include in-depth consulting on physical hardening, blast/ballistic resistance and hostile vehicle mitigation. We routinely partner with structural engineers to ensure the security program is inclusive of all potential threats.

Our experience in the field has given us a great sensitivity to the constructability and operational implications of protective security measures. As a result, we are able to carefully craft solutions that don’t overburden our clients’ missions or daily operations in order to create the optimal end user experience. Oftentimes, this involves developing creative applications and solutions, which is something we pride ourselves on.

What’s something we might not know about your company – or something new you’re doing in security?

BC: Ross & Baruzzini I DVS has garnered industry recognition for protecting some of our world’s most precious assets and infrastructure. Our clientele represent a worldwide community of extremely prestigious projects for Fortune 500 companies, critical infrastructure sites and iconic historic landmarks including the World Trade Center (and more than 24 high-rise buildings), 28 courthouses throughout the U.S., the New Sandy Hook Elementary School, the New York Stock Exchange and some of the most exciting entertainment venues, including Madison Square Garden, Little Caesar’s Arena and Sphere Las Vegas.

In terms of what we’re doing to stay innovative and supportive of the industry, we are constantly facilitating a feedback loop from end users to manufacturers of the evolving threat landscape and real-world security applications. For the past five years, we’ve hosted the Ross & Baruzzini | DVS Security Summit, which brings together end users, manufacturers, architects and engineering professionals to discuss the state of the industry and how we can work together to solve today’s security challenges.

What is your company’s vision, and what are your goals for the security industry?

BC: Our company’s vision is to maintain our position as innovative thought leaders in the consulting and engineering industry by continuing to evolve and learn while partnering with clients to understand the practical implications of security design elements. Serving as trusted advisors, we’d like to help educate the next generation of security industry leaders, through mentorships and valuable project experiences.

What do you enjoy most about being at your company – and in the security industry?

BC: What I love most about the security industry is the social value that we provide. We get to engage in projects that allow us to create safe and secure environments for our clients while enhancing the quality of life in the communities where we live, work and visit. We design with true purpose. 

What I love most about our company is the opportunities it affords us work on some of the most challenging and rewarding projects in existence, from the World Trade Center to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Our close-knit team makes working on those projects fun and collaborative.

What does SIA offer that is most important to you/your company? And what do you most hope to get out of your membership with SIA?

BC: While we are new to SIA as an organizational member, we have taken advantage of many of the educational opportunities that SIA has to offer over the years. We hope to continue to both receive education from SIA, while also volunteering to help educate others in the industry. Networking opportunities through SIA events have also proved invaluable for developing meaningful relationships with other industry leaders.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association (SIA).