SIA New Member Profile: Safe Haven Defense

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member Safe Haven Defense is a company comprised of current and retired law enforcement officers that use their over 300 years of combined experience to tailor security plans to buildings. The company is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, and provides security solutions domestically and internationally.

SIA spoke with Rudy Diaz, CEO of Safe Haven Defense, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

Rudy Diaz: Safe Haven Defense was founded in 2019 by Steve Johnson, a former Scottsdale SWAT officer.

After the rash of school shootings in 2018 and 2019, Steve’s wife, a schoolteacher at the time, posed to him a simple question: How are you going to keep me and my students safe? That singular question set the wheels in motion that birthed Safe Haven Defense.

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

RD: We are the leading provider and installer of advanced security laminate systems that protect glass from breakage caused by break-ins, storms, blasts and even bullets. Our proprietary, lab-tested laminate system is applied directly on-site with minimal disruption—no retrofitting or window replacement needed. Ideal for commercial, municipal, schools, places of worship and residential buildings, our solution seamlessly strengthens existing windows without interrupting daily operations.

What is something we might not know about your company – or something new you are doing in security?

RD: From its inception, school safety was the driver behind our growth, and it will remain an integral part of our DNA; however, given the efficacy of our solution and its relative ease of installation, we’ve learned this solution is also ideal for any commercial application where human capital passes through any external point of access composed of glass. Our customer base has expanded to just about every vertical, from health care providers to distribution centers, retail operations, data centers and municipal, state and federal buildings. Our solution integrates into any risk mitigation plan designed to safeguard a workforce or community from an active shooter and/or from a physical breach of an entryway.

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

RD: The SHD vision is envisioning a world where anyone can live, work, learn and worship without fear and making that a reality.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities in the security industry right now?

RD: The biggest opportunity is for us as security practitioners to get back to basics. I come from an organization that preached brilliance in the basics, and I think as an industry we’ve been very caught up in the next big craze. Artificial intelligence drives a ton of conversation, and there is no doubt when incorporated appropriately into an effective risk mitigation strategy it can do several things, from increasing situational awareness to reducing the time suck on the most mundane tasks. But I often fall back to: how do we consistently protect an organization’s most precious asset, their human capital? The world is not getting safer, and though IP theft and product diversion/theft are important risks to mitigate, how does an organization bounce back from a loss of life, particularly if it was preventable?

What are your predictions for the security industry in the short and long term?

RD: I see practitioners shifting away from one-dimensional conversations related to security and more broadly addressing or consulting on how to better identify, prepare for and mitigate risk. To be successful, we’ll need to get better at peeking around the corners.

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

RD: Safe Haven Defense affords me a sense of purpose I thought I would never recapture from my past as a Marine. The vision and mission here is unlike anywhere I’ve had the pleasure of being. We’re a company of protectors who are passionate about ridding fear from our communities, schools, workplaces and places of worship.

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?

RD: Insights from industry leading professionals and access to like-minded peers who are as passionate about their charge as we are of our own.

How does your organization engage with SIA? What are your plans for involvement in the next year?

RD: We’ll be exhibiting at all the major events, but more importantly we would like to share our own insights and perspective. There is much we can learn from each other.

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.