A Dinner Date for FAST, 2026 Edition: SIA Members Help Raise Funds for the Foundation for Advancing Security Talent

What do you get when you bring together security industry veterans, great wine, Kansas City barbecue, surprise guests and a very worthy cause? The Security Industry Association (SIA) Honors Night auction winners for a night of wining and dining, hosted by Dan and Stephanie Rothrock and benefiting the Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST). What a great couple of days!

Let’s start at the beginning. My lovely wife and industry rock star, Kasia Hanson, signed us up for the SIA Honors Night event held on Nov. 20, 2025, in New York City, in conjunction with ISC East. It was my second time attending an Honors Night event, and I ended up going solo, as Kasia came down with the flu almost immediately after landing in New York.

When I arrived at SIA Honors Night, I was prepared to win the bid for the wine-and-dine party at Dan Rothrock’s house—an auction item I was outbid for the previous year by Christine and Andrew Lanning of IST in Hawaii. For those unaware, Dan Rothrock is the senior vice president of global business development for Zenitel USA and one of the most genuine and generous guys in the industry. Dan and his wife Stephanie had attended Kasia’s and my wedding (along with Christine and Andrew) just a few months earlier in Paso Robles, California, and that’s where we began to appreciate the potential for a great friendship. Dan and Stephanie love great wine and great food, and next to sleep, great food and wine are numbers two and three on my top list!

On to the auction. There was some spirited bidding, and it was obvious that I would be going head to head with another industry superstar, Candice Aragon, chief experience officer at PSA. As we went back and forth, raising the bid to add more to the FAST coffers for the night, I strategized that I would raise my paddle and yell my best and final offer of $3,450 when the auctioneer shouted the “going twice” statement. Unfortunately, my bid was not acknowledged by the auctioneer, and Candice won the auction.

I was dismayed and immediately went to Dan Rothrock’s table, where Candice had already arrived, and explained my situation. Dan, being the consummate diplomat, instantly came up with a solution. He would accept a combined bid from both Candice and me, and we would both enjoy the wining and dining as long as it exceeded the winning bid of 2024. A simple solution indeed, as Candice, Kasia and I are great friends—so a combined bid of $5,500 for FAST was agreed upon.

Fast forward to February 2026, and Dan is lobbying to have Kasia and me come to the house to celebrate the FAST auction event on March 20. This date was a challenge due to work travel schedules, but Dan convinced us that there would be a “bonus surprise” if we could make that particular date—so rearrange the calendars we did.

Kasia and I took separate flights to KC, as I was flying in from Washington, D.C., early on the 20th and Kasia was flying in from California, scheduled to arrive around 2:00 p.m. As soon as I touched down, I received a text from Dan letting me know the driver would meet me at the baggage carousel and that he would be wearing a gray shirt. I arrived in the baggage area and started scanning the floor for the driver. After a minute, I saw a guy in a gray shirt approaching from the far end of the terminal, and once he got close enough, I realized it was none other than Andrew Lanning!

Andrew and Christine had arranged with Dan and Stephanie to participate in the auction as “alumni ambassadors” for the event (and chauffeurs and wine purveyors). A great and wonderful surprise indeed!

I loaded my bags into the big Suburban, and Christine chauffeured us to the Zenitel USA headquarters, where we were immediately greeted by Dan. He gave us the grand tour, introduced us to key staff members, provided factoids on the history of Zenitel and showed us some of the innovations of yesteryear. Very interesting and great fun.

Back in the Suburban and off to the National World War I Museum and Memorial. What a special place to honor those who fought in World War I! They were hosting a special exhibit that day, and when we arrived, the lines were more than three hours long to get into the museum. Thankfully, all we wanted to do was ride the elevator to the top of the 217‑foot memorial spire to catch a great view of KC. A friendly docent sent us through a “shortcut” to get tickets, and up the spire we went.

After descending the spire, we jumped back in the Suburban to get our first taste of barbecue at the famous Joe’s Kansas City BBQ. Ribs and coleslaw are definitely my jam, and they were finger‑lickin’ good! We waddled out of Joe’s and back to the airport to pick up Kasia. We sent Andrew in to meet her and deliver the same surprise I had received that morning.

Next stop: Cellar Rat, an adult playground for wine, bubbles and spirits. Dan is on a first‑name basis with the clerks here, and Andrew and Christine quickly filled up a cart for the dinner festivities that evening. Then it was back to the hotel for a short rest and a cocktail.

Kasia and I are ardent Raiders fans, and it was fun being literally surrounded by KC Chiefs fans. They are certainly a nice bunch!

Back in the “limo” and off to the Rothrock house. Dan and Stephanie live in Lee’s Summit, a lovely suburb of KC. We arrived and received a warm greeting and hug from Stephanie Rothrock. Once inside, it was obvious why she hadn’t spent the afternoon with us—the spread for tapas and dinner was impressive, with a large Ibérico ham at the center of the tapas table. It was wonderful and delicious, particularly when paired with the variety of wine and cava procured earlier in the day.

Sitting on the back deck, sipping wine and grilling meat for dinner, was great fun, and any flying pest issues were nullified by an extraordinary smoke display coming off the two grills! Dinner was equally spectacular, with grilled filet and salmon served alongside scalloped potatoes and asparagus. The fellowship among us was warm, pleasant and fun—truly, a new fraternity had been formed that night.

The next morning was Saturday, and the “limo” picked us up to join the fraternity at HomeGrown Kansas City—Power & Light for breakfast. A mouthful of a name for a restaurant that matched the voluminous servings of pancakes and avocado toast we enjoyed.

Next stop was J. Rieger & Co. Distillery, a museum and distillery founded in 1887. We sampled KC whiskey and other libations, walked through the museum to learn about the history—which was super interesting, particularly during Prohibition times—and even went down a slide between floors. Only in KC could one imagine such a place!

We had to end the trip by visiting another historic barbecue joint: Slap’s BBQ, where beer and barbecue sauce flowed freely. In my opinion, it was not as good as Joe’s from the day before—but tasty nonetheless. Dan and I never broached the Santa Maria tri‑tip barbecue versus KC barbecue debate, but I am certain there will be plenty of opportunity for that next time we host Dan and Stephanie in central California.

Who knew that supporting FAST for SIA would be such a great and fun endeavor? So great, in fact, that Kasia and I will gladly continue the trend started by the Lannings and serve as alumni ambassadors for next year’s auction—if Dan and Stephanie will have us!

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.