Case Study – SDA Security

Background

SDA Security has been creating safer environments in San Diego County for more than 80 years. Today, the company partners with more than 7,000 businesses and hundreds of home owners in Southern California as their safety team. SDA services Orange, Riverside, LA, Ventura, San Bernadino, Imperial and San Diego Counties.

In 2007, third generation owner and president Shandon Harbour assumed the helm of the family business, and wanted to ensure she continued the company’s legacy as the top regional company committed to providing customers expert security services. She was active in a Vistage key group and other CEO networking organizations, but was lacking one-on-one mentorship to develop her own strategic plan for where she wanted to take SDA Security over the next few years. Shandon became introduced to the Chairmen’s RoundTable (CRT) in 2008, and began the mentorship process in 2009.

“I had it described to me this way,” said Harbour. “Vistage operates at the 10,000-foot level, and CRT works at the 50,000-foot level. That caught my interest, because I was looking for help in creating a long-term roadmap and giving me the tools that would hold me and my management team accountable for realizing that vision.”

Solution

Soon after signing on with CRT, Harbour was assigned two longtime mentors, Michael Berthelot and Dave Cox, to lead the project on a pro bono basis. In the first meeting, they all worked together to clearly identify the most critical issues as well as a plan to conduct a series of meetings to crystallize the main points for a presentation to the organization’s entire membership. Called Group Mentoring, the process brings together the collective expertise of CRT in order to identify a list of top issues critical to the future success of the business as well as help mentee identify key strategies to address the critical issues. The entire process took several months.

After the group meeting, the mentors followed up with Harbour and presented a summary of the findings of the CRT members regarding the issues and the suggested strategy.

“I was pleased by the pro bono aspect of the service. I felt like I received advice that was right for me, instead of right for the advisor’s billable hours,” said Harbour. “The volunteer characteristics of CRT say a lot about the members’ dedication to the San Diego business community!”

Results

Harbour continued, “I took away a comprehensive strategic financial and operational accountability checklist that I still use to this day. It keeps me focused, and I review it often to ensure I’m hitting the marks I need to in order to keep SDA Security on its growth and profitability paths. I found the whole experience valuable!”

The mentors agreed. “Shandon was extremely coachable and willing to hear all advice,” said Berthelot. “The benefit was in her desire to do right by her customers and her staff. It was a joy to see her hone her strategic skills and we’re excited for what she’s going to accomplish for SDA Security!”

About Chairmen’s RoundTable

The Chairmen’s RoundTable is a non-profit volunteer organization comprised of more than 40 current and former Chief Executive Officers and 20 sponsor organizations with extensive board experience and diverse industry backgrounds. CRT mentors provide businesses in San Diego County priceless business advice and mentorship without compensation as a way of giving back to the community. CRT’s well-defined mentoring program is ideal for small to mid-sized companies at a strategic crossroad that are looking to gain an outside perspective on key business issues. To date, more than 250 local companies have benefited from CRT’s mentorship. For more information and to read about past client successes, please visit www.chairmensroundtable.com.

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