You wouldn't think wrestling and security share a lot in common, but as the 2000 national champion of “the hardest sport in the world,” Seth Fruson can tell you otherwise.
“You’re in the middle of it and it sucks and you’re like, ‘Man, this is horrible, why am I doing this? This is the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been,’” said Fruson, president and CEO of GuardTeck Security.
Being uncomfortable and working 20-hour days, four days straight, is part of the job for Fruson’s staff at one of B.C.’s largest security firms.
Over the past decade, Fruson has built GuardTeck into the only company in Western Canada he says can provide the level of security necessary for an event the scale of Squamish Valley Music Festival. With 410 security professionals needed to pull it off seamlessly three years in a row, it’s the largest security deployment in B.C. history, next to the Olympics.
“That is where me and my team – and I want to emphasize team – dig deep, put in huge hours and embrace the uncomfortableness,” Fruson said. “And I would actually compare that experience exactly to sport.”
Live music venues and festivals make up only 20% of the work GuardTeck does. The majority is dedicated to corporate clients, including malls and post-secondary institutions. Despite operating in a highly competitive market, “the company’s growing at such an alarming rate,” said Fruson, who spends a lot of his time and energy buckling down and leading by example.
“Our success lies in our people,” he said. “There’s zero confusion there. We’re really like a person business that does security on the side.”
Fruson got into security to put himself through a business degree he says he never took seriously. But after quickly rising through the ranks at a small security firm, he saw an opportunity to do things differently and ventured into business on his own.
“I always thought to myself, ‘If I grow a million-dollar business I’ll be happy.’ And for us to do close to 10 [million] at the end of this year to me is a milestone I’m incredibly proud of.”
Join us to celebrate the 2015 Forty under under 40 Awards January 27, 2016 at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel. For tickets and event info visit www.biv.com/events/40under40.
