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Icon Services Corporation CEO Elijah Shaw
Credit: Trang Do
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Elite clients appreciate sophisticated security
by Dwight Hobbes
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Whether serving individuals or businesses,
Icon specialists protect with finesse
Ever been to a nice nightspot, like maybe Babalu or Bella Note, and taken a good look around? You see the textbook definition of upscale — nicely dressed folk doing the see-and-be-seen thing in sophisticated trappings, enjoying ambiance with a capital “A”. What you do not see is some burly guy standing in a corner, looking like he’d stomp his mother if she got out of line in the place.
No bouncer. Well, not that you’d notice, anyway, and that’s the point. When people step out on the town for urbane entertainment and such, they don’t want anything bursting their bubble of life-is-lovely-and-nothing-can-go-wrong.
You and I know, of course, that anything can wrong and, to quote Murphy, will go wrong when you least expect it. Which is why you may not spot the hired help at your fancier watering holes, but they are present, nattily attired, generally soft-spoken and prepared to come out of the woodwork in the blink of an eye and take care of business.
After all, even blue-blood customers can toss back one too many Long Island Ice Teas and commence to showing their, eh, shall we say, nether parts. And they can’t be handled like any old drunk, snatched up by the nape of the neck and unceremoniously ousted into the alley.
You have to exit them from the premises with the least amount of ruffled feathers so they don’t utter those words management never wants to hear: “Well, I never! And I will not patronize this establishment again!”
That’s where the guys and gals of a company on the order of Elijah Shaw’s Icon Services Corporation come in.
Just how do security specialists (the industry eschews that word describing what a rubber ball does) defuse tricky situations? “Good communication skills”, says Shaw, “are the most effective, presenting choices in which all options lead to leaving, yet allow [the chance] to save face.” And avoid a literally hands-on solution to the problem.
“Sir [or Madam], would you like me to have your dinner guest drive you home, or [do] you prefer the cab service waiting [outside] for you?” Nice touch. Effective. Unless one is inebriated beyond oblivion, that’ll seep though the haze. Call it strategic, common courtesy in the interest of good customer relations.
“[Nightclub and restaurant] owners like Terrance Large [Babalu] or David Koch of R. Norman’s [Bella Note] invite and welcome patrons,” which entails “making sure proper security is in place,” Shaw says.
“The owners appreciate our professional demeanor, attire, and non-confrontational means of de-escalation.” No doubt.
As well, Icon Services CEO Shaw posts, on the Internet, Icon Behind the Bodyguard Business. Well worth a look-see. Internationally reputed Icon Services, on top of ensuring safe comfort at chic Twin Cities eateries and nightclubs, provides protection for the ultimate elite.
At this point, we’re talking bodyguard security for the likes of such international luminaries as Chris Rock, Usher Raymond, Naomi Campbell and Chaka Khan.
What background does Shaw look for in employees, and what additional training or orientation does he put them through? “While a military or law-enforcement background is preferred,” he explains, “those are skill sets that can be taught. When interviewing, I look for individuals who have strong communication skills, good eye contact, [and] confident, not aggressive, body language.
“Those are the subtle cues that a troublemaker instinctively picks up on and says, ‘Uh-oh, I may not want to mess with this [individual].’” Which still does not preclude problems — sometimes from those his employees are contracted to protect.
“Obviously, when protecting celebrities, you encounter clients that have egos. Fortunately, after 15 years in the industry I’ve been pretty successful in steering away from some of the problem cases and bad apples. I have no problems turning down an assignment if I feel the client or representatives would be disrespectful or indulge in illegal activities around my staff.”
Icon Services must be doing something right — they’ve signed on to serve the 2008 Olympics in Bejing, China. “I will be escorting a corporate client to the games to ensure their safety and allow them to enjoy the full experience of attending an international sporting event in a foreign country with few intrusions.”
As pleased as Shaw has to be with the gig, aren’t there extra-special headaches that come with such a job? “Major events always require additional planning. And with something as high-profile as the Olympics, in communist China no less, the potential for headaches is magnified. Heightened security procedures and checkpoints, protesters, and the potential risk of terrorism are all things I have to be concerned about.
“That is why clients use my services. I worry so that they don’t have to.”
Something has to tell you Elijah Shaw is in the right line of work.
Dwight Hobbes welcomes reader responses to dwight.hobbes@gmail.com.
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