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INDUSTRY NEWS
Walmart Asset Protection 2017: Problem Solvers and Business Partners
By Karen Rondeau, LPM Media Group
LPM Media Group was on site in August at Walmart’s Asset Protection National Meeting in Rogers, Arkansas, where the theme of the event was problem solving—simplification, embracing change, embracing the uncomfortable, and engineering out the complexities. Joe Schrauder, vice president of asset protection and safety, emphasized that “preventing loss becomes even more important if we can stay relevant. If we change and if we figure out new ways to leverage technology and to serve customers the way they want to be served, while making the company profitable, we think there’s a bright future for AP to be more relevant than they are today.”
At the event, nearly 500 field leadership attendees received a brand-new yellow vest. No, they are not all becoming door greeters. Instead, AP leadership wants to be more accessible when they are out in the stores—for associates and customers alike.
“Our program is about deterrence through offering really good customer service,” said Schrauder. “If we want that to happen, the customers need to be able to see us. We [asset protection] want to be seen as problem solvers and business partners, so rather than hiding in the shadows or working behind the scenes, we want to be visible and out on the front lines. We are taking a page from the ‘More at the Door’ program to encourage the interaction.”
Leadership at the meeting reinforced that the “Drive to 75” is still Walmart AP’s objective—to reach their .75 shrink goal long term. The teams are making a great impact by continuing to use the Direct-Deter-Detect strategy, leveraging technology, and simplifying processes.
Other highlights of the meeting included an annual AP awards banquet on Monday evening and a team-building event at Fast Lanes, where the great-big-extended-family feeling of Walmart’s asset protection organization was truly evident.
The Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF) announced that Terry Sullivan, LPC, has been named as its next president, effective July 24, 2017. The appointment follows the recently announced retirement of LPF President Gene Smith, LPC. Sullivan, with a long history of success in the loss prevention industry, brings almost thirty years of experience to the foundation. Terry Sullivan
“I am extremely excited about having a talent like Terry join the foundation. His experience and enthusiasm for the foundation’s mission will be tremendous assets for us,” said Frank Johns, LPC, LPF’s chairman of the board.
Johns continued, “Sullivan joins the foundation after serving most recently as the director of loss prevention operations for Lowe’s Companies, Inc. Terry has held numerous other positions at Lowe’s to include divisional director of loss prevention, safety and hazmat, and regional director of loss prevention. Prior to Lowe’s, Terry served the drug store industry for almost fifteen years with Albertson’s/Sav-on Drugs and American Stores.”
Sullivan said, “It’s an honor and a privilege to be able to serve the Loss Prevention Foundation and the loss prevention/ asset protection profession. I am looking forward to leading the continued progress of the foundation and working with the foundation’s board to deliver world-class educational resources.”
Sullivan will be responsible for overseeing the administration, revenue generation, marketing, strategic planning, industry outreach, and all programs of the organization, including the internationally sanctioned LPQ and LPC certifications.
RLPSA Goes Big in Las Vegas
Restaurants of all types descended on Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Restaurant Loss Prevention & Security Association’s (RLPSA) 38th Annual Conference at the M Resort & Casino July 30 to August 2, 2017. RLPSA hosted more restaurant companies than ever before and increased attendance from last year’s conference in San Antonio.
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This year’s theme was “Results: Reinvented,” which geared keynote speakers, general sessions, and breakout sessions around ensuring restaurant professionals are ready for the changing industry landscape they are facing. The agenda was created primarily from last year’s feedback, and it was stocked with more practitioner-led panels than ever before. The breakouts featured loss prevention, safety, and risk tracks to offer relevant content for numerous roles throughout the restaurant organization.
The keynote speakers presented to a packed room. Eric O’Neill, former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operative and subject of the film Breach, discussed how to identify the insider threat. William Espey, brand visionary with Chipotle Mexican Grill, talked about creating an internal culture that can withstand any crisis. And Shawn VanSlyke, former unit chief of the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit, shared an update on counterterrorism and how it affects restaurants as soft targets.
One of the most popular panel-led sessions was “Results, Reinvented: A Panel Discussion” that featured panelists (shown above) Chris McDonald, senior vice president of loss prevention for Compass Group, North America; Anne Sullivan, vice president of asset protection and risk management for CKE Restaurants Holdings; Rick Walker, restaurant security consultant for Chick-fil-A; and Mark Stinde, vice president of asset protection for 7-Eleven, Inc. They discussed a wide range of topics, including how to manage up/down the internal ladders, always being ready to articulate your and your department’s value, and different strategies for tackling their most difficult causes of shrink.
Breakout sessions covered catastrophic property damage, delivery driver safety, active-shooter training, risk benchmarking, and behavioral safety programs, just to name a few. Attendees left Vegas packed full of strategies for reinventing their results throughout their organizations—information gleaned from the content but also from meeting with multiple solution providers during exhibit floor hours.
An RLPSA Annual Conference wouldn’t be complete without its signature networking event, which did not disappoint in Vegas. Attendees watched the sun set and the infamous strip light up from the fifty-fifth floor open patio at the Palms’ Ghostbar on Tuesday evening.
Save the date for RLPSA’s 39th Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas, at the Hyatt Regency on August 5 to 8, 2018. For more wrap-up information, including daily video wrap-ups from Las Vegas, please visit RLPSAannualconference.com.
Cargo Theft Statistics: Unreported Incidents Make It Difficult to Grasp Scope
Cargo theft statistics vary, but it is generally agreed upon that cargo theft is a multibillion-dollar problem each year in the United States. Exact numbers are impossible to determine in that many cargo crime incidents go unreported. The most recent cargo theft statistics available continue to be sobering.
Freight Watch International recorded a total of 193 incidents of cargo theft in the United States during the third quarter of 2016. The average value per theft was $120,536. Third-quarter incidents were up 14 percent from the second quarter of 2016, but the average dollar value per theft fell by 26 percent. Compared to the third quarter cargo theft statistics from 2015, incidents rose by 7 percent, while values dropped 38 percent. Fourth quarter 2016 statistics are still forthcoming.
For the entire year of 2016, CargoNet, a cargo theft and recovery service provider, reported 1,614 incidents of cargo theft, heavy commercial vehicle theft, supply-chain fraud, and other intelligence events across the United States and Canada. Eight hundred and thirty-six of these were direct cargo thefts. The average loss per theft was placed at $206,837.
California continued as the worst state for cargo theft, up 36 percent for the year, followed, once again, by Texas in second place. New Jersey took over the third spot from Florida in 2016.
In December 2016, AFN Logistics listed the ten worst counties in the United States for cargo theft: ■ Los Angeles County, CA ■ Dallas County, TX ■ San Bernardino County, CA ■ Cook County (Chicago), IL ■ Miami-Dade County, FL ■ Harris County (Houston), TX ■ Tarrant County (Fort Worth), TX ■ Middlesex County (Edison), NJ ■ Will County (Bolingbrook), IL ■ Riverside County, CA
And, according to AFN, the following location types were the hardest hit: ■ Warehouse/distribution center ■ Other ■ Parking lot ■ Secured yard ■ Unsecured yard
CargoNet reported that food and beverage commodities remained the most stolen category of cargo in 2016. Alcoholic beverages, meat products, and nonalcoholic beverages were the most stolen items, respectively. Electronics were the next most stolen commodity but the costliest category with $45.6 million in losses reported across the United States and Canada. Cargo theft was the most common on Friday and Saturday. Monday and Tuesday were the most common days to report an incident.
Because so many incidents go unreported, quoted cargo theft statistics don’t match exactly. But it is universally agreed that cargo theft is a major economic threat, particularly to the retail industry. And it continues to grow.
