Coronavirus pandemic brings more business, and worries, to a South Side security firm
Chicago IL April 26 2020
Illinois’ stay-at-home order went into effect last month while Denitra and John Griffin were on vacation with their family, celebrating their 26th anniversary.
That meant the couple, who own AGB Investigative Services in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood, had to get creative quickly and remotely.
On a conference call with the leadership team, they chartered the course for the 750-employee firm, which provides security guards, IT solutions and private investigations to commercial, residential and government clients.
Office employees had to have the technology tools to work from home. Clients had to be assured that their security guards were safe. Hundreds of homemade sanitizing kits — filled with gloves, sanitizing wipes, sanitizing spray, masks and other necessities for security officers in the field — had to be assembled.
The Griffins say AGB, launched in the couple’s basement in Roseland 19 years ago, is social mission-driven. “We’re not in the business of security, we’re in the business of giving life skills,” he said.
AGB survived the Great Recession, and the Griffins said they are prepared for what’s ahead with the fallout from the coronavirus crisis. While declining to provide specifics, the couple said AGB’s business is up 25% since the end of January.
That’s because when times are tough, and businesses are closed, the need for security increases. “Unfortunately, criminals look at it as an opportunity,” said Denitra Griffin. “People do wrong when fewer people are in the building. There’s a great opportunity to take or destroy.”
But the increased business has come with its own set of challenges.
When hand sanitizer became difficult to get, they went to a discount store to buy spray bottles to fill with alcohol themselves. When they ran low on alcohol, a family member gave them their stash. They are also adding vending-machine-size packages of laundry detergent to employees’ kits to help employees wash their uniforms more frequently to avoid endangering their families and the public. To date, three employees have tested positive for the virus, John Griffin said.
AGB has had to redistribute its security guards as some clients have pulled back and others needed more help. New hires have been trained virtually on Zoom in a 20-hour session over two days, plus homework, Denitra Griffin said. Some clients still pay by check, and with few people going into their offices, those checks are coming in slower.
In turn, their ability to meet financial obligations like overhead and payroll has been stretched.
The company’s cash reserves will help for a few months, said John Griffin, but he’s hoping they won’t have to tap their line of credit to make sure their staff and their bills are paid. They’ve also applied for an SBA disaster loan.
It has been a difficult 10 months for AGB, which once provided security for the CTA. The husband of a woman, Felon Smith, who was killed by a Red Line train in June after she dropped her phone on the tracks sued the CTA and the company, alleging negligence. In an emailed statement, the Griffins said they “extend their heartfelt condolences to Smith’s family,” but declined to comment further, citing the lawsuit. The company also was named in two other personal injury lawsuits filed this year, and the CTA canceled its contract.
The Griffins said they are moving forward. “We have 750 people who depend on us, “ said Denitra Griffin. “John and I recognize that this work is bigger than us. We’re just the vessel that is used to get that work done.”
