After exploring our foundational principles and property match methodology in previous articles, it’s time to meet the team that transforms security concepts into meaningful people-powered, community expertise partnerships. These conversations reveal how company culture directly impacts the customized solutions and integrated reporting technology that set IPSA apart in Phoenix and Austin markets.
When facility managers and property owners choose IPSA Security Services, they’re not just selecting a security provider—they’re partnering with a team whose shared values and community focus drive everything we do. In this third installment of our IPSA Education Series, we’re pulling back the curtain to introduce you to the people who make IPSA’s “one size fits one” approach possible.
The Foundation: Shared Vision, Diverse Perspectives
What strikes you immediately when speaking with IPSA’s leadership team is their unanimous commitment to controlled, relationship-focused growth. But dig deeper, and you’ll discover how each person brings unique perspectives that strengthen our collective approach.
Starting with our President, Derek Oldham‘s vision centered on maintaining excellent relationships with existing clients while pursuing measured expansion. His leadership philosophy emphasizes patience and active listening—qualities that permeate every client interaction. This approach has allowed Derek to work with exceptional people while building a team of genuine collaborators rather than individual performers.
Area Manager Doug Mills brings a fascinating perspective from his 28-year military career, having successfully transitioned his leadership style to civilian workforce dynamics. This evolution mirrors how IPSA adapts security approaches to each property’s unique culture rather than imposing rigid protocols. Doug’s focus on developing future leaders through internal advancement creates the pipeline of experienced professionals that clients benefit from in long-term partnerships.
The military-to-civilian transition required significant adaptation in communication and management approaches—experience that directly informs how IPSA customizes security solutions for diverse property types and organizational cultures.
The Heart of Client Relations: People-First Philosophy
Our approach to client partnerships stems from a fundamental understanding that true leadership isn’t about personal success, but about empowering others to achieve their potential. This philosophy, championed by Texas General Manager Dan Lefco, extends beyond internal team development to every client relationship.
Dan’s vision to set new standards in security services while ensuring client peace of mind reflects the outcome that facility managers consistently report when working with IPSA. His experience has taught him to balance company needs, client requirements, and team member development—the nimble leadership approach that makes our customized methodology effective.
HR Coordinator Barb Lewis captures the human element that distinguishes IPSA partnerships through her recognition that security services ultimately involve real people serving real communities. This understanding infuses every client interaction with genuine empathy and flexibility, moving beyond transactional relationships to meaningful partnerships.
Technology Meets Personal Touch: The IPSA Difference
While our proprietary reporting technology gives clients unprecedented visibility into security operations, our team ensures that technology enhances rather than replaces personal relationships.
Operations Manager Mike Hutton, whose vision includes strategic national expansion, understands that growth must maintain our core values. His leadership insight that listening is as powerful as leading directly translates to how we approach new client partnerships—understanding your property’s needs before proposing solutions.
Business Development Manager Hutton Wachtler provides crucial insight into our future focus, seeing technology advancement alongside relationship deepening. Her understanding that “everyone has their own story” ensures that our technological capabilities serve individual client narratives rather than replacing them with generic solutions.
This balance between technological advancement and personal connection creates the comprehensive service experience that sets IPSA apart from competitors who prioritize either high-tech solutions or high-touch service, but rarely both.
Community Connection: Beyond Security Services
What truly sets IPSA apart is how deeply our team connects with the communities we serve. This connection isn’t coincidental—it’s intentional and directly impacts the security solutions we provide.
Team members like Crystal Griffin, a Phoenix native who appreciates the city’s spectacular sunsets, and Mike Hutton, a Scottish transplant who moved to Arizona in 2001 and loves the area’s lakes, represent the authentic local perspective that enhances our community integration. When our team members genuinely appreciate and understand their local environment, they serve properties with enhanced awareness and connection.
Beverly Hiatt in Austin exemplifies our commitment to understanding local culture, from mainstream attractions to hidden gems like the Museum of Weird on 6th Street. This local knowledge helps our officers connect with property communities authentically rather than remaining outsiders who happen to wear security uniforms.
Doug Mills’ enthusiasm for local professional sports venues reflects the community engagement that informs our security approaches. When employees value their local environment, they serve properties with enhanced situational awareness and natural community integration.
The 15-Year Foundation: Lessons That Shape Tomorrow
As IPSA celebrates its 15th anniversary this September, team reflections reveal the experiences that continue shaping our approach to client partnerships.
Derek’s most treasured memories—opening day and landing the first client, Lifelock—highlight the entrepreneurial spirit and client focus that still drive operations. These formative experiences established the relationship-first approach that clients experience today.
The team building experiences that create our cohesive culture translate directly into consistent client service. When our team genuinely enjoys working together and celebrating successes, that positive energy extends to every property interaction.
Dan Lefco’s ambitious vision for the next 15 years includes growing fifteen times larger while deepening client partnerships—illustrating our commitment to scaling without losing the personal touch that defines IPSA relationships.
Looking Ahead: Expanding Reach, Deepening Relationships
The team’s collective vision for IPSA’s future focuses on strategic expansion that maintains our core values. Doug Mills’ emphasis on developing future leaders through internal advancement ensures that growth doesn’t compromise the relationship quality that clients value.
Mike Hutton’s vision for national expansion reflects confidence in our model’s transferability while maintaining local expertise focus. As Hutton Wachtler notes, future growth will feature advancing technology while services continue reflecting community-specific needs.
This expansion philosophy directly benefits current and future clients. Rather than diluting our focus, controlled growth allows us to bring refined expertise and enhanced technology capabilities to each market we serve while maintaining the local knowledge and community connection that makes our approach effective.
The Partnership Advantage
When you work with IPSA, you’re partnering with people who view security services as community integration opportunities rather than simple contract fulfillment. Our team’s diverse backgrounds—military transition, international perspective, lifelong local expertise—create comprehensive understanding of the challenges property managers face across different markets and property types.
The patience Derek emphasizes, the listening skills Mike prioritizes, the respect Crystal champions, and the adaptability Dan practices combine to create partnerships that enhance your property’s community rather than burden it with external security presence.
Our proprietary technology delivers the reporting transparency and communication efficiency that modern properties require, but our people ensure that technology serves relationship building rather than replacing human connection. This integration creates the comprehensive service experience that transforms security from operational necessity into community enhancement.
Ready to Meet Your Security Partners?
Understanding who you’ll be working with matters when selecting security services. IPSA’s team brings genuine community connection, diverse professional experience, and unified commitment to customized solutions that address your property’s specific needs.
Whether you’re managing office buildings in Phoenix, mixed-use communities in Austin, or specialized facilities requiring unique approaches, our team’s combined expertise and shared values create the partnership foundation that transforms security operations into community assets.
The people behind IPSA understand that every property has its own story, its own challenges, and its own community dynamics. We don’t just provide security services—we become part of your property’s ongoing success story.
Ready to discover how IPSA’s team can enhance your property’s security and community experience? Contact us at info@ipsasecurityservices.com or call (602) 889-1626 to schedule a consultation and meet the people who will serve your community.
About the IPSA Education Series: These articles provide facility managers, property owners, and decision-makers with practical insights into modern security solutions. Each piece draws from our experience serving diverse properties across Phoenix, Arizona and Austin, Texas, helping you make informed decisions about your security needs.
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