One of the last places we visited early in 2020, before lockdown, little knowing that it would be nearly a year and a half before we would be out and about again, was the Midlands-based guarding firm MAN Commercial Protection. Hence it was only proper to make them one of our first calls, after covid restrictions ended.
Chief executive Iain McCallister, pictured, in any case had some things to tell, not least that his firm had what he called ‘our Leicester City moment’ in the summer, when they were named company of the year in the BSIA annual awards. In case that needs explaining to non-footballers, in 2016 Leicester City won the Premier League, an unexpected success in a sport dominated by bigger club names and big money, in security guarding terms the likes of G4S, Securitas and Mitie. Covid had not lifted quite enough for the BSIA event to be in London as pre-pandemic, so MAN Commercial had to learn the good news and savour it from the training room of their Solihull head office.
‘The reason we won’
Awards do matter and there is no mistaking Iain’s pride when he says: “It was a great moment for us.” And his firm has some entries in IFSEC’s Fire and Security Awards, announced in London in November. But you only get awards for hard work and something concrete – ‘the reason we won the award is because we are good at what we do’, Iain says. As key workers, security officers were out there, as he says, ‘doing a really, really important job. That’s why it was so important for us to win the security company of the year, in such a challenging time. Because it demonstrates what the guys have done.” The same as we reported in spring 2020, MAN Commercial can point to progress. “From the start of lockdown we have grown bigger and we haven’t dropped an hour,” Iain said. Part of that is due to the customers growing also – as Iain says, anything to do with the supply chain; and pharma; besides the more obviously covid-related testing stations. While it’s only a bit of their work, their stewarding of boxing matches is one of those sorts of work that is more glamorous than, let’s say, a warehouse.
Certainly around the walls on the ground floor of the company’s office are framed boxing gloves and fight posters. Boxing like other sports did carry on, after a hiatus, during the pandemic, albeit without crowds that require most of the stewarding. Hence as Iain says some of the company’s events team started work at testing stations instead. The company has also seen more key-holding, such as if premises have seen less footfall during the pandemic, or have been vacant. Iain predicts double digit growth, again, in 2021 and he adds significantly ‘we are actively looking at acquisition opportunities’. That’s besides the company looking to grow in, or enter, such sectors as aviation, pharma, food and drink, and travel safety patrolling.
About the firm
MAN Commercial is an ACS Pacesetters and SIA ACS guarding company. Visit www.mancommercialprotection.co.uk.
The interview in full is in the December print edition of Professional Security magazine.
