Account Manager at AlliedBarton Security Services
Navy leadership, multitasking skills translate to success as security team leader.
By Warren Duffie

Although his civilian career bears little resemblance to his military job, Vincent Parish can still put his all of his Navy skills to good use. Parish, 37, is an account manager for AlliedBarton Security Services – and the client he serves is Palantir Technologies, a prominent software company.

“In the Navy, I was first a radioman and then an IT technician,” Parish said. “Obviously, since I work for a company that contracts out security officers, I don’t do much IT work anymore. But I can speak the lingo with my client, which establishes a good level of comfort and rapport.”

On the Job
Based at Palantir’s headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., Parish is in charge of 40 security officers who guard the software firm’s offices in the Golden State, New York, and Washington, D.C. The petty officer 1st class handles payroll, scheduling, employee issues, and ensuring that corporate special events are properly staffed with security.

“I’m basically AlliedBarton’s direct representative to the client,” Parish said. “As such, I’m on call 24/7 and usually work about 60 hours a week. But I’m used to long hours from the military and getting a lot done in little time. I attribute my success to the leadership and multitasking skills I learned in the Navy.”

In Uniform
Parish enlisted in the Navy in 1992. After basic training at Naval Station Great Lakes, he was stationed in California, on USS John Paul Jones, and in Hawaii.

He left active duty in 2000 but joined the Navy Reserve 
in 2004. He reactivated in 2007 and spent three years 
at Naval Recruiting District San Francisco.

The Transition
When Parish first left active duty, he was hired as a customer engineer by Applied Materials Inc., which served the semiconductor manufacturing industry. However, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and subsequent economic downturn, he was laid off. In 2002 he took a security officer job with AlliedBarton, which is the largest American-owned security officer services company.

“I had to highlight different skills on my résumé for each job,” Parish said. “With Applied Materials, I stressed my technical skills and experience with semiconductors. For AlliedBarton, I played up my military discipline, punctuality, leadership and ability to handle pressure.

“AlliedBarton is a great company to work for, and is very supportive of the military – especially those called to Reserve duty,” he said. “When I was active again from 2007 to 2010, I actually received a promotion. I had worked my way up through the ranks from a security officer and when I returned full time to the company in 2010, I was promoted to account manager.”

“I had to highlight different skills on my résumé for each job,” Parish said. “With Applied Materials, I stressed my technical skills and experience with semiconductors. For AlliedBarton, I played up my military discipline, punctuality, leadership and ability to handle pressure.”

What Parish Likes 
About His Job

• Mentoring my employees
• Meeting new people
• Working outdoors instead 
of inside of a ship
  

Parish’s Advice

1. Pay attention. “Take really good notes during your transition classes. This really helped make my transition smoother.”
2. Be patient. “Realize it might take a little while to find a job. Just keep your head up and keep moving forward.”
   

AlliedBarton 
Security Services
HQ: Conshohocken, Pa.
Employees: 50,000 +
2010 Revenues: $1.7 billion
www.alliedbarton.com

Did You Know?
AlliedBarton is the largest American-owned security officer services company.