The LPM “Magpie” Awards offer a means to celebrate industry accomplishments on an ongoing basis, recognizing the loss prevention professionals, teams, solution providers, law enforcement partners, and others that demonstrate a stellar contribution to the profession.
The ability to influence change is a product of drive, creativity, and determination, but it also requires a unique ability to create a shared vision that others will understand, respect, support, and pursue. Each of the following recipients reflects that standard of excellence, representing the quality and spirit of leadership that makes a difference in our lives, our people, and our programs. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our latest honorees.
Excellence in Partnerships
Wayne Hoover, CFI, Owner/Vice President of CFI Programming, Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates
“Believe it or not, I started with WZ straight out of college,” said Hoover. “I had no experience, but Dave Zulawski and Doug Wicklander were willing to take a chance on me as an undercover coordinator and investigator. By 1994, I had become a trainer for WZ while also serving as police commissioner for North Aurora Police. In 1997, I became a partner at WZ, and in 2002, I began managing the CFI designation program. From there, Shane Sturman and I bought WZ from Doug Wicklander in 2009 and from Dave Zulawski in 2015.”
When building business partnerships, Hoover feels that sincerity is the most important quality you can have in a relationship. “Being sincere in what you can and cannot accomplish helps build trust,” he said. “But you must also be a connector. If you don’t have the answer or the service that helps your partners, go find it for them and share it, so they know you’re there to help them be successful.”
Hoover also has some advice for young leaders working their way up the career ladder. “When I look at the things that are most important to me—my family both at home and at WZ, and all of my partners in the field that help me work at being the best person I can be—there are many things that come to mind: faith, love, commitment, integrity, finances, and relationships, just to name a few. But there are three words that I truly believe encompasses all of these areas and can help everyone become successful in whatever it is they are doing: work at it! Work at your job. Work at your relationships, both at home and at work. Work at your finances. Work at whatever it is you find to be important in your life. If you’re willing and able to do that, everything else usually falls into place.”
Excellence in Leadership
Chad McIntosh, Vice President of Loss Prevention and Risk Management (Retired), Bloomingdales
“I fell in love with this industry over forty years ago working as a part-time store detective for Woodward & Lothrop while attending the University of Maryland,” said McIntosh. “As I moved up the career ladder, I worked hard to distinguish myself by learning as much as I could about the business and volunteering for assignments no one else wanted. While at Neiman Marcus I became more aware of the value of setting up members of my team for success and giving them the tools to do the job effectively. At Home Depot I perfected my skill of building partnerships to identify shortage exposures and reduce this profit drain. At Polo Ralph Lauren I was able to help reshape an LP program. Then when I moved to Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, I was able to apply all of the skills I had developed through the years to forge a progressive strategy to impact the business. I believe true leaders build upon their experiences and never stop learning.”
McIntosh feels that this mindset sets the bar for leadership. “When I think about the leaders I consider to be successful, they all have certain qualities. All have strong interpersonal skills and can relate to people at all levels of an organization. They’re comfortable speaking about their goals and priorities so that everyone understands how to contribute and their value within the organization. All are avid learners and readers, finding time for their personal development.”
He also sees this as critical to the future of the industry. “One of the things I’m most proud of in my career is the number of people I’ve mentored, helping them achieve more than they thought they could,” he said. “In today’s ever-changing retail environment, you have to think differently about problem-solving. The answers are no longer ‘under the street light’ where they can easily be seen. The competitive landscape has changed greatly. Perfect your interpersonal communication skills, distinguish yourself, and keep learning and growing daily. Raise your hand for those tough tasks and assignments. Remember, wherever you go, whatever you do, distinguish yourself. Be so good they can’t ignore you!”
Nominate Your Peers
We want this to be your program. Those of you working as LP practitioners witness these exceptional performances on a regular and ongoing basis, and we strongly encourage you to provide us with nominees for each of the award categories. We encourage creative nominations and want the program to cast a positive light on the many tremendous contributions of the loss prevention community. Nominations can be submitted via email to excellence [at] LPportal.com.