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. Nominate your peers at Excellence[at]LPportal.com.
Melissa Allgood, CFI, Director Loss Prevention, NBC/Universal Studios Hollywood
“This industry has changed so much in the last thirty years, mostly for the better in my opinion. But we still have so much more we can do,” said Allgood, who holds a diverse background in loss prevention, having served in a variety of different retail environments. After getting her start working for Mervyn’s catching shoplifters, she went on to work with Best Products, Robinson-May, Bullock’s, Ralph’s Grocery, Broadway Department Stores, TJX, Blockbuster Video, and Rent-A-Center before becoming director of loss prevention for the theme park Universal Studios Hollywood. This diversity has served her well in her current role, operating five verticals for the organization, including surveillance operations, loss prevention operations, e-commerce fraud, support operations, and audit compliance and training.
“I have stakeholder status in many projects that impact our business operationally, financially, and technologically, and there is still so much more to learn,” she said. “My team is phenomenal, and they are the real reason for our success. We work well together and often work on large-scale or highly sensitive cases. I look forward to continuing my career here and growing with the company. I wouldn’t trade one day of it for the world.
“I feel my greatest accomplishment is building a team that embodies the culture and philosophy of loss prevention, providing objective findings and results to the organization that are a positive financial impact to the bottom line,” she said. “But to be a true leader in the industry, you have to be honest with yourself, understanding that you don’t know everything. Ask questions, find a mentor, listen, ask for help when you need it, and learn every day. Then take the next step and hire people to improve the department beyond your expectation or even your ability to do so.”
