At Anheuser-Busch’s annual shareholders meeting, held at SeaWorld in Orlando three years ago, an investor in a NASCAR T-shirt rose to ask chief executive August Busch IV how the company kept its theme parks safe.
Busch looked around, trying to find the right man to answer the question: John Britt, the brewer’s head of security and formerly of the Secret Service.
On cue, the dark-suited Britt stepped on stage from behind a curtain. “I’m right here, Mr. Busch.”
Behind the scenes, big companies try to keep a secure perimeter around their top executives. It’s a dangerous and unpredictable world; witness the State Department’s travel warnings for 35 nations, which is roughly one out of every six countries.
“I don’t think risks have changed a whole lot,” said Bob Hayes, managing director of the Security Executive Council, a Washington-based research and services group. “But risk awareness on the part of executives has changed a great deal. Corporations are much, much more aware of risks.”
Companies pay well to mitigate those risks. Walt Disney spent $562,034 last year for security around chief executive Robert Iger. American Express spent $330,000 over the last three years on home security systems for chief executive Kenneth Chenault; the company also spent $118,000 for security during Chenault’s personal trips.
3M Co. paid $167,574 last year for monitoring services, labor and materials to complete projects that improved the personal security of chief executive George Buckley and his family. The Buckley family received a new home security system and better “perimeter security” at one of the residences, according to company documents.
ExxonMobil, one of the world’s biggest oil companies, sets up security systems at executive residences, provides security personnel at homes and during personal travel, and lines up cars and specially trained drivers. The company spent nearly $168,000 on security last year at the home of chief executive Rex Tillerson. The company provided mobile phones and other communications equipment so executives could conduct business in a secure manner.
Coca-Cola Co. said security dictates that chief executive Muhtar Kent get a company car and driver, even when he visits his native Turkey. Ahmet Bozer, who works in Turkey as president of Coca-Cola’s Eurasia and Africa Group, uses a company car and driver. So does Jose Octavio Reyes, who works in Mexico City as president of Coca-Cola’s Latin America Group.
Security is “a business necessity to protect our employees given the global visibility of our brands and the extensive locations where we operate,” Coca-Cola said in regulatory documents.
Before it was acquired by InBev of Belgium, St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Cos. spent $392,168 for personal security in 2007 for former CEO August Busch III. That was in recognition of Busch’s “continued prominence,” the brewer said.
Bank of America Corp. spent a combined $70,000 to buy and install emergency generators at the homes of Neil Cotty, now the company’s chief accounting officer, and Edward O’Keefe, its general counsel. The company said the generators served “business continuity purposes.” Similarly, General Electric installed generators at the homes of top executives.
Kimberly-Clark, parent company of Kleenex, Huggies and Depend, said simply that it provides security services at all times to its chief executive.
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