Tom Boyette

Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, George Partington

Tom L. Boyette, security director for the 62-story SunTrust Plaza in downtown Atlanta, keeps on his desk a stone engraved with a quote from General George S. Patton: "If a man does his best, what else is there?"

It's a reminder to give it your all, and Boyette does just that in his efforts to ensure the safety of the more than 4,000 employees who work in the skyscraper.

"Dedicated," is how Boyette's second-in-command, senior security supervisor Greg Wellborn, describes his boss's professional approach.

Enthusiastic, energetic and proactive are a few more words that characterize Tom Boyette. The words denote a man who has taken Patton's idea to heart.

"What else is there?" Patton asked rhetorically. The literal answer: bottom-line results, where performance is measured. And the results at SunTrust Plaza, achieved through high-level service and proactive protection, are exemplary.

Thanks to Boyette, SunTrust Plaza has a life safety emergency plan that exceeds the requirements of major fire departments, and its security systems, including a new access control system, have up-to-the-minute capabilities. The security staff is no less accomplished. Boyette encourages all his officers to pursue education and training and requires his supervisors to be Certified Protection Officers or Certified Protection Professionals.

But Boyette asks for nothing he isn't prepared to give. "He leads the way," says Wellborn. "It's a follow-me-over-the-hill approach." For his leadership and worthy achievements, Tom Boyette is the 1999 ACCESS CONTROL & SECURITY SYSTEMS INTEGRATION SECURITY DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR.

"SERVICE" IS A WATCHWORD Boyette calls SunTrust Plaza a small town. Designed by John C. Portman Jr. and opened in 1992, the impressive building shoulders aside neighboring office towers in the Atlanta skyline. It houses about 35 firms. Tenants have access to a food court, four restaurants, a SunTrust Bank branch, a car salon, two ATMs and a 3,000-car garage. The property spans two city blocks.

SunTrust Bank Inc., the major tenant, occupies 17 floors. Other tenants include law, marketing, banking and accounting firms. The World Trade Center Atlanta is located in the lower lobby and provides private dining and conference rooms for business leaders.

Boyette strives to ensure not only a secure environment, but also a pleasant one. Keeping all of the "town's" inhabitants happy is a challenge, and one of the reasons "service" is a watchword of his security department.

Security officers will escort anyone who requests it to their cars, and if a battery dies, they will charge it. Boyette does not, however, allow his officers to change flats, due to workman's compensation issues. Instead, he pays a towing company to do so. "I have officers on my staff who are six foot six, and if they tell a tenant, 'sorry, ma'am, I can't change your tire,' it doesn't look good. I pay a towing company to come and change their tire. For the $35 it costs for me to change that tire, it is well worth it."

Such anticipation of possible problems - workman's comp in this case - and plans to solve them are evident in every aspect of Boyette's security department, from the seemingly trivial to the vitally important.

A MODEL PLAN One of the most important aspects of a security department is its ability to handle emergency situations. At SunTrust Plaza, security officers are well-prepared due to a comprehensive Life Safety Emergency Plan written by Boyette.

According to Lt. Walter Parker, inspector for the Atlanta Fire Department, the plan has motivated the Atlanta Fire Safety Division to set new goals and standards.

How did Boyette do it? He pulled knowledge, ideas and inspiration from all corners. "You can get a lot of information in the library and on the Internet," he says. "Public safety is very helpful. I've had the SWAT and bomb disposal teams here, the fire safety inspectors and the chief engineer, who is a good source for technical information on your facility."

He also puts himself in the shoes of a typical security officer. "We try to keep it very detailed and simple," he says. "The officer will need to know where everything is located. So I take floor CAD drawings and identify with color graphics the location of every pull station, fire extinguisher and stairwell, and where the mechanical and electrical rooms, safe refuge floors and fireman's elevator are located."

Boyette was inspired by the neighboring Atlanta Market Center, where he noticed someone had taken Polaroids of a shut-off valve and written in black ink on the picture which way to shut off the valve. "I thought that was a good idea, so I took good quality photos of everything and imported those pictures onto the CAD drawings with instructions on each subject area."

A VERSATILE ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM Service and safety are intertwined at SunTrust Plaza. For instance, Boyette offers tenants security awareness seminars, distributes security bulletins and provides tenants with regular cardholder information reports.

The latter service has been made possible by a new card access system, the Windows-operated, PC-based Pegasys 1000 access control system from Cardkey Systems Inc., Simi Valley, Calif. The new system is more versatile than the mainframe system that was installed when the building was constructed.

In 1996, Boyette took bids to replace the mainframe system. "We couldn't ask our tenants to replace their card readers at such an expense. We wanted the change to be virtually invisible to the tenants. The only thing we had to change was the head-end and some firmware out in the field. We got a nice system at a low cost and we did it without having to ask the tenants to spend any of their money."

Nor did workers have to put up with any inconvenience. The system upgrade was completed in early 1997, with a seamless switch-over.

"We basically had to rebuild the database," recalls Boyette. "So we set up a war room. We had the main unit and three workstations. We programmed the access cards for all 4,000 people. We took the reports from the old system and rebuilt that database into the Pegasys. We created all the alarm points, and we did all of this while it wasn't hooked to anything, just to the host.

"It was a good way to become familiar with the system, plus get everything programmed before we went on-line," he continues. "We double-checked everything and then one weekend we did the switch. It took about 48 hours - about 36 straight hours of work - but when the tenants came back in on Monday morning, they noticed no difference. The readers stayed in place."

One of the many advantages of the upgrade is redundancy, says Boyette. If the host goes down, the panel in the field will still operate up to 16 readers and provide history when the host comes back on-line. If the host and the field panel are down, the reader still operates through its smart terminal interface.

In addition, the new system offers floor tracking. Through a reader interface with the Otis elevator units in the building, the system tells security officers the floors individuals access, which is helpful in investigations. "If a person has access to floors 5-15 and 23-25, if they went to 24, it will tell me," notes Boyette.

In fact, the system logs all card use and allows customized reports. "Almost all tenants have an access card," says Boyette. "We have about 35 firms in this building, and we provide each tenant a monthly cardholder information report. It tells when the card was used, and if it tells them the card hasn't been used in a month or two, chances are the card was lost and it hasn't been reported."

Such centralized control is important in cases of workplace violence, such as the tragic shooting death of nine in two office buildings in Atlanta July 29. After shooting and killing several in one building, the killer crossed the street to another building and continued shooting.

At SunTrust Plaza, a gunman would quickly find himself locked out of offices, if not the entire building. "We can lock all card readers tied to our system instantly with one command," notes Boyette. "We also can put all five banks of elevators on card access instantly with one command, locking out unauthorized individuals."

Following the incident, Boyette received surprisingly few inquiries from tenants, perhaps because they are well-informed on the security measures in place.

TAKING THE INITIATIVE SunTrust Plaza is expanding - the "little town" has annexed the roof of the parking garage. That's where Portman Holding L.P., developer and manager of the property, is building SunTrust Plaza Garden Offices, a 650,000-square-foot, atrium-style office complex. With the expansion comes increased security responsibilities for Boyette.

The garage was built with the idea of eventually adding offices on top. However, the idea of security for the new offices hadn't crossed anyone's mind - except Boyette. "When the first conceptual drawings came out for marketing purposes and to determine the feasibility, I got them and the first thing I noticed was there was no security desk," says Boyette. "So I took the drawings and started adding where the security desk should be, where the card readers needed to be, where the door contacts and alarm points should be, motion detectors, CCTV. And I approached the director of construction and said, 'these are things we need to be considering. First of all, we really need a desk over there and need to have someone over there around the clock.' "

A few weeks later the new drawings came out with the security desk included, as were plans for security systems.

The new building will tie into the existing security systems and use the same equipment.

"When we first programmed the system, we indicated what building it was with the anticipation of adding an additional system later. If an alarm comes in, for instance, it will say STP for SunTrust Plaza or STG for SunTrust Garden, so you know which facility it is coming from. But the alarms will be partitioned so each location only sees the appropriate alarms."

Boyette is also concerned about "office creepers," thieves of laptops and other valuables who use the stairwells from the offices to the parking garage. As in the tower, the stairwells will be for emergency use only.

At the tower, Boyette has installed door contacts on all the stairwell doors. "If anybody opens the doors, we'll know about it," he says. "When the door re-secures, we'll know about it." Additionally, stairwell doors are locked from the inside, so you can get in but you cannot get out. When unauthorized doors are opened, alarms pop up on security desktop screens and motion detectors and CCTV indicate and document activity in the stairwell.

"Of course, all doors are tied into the life safety system and will open immediately in the event of a fire alarm, but the whole idea is to make it troublesome for anyone to use our stairwells," Boyette explains. "We want them to come through controlled areas."

On the doors between the Garden Offices and the parking deck and food court, Boyette will use 15-second-delay Von Duprin hardware. Anyone attempting to leave through the stairwell will have to wait 15 seconds while being filmed on closed-circuit television.

Extra control is being added to the elevators by installing card readers that accept a card that tells the elevator what floor an individual is authorized for and only travels to that floor. Although a person could piggyback onto a floor, the system reduces such incidents. Besides, "card readers are not the panacea," says Boyette. "A system is only as good the person using it. We do security awareness seminars for that reason."

MANAGING WITH SKILL "His people skills are excellent," says Wellborn of Boyette. Instead of micromanaging, he gives authority to his staff of about 25 officers, 60 percent of which are in-house. When officers make mistakes, "the reprimand sessions take the form of training and counseling," says Wellborn.

All supervisors and full-time lobby officers are in-house. Contract officers patrol the parking deck on foot and in a 1999 Ford Explorer, and are also stationed in the food court.

Boyette makes the mix of contract and proprietary guards work through effective organization and people management. He requires the guard contract company to provide a site manager who is his liaison with the company. Boyette can call on this manager to attend to any problems or needs concerning the contract work force. "If I have a problem and someone can't come in, I don't want to have to call the home office and deal with someone who is not aware of my day-to-day operations," Boyette says. "Part of our contract is they must have certain training, so I don't have to tie up my supervisors trying to train somebody."

But Boyette also treats contract officers as part of the team. "We have a core of officers who have been with us for a long time and provide good service," he says.

"I think it's a good mix," he continues. "You have dedicated loyal officers on the in-house staff - some with you for 10 or more years. They know the place inside and out. They are certified and have credentials. Then you have contract officers who provide you flexibility for special events and holidays."

When Boyette was asked to provide executive protection for high-level company executives, he immediately began the complicated and time-consuming task of making the security department a licensed agency with the Georgia Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies. After several months, the in-house security department became a licensed agency with the state of Georgia, and a few of the officers became certified to carry concealed firearms. Boyette requires his officers practice at a target range every 90 days and become recertified every year, instead of every two years as required by the state.

PURSUING JUSTICE Boyette, 37, was drawn to police work while still a teenager. In 1981, just after high school graduation, he enlisted in the Army National Guard and was commissioned in the infantry a few years later. At the same time, Boyette attended Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, to study law enforcement and corrections, receiving a bachelor's degree in both in 1985.

Criminal justice, he says, was a perfect fit, and he had envisioned a career in law enforcement. "When I graduated from college, I started applying at federal and state law enforcement agencies. On every application I met every criteria except the last one, which was in red ink, and it required no less than 20-40 uncorrected vision in the worst eye." As an infantry officer, Boyette had qualified on many different weapons and never considered eyesight a problem. But, like so many, he relies on corrective lenses for 20-20 vision. "I was beyond that (the eyesight requirement), so I didn't even bother."

Boyette did stay in the field he had prepared so well for, taking a job as a parole officer for the Ohio Department of Youth Services. He worked there for four years.

"Four years is the point where you stay or get out in that business, and I was ready to get out," he explains. For someone who thrives on action and results, the parole officer job threw up too many road blocks. First, there's the unnecessary emphasis on bureaucratic paperwork. And parolees are often resistant to reform. "You have more frustrations than successes," Boyette says. "The parents had these kids for 18 or 19 years, and you get them for a year and you're supposed to make a big improvement in their lives - that's a pretty tough order."

But as a parole officer, Boyette got to meet loss prevention managers who had brought charges against young shoplifters. The world of private security seemed like a good option. So did the city of Atlanta. In attending military school at Fort Benning, Boyette visited Atlanta frequently. "I loved the city," he recalls. "I liked the weather - you don't get two feet of snow."

Boyette had begun applying for Atlanta jobs from Ohio, but the long-distance method wasn't working. So he made the most of an opportunity during a visit to the city. He met an employee of the Portman companies at a family gathering of a friend who lived in Atlanta. "I told her what I was trying to do, and she set up five interviews within the organization for me. That same day we did my resume, and I completed the interviews before I had to catch my plane," says Boyette, marveling at his good fortune. "And two weeks later I got a call back for a follow-up with Peachtree Center Management Co. (the name of Portman Management Co. at the time) and they hired me as a day shift security supervisor in August of 1989. It was exactly what I was looking for and with a remarkable company."

By June of 1991, Boyette received his first promotion, to associate director of security for SunTrust Plaza, which had yet to open.

SETTLING IN THE SOUTH While Boyette found his ideal professional home in 1989, it wasn't until 1994 that he and his wife, Dawn, settled into their ideal house - a 1905 Victorian home in Decatur, a charming, leafy city just outside Atlanta.

He and his wife, who is a lawyer and a former patrol sergeant, enjoy restoring the house. "It's in good shape, but there is always something," Boyette says. "I get a lot of satisfaction out of it."

The Boyettes also enjoy scuba diving in Central America and collecting folk art. Two hand-carved, painted Jaguars from Oaxaca, Mexico, are favorites.

While the couple's home is a stunner - it's scheduled to be on a tour of Decatur homes - it's more than a showplace. One-year-old son Jack, a two-year-old Sheltie and a cat keep things lively.

Boyette also finds time to give back to the community. For three years, he was the chair of the Cajun Street Party, a fund-raiser for the Decatur Arts Alliance.

A FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS Boyette, who earned his CPP designation in 1996, has worked hard to ensure his success. But he is quick to credit his co-workers: "I couldn't do any of the things we do if I didn't have the support of a lot of people, and that comes from the top, from Mr. Portman, down to the rover officer," he says.

He is also indebted to his former superiors, Chuck Jones, former director of security for Peachtree Center Management Co., and Barry Marler, Jones' predecessor. In 1991, Boyette was ready to make the most of his new position at the SunTrust tower, and Jones was more than willing to give him enough rope. It was up to Boyette to keep from swinging from it.

Far from it. Boyette updated the company's 300-page security manual - a hand-typed tome that was cumbersome to change. Boyette put it in digital form on a computer. There was much more: "They allowed me to develop and implement a CCTV system and emergency intercom system for the parking facilities," Boyette relates. "They allowed me to develop a picture ID system for the cleaning personnel and contractors. I got the opportunity to make presentations to the ownership, as a security supervisor! That was very exciting. They allowed me to host the study groups for the Certified Protection Professional (CPP) exam at our facilities because I wanted to be a part of the process." He wasn't even a CPP at the time, but he enjoyed the exposure to others in the industry.

Such proactive involvement made Boyette the obvious choice for director of security at SunTrust Plaza. The results achieved through his full-speed-ahead approach make him an equally obvious choice for 1999 Security Director of the Year.

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