Just as the handoff from a quarterback to a running back requires a smooth transition, so too does the passing of the ownership of a security business. One answer to making the handoff from a closely held firm to employee ownership is via Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). ESOPs are becoming increasingly viable in the security services industry; in fact, three major firms have already successfully enacted one — Pro-Tech Design and Low Voltage Contractors, both of Minneapolis, and Tech Systems Inc., of Duluth, Ga. — each creating a company that is 100-percent employee-owned.
