Integrators '20 under 40' 2017—Ben Scott

Ben Scott, 39

SVP, East region, ADS Security

Nashville, Tenn.

Ben Scott, senior vice president of ADS Security's East region, pointed to culture as a key determining factor in attracting new talent to the industry.

“You've got to make the workplace exciting, and the culture of your business is imperative to this,” he said. “Also, we need to put them in a position to be successful, by allowing them to provide us with insights on what their generation expects from companies where we can earn their business. This generation is very vocal (using social media) with their thoughts and feelings about their experiences.”

In Scott's current role, roughly one-third of ADS Security's 22 total branches fall under his responsibility. ADS maintains branches throughout the Southeast United States.

Scott works with branch managers from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina—where he is based. “My goal is to be in the trenches with those leaders and with the employees, trying to develop good customer service, good business practices that are obviously going to lead to financial results for our company,” he said.

“I really love being in the branches, helping our managers grow, become better financial managers—obviously—but watching them become leaders,” Scott said. “I would say that has been my primary focus for the last year and a half, especially with all of the acquisitions: teaching and training the general managers and branch managers how to become leaders in our company and in our industry.”

Scott has been with ADS Security since 2008, and has served as a sales representative, a security consultant, and general manager and vice president working with the Augusta, Ga., and Columbia, S.C. branches. Scott entered his current role at the beginning of 2016.