Dale Buckner featured in NY Times DealBook: Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst

“I think mentally we’re in a different space than we have been in previous elections,” says Dale Buckner, the C.E.O. of Global Guardian, a security services firm. “I have not seen the private sector ever have this large of a concern about what could happen.”

The Chamber of Commerce and a group of business associations representing insurance, manufacturing, retail and other industries issued a joint statement yesterday urging Americans “to support the process set out in our federal and state laws and to remain confident in our country’s long tradition of peaceful and fair elections.”

Precautions may not be needed, Mr. Buckner says, but given recent disruptions from social justice protests and the pandemic, clients want to be prepared. Four years ago, Global Guardian worked with around 10 companies to prepare for election unrest; this year, it’s around 400.

For some executives, that means monitoring social media and preparing insurance cover. For others, like businesses with essential workers near polling sites or cities that have previously seen unrest, there are different worries. About 120 Global Guardian clients are adding physical security, like installing more cameras, bringing in extra agents and hiring guard dogs.

“We’re deploying eight dogs in Atlanta,” Mr. Buckner says. “They’ll be hidden. If things start to get out of control, we feel there’s a need for that.”

C.E.O.s are also thinking about things at home. Global Guardian is working with around 60 high-net worth families on election-related security, three times as many as in 2016. “They’re out there, they’re easy to find,” Mr. Buckner says. “Public records show what they donated and what side of the fence they sit on.

Read the full DealBook newsletter here and learn more about how Global Guardian is supporting clients with post-election support here.