Commercial Real Estate Security: How To Protect Assets And Reduce Liability

Devin Ickes (00:00)
It is a crime, right? Something like that. That’s not always the case these days. Really, it’s about mitigating liability. And I think so as an investor and you have, let’s say, a property and your property is well-secured, it’s not just about deterring crime, but also protecting your asset, protecting your business. And that’s from, again, those kind of opportunistic events that happen where someone might trip and fall. And now you’re mitigating the litigation, really the liability.

So that is a huge thing for us, is to really get out and educate people that it’s not just about breaking windows, it’s about protecting your assets.

Scott Bursey (02:14)
Welcome back to the Real Estate Pros podcast powered by Investor Fuel. I’m your host, Scott Bursey. Today, guys, we’re bringing the kind of high octane fuel that powers true enterprise level scale. Systems mastery. We’re talking about unlocking hands-off profit and replacing chaos with automation. Devin Ickes, the force behind Havic Systems is here to show us the blueprint. Get ready, Pros, because we’re about to supercharge your systems.

Devin, welcome to the show.

Devin Ickes (02:43)
Thank you, Scott. Glad to be here.

Scott Bursey (02:44)
For our listeners who may not be familiar with your journey, please tell us how did your career begin and when is your main focus now?

Devin Ickes (02:52)
Yeah, absolutely happy to dive in. ⁓ I started my career in commercial real estate technology. I worked for a company called Real Capital Markets and we were bringing deals to market ⁓ through online platforms. So I really had a great introduction to commercial real estate, working with buyers and brokers and so on. ⁓ I continued the real estate technology path for majority of my career, working for location analytics, working with brokers, but

I’m always on the commercial real estate side. And then I had a unique opportunity that came my way in the form of security. really, as you think about commercial real estate, the phases of it and so on. So this was, I like to say, just another phase of that commercial real estate. And that was the site security, the physical security, securing spaces. So once post sale and…

And leasing and so on right working with the businesses in there to protect their space but also working with commercial real estate professionals to know as they grow and and sort of know build their portfolios to secure those assets and And it’s been it’s been a fun journey. It’s been an interesting journey all tech oriented, which is great I do have an act for it and now a little bit more hands-on more in person which I which I do I do love but I don’t the the technology continues to advance and

And it’s been a fun journey up until this point and ⁓ seeing, with my taking my knowledge from the commercial real estate side, the contacts and the, from the investors and brokers and owner operators and so on. And then now bringing that to my field, right? Bringing that to my position ⁓ and then being able to speak.

at the same table and have those conversations with those professionals and then provide the service, the service that ⁓ we provide, which is that security side. So it’s again, been an interesting journey, but that’s kind of the short version of it, I’ll say, Scott.

Scott Bursey (04:57)
That is awesome, Devin.

And if someone’s listening to this and they’re thinking, Hey, this is someone that I like to partner with or learn from. What would you like them to know first about your business?

Devin Ickes (05:55)
that’s a great question. So Havic Systems, we are a security integration company. So our business is relationship first. ⁓ We pride ourselves on the partnership, the relationships, and so on. So anyone that’s whether they’re looking for security or looking to understand security as a whole, we’re always willing to talk. We’re always willing to educate. I think that’s a big component for us too is

is the educational piece. And so I love to interact with whether it’s partners, whether it’s clients, whether it’s just people that are looking to learn and understand whether it’s better to secure their space or get into the industry. I’m always happy to have a conversation with

Scott Bursey (06:37)
When it comes to relationships and networking, what’s been your key to success?

Devin Ickes (06:42)
I like to say, I joke around, I say I’m a people person, right? Whether it’s networking groups, whether it’s past relationships, just follow up and face to face. mean, it’s one of the things that I loved about moving kind of out of the real estate tech was working with clients in the East Coast and I maybe saw them once a year. Now I have the opportunity to be face to face. I have the opportunity to stop in. I have opportunity to shake a hand, look somebody in the eye. And I think that that goes a long way. know we’re always…

lost in the sauce with ⁓ technology and even the Zoom meetings and so on. And I think for us, it’s having that personal touch. And I’ve found success with that, being able to really build these strong relationships, build that trust. As I kind of mentioned, that trust is a big thing for us, especially with security. As anything, you need to trust your security provider. And I find that it’s no better way to build trust than to sit in front of somebody

have lunch, take them out to dinner, really get to know them as a person and then get to know their business.

Scott Bursey (07:42)
That personal touch is so critical.

Devin Ickes (07:45)
It is. It is. I think it’s what it’s what drives us. It’s what drives our business model. It’s what stands and honestly can stand us apart from from competitors and some others out in the industry. Right. I mean, the bigger the company, it’s harder to manage those relationships. But we’re at a point where we don’t we don’t want to lose that. I think that’s extremely important for us. And we want to continue to provide this service to our clients to, you know, and continue to have that personal relationship with them.

Scott Bursey (08:13)
No business is perfect. What’s one thing that you’re still trying to figure out or working around here recently?

Devin Ickes (08:19)
You know, that’s a great question. You know, we’re always trying to grow and find ways to grow. That’s always a challenge. I think that’s the easy answer. But I think for us is really in our space, ⁓ there’s a lot there are saturated. There’s a lot of competitors out there. ⁓ And some of the things that we’re trying to overcome is it I think the lack of education in our in our industry. ⁓

And really as an owner operator or as an investor or someone looking to secure their space and secure their assets, we’re looking to educate those individuals and let them know that there’s so many different options out there and so many different solutions. And not only that there are different solutions, but what those solutions do, ⁓ that’s vital, right? Because I can send you a proposal, I can send you quotes and I can shake your hand and so on and so forth. But if you don’t know what you’re buying,

And then I think that that’s really where you’re like, okay, well, I hope this works out. I try to alleviate that as much as I can and really get to the bottom of it and really listen. And I think when I do have those others in the industry coming in and it just kind of this one stop shop and regurgitating and just copy paste, copy paste, I have to avoid, I mean, I have to overcome that. People get accustomed to that and they say, just give me the numbers, give me the numbers.

I think it’s like, well, do you know what those numbers mean? Do you know why those numbers are? Do know what you’re getting? Do you know how to use it? So I think for me, I really enjoy taking the time to educate. And I think that’s something that’s been challenging.

Scott Bursey (09:53)
Turning a challenge into a streamlined system is a total pro move. Now let’s shift gears just a little bit. What do you feel is your biggest opportunity right now in the market?

Devin Ickes (10:40)
the biggest opportunity, mean, as technology grows, right, as there’s a huge opportunity for us to really, and it kind of goes back to that educational side, is to come into businesses, to work with investors, to work with commercial real estate folks and understand our value and the value that our company and even just like I said, our industry provides. And I think really right where we are trying to…

make those opportunities to get in touch with people, to inform them what’s out there. How could we help scale? How can we help protect? How can we help really streamline? I think it’s a big one for companies, for different departments, and really consolidate ⁓ is a big thing. So I think there’s a huge opportunity. feel like I come into some businesses here and there, and it’s a bit broken. It’s a bit pieceworked, and they don’t know who to call or who this or they don’t know what value

these type of systems bring to the property, ⁓ to the business itself. And I think there’s a huge opportunity for us to get out in front of people ⁓ and show that value and continue to push our services and then of course build those relationships, build those partnerships that last more than just a single sales cycle.

Scott Bursey (11:55)
You’re clearly staying ahead of the curve there. I love that. I really do. What is some of your long-term strategy?

Devin Ickes (12:03)
I mean, long-term strategy for us is really to continue the business model that when we first started and to continue that culture. And that’s that relationship driven piece, right? Educate and continue to be a partner, to be a resource. ⁓ I don’t want to lose that. I find that I go in, I see these larger entities that lose touch, ⁓ you know, and it’s a number game, it’s a volume game.

I think for us long term, we want to continue to provide that excellent service, continue to provide solutions that can fit different needs. But at the same time, being able to get out in front and say, hey, we are a partner here, we are a resource, and really continue that path forward no matter how large we scale. ⁓ It’s large. And I think with that and cultivating those, our initial mission statement, if you will,

⁓ I think if we continue to drive that, ⁓ think we will find great success.

Scott Bursey (13:04)
Any challenges you’re watching closely? Market risk, competition, access to deals or capital, you know that sort of thing?

Devin Ickes (13:11)
I mean, competition is always a big ⁓ concern. Again, I’ve kind of mentioned this, it can be saturated and there are the larger entities out there. With kind of the, think actually it’s to our benefit sometimes and it’s sad, with the climate these days, whether it’s political, whether it’s so-and-so economical, ⁓ we do see, right, we are seeing ⁓ crime and we’re seeing

⁓ more of these opportunistic crimes. And so for us, as that environment changes, we wanna stay out in front and we wanna be, we wanna make sure that we understand that we can help or that our clients understand that we can help and then we can help that. And so I think really keeping the finger on the pulse as far as how our community ⁓ is operating and staying safe and then being able to then translate that.

to our clients and say, we want to make sure that your property is secure. We want to make sure that you’re securing your assets and really maintaining that value.

Scott Bursey (14:19)
I love that transparency. Devin, let’s rev up our listeners engines. What emerging AI or automation tool do you see having the most immediate profit driving impact for real estate pros in the next, let’s say 12 months?

Devin Ickes (14:32)
That’s a great question. know, in my industry, right, we’re here to really protect the value, protect your profit, protect your wealth, protect your business. And so for us, as we see it, there’s not necessarily one tool that I would say that is ⁓ something that would need to be looked at. But the partners that we have and the technologies that we implement, they’re

everybody is now on this trend of AI and this consolidation and really being able to get a ton of data at your fingertips.

every whether it’s whether it’s a camera systems, whether it’s access control, you know, really bringing those those those technologies together and then utilizing AI to create these advanced tools that you may not see in a normal consumer. You may not see where you have now an office manager that has access to be able to do search for

You know very specific things where we didn’t have that technology before so AI is now bringing us into this this ⁓ this control phase of our industry and and being able to have those tools at your fingertip Really can streamline and save time You know if there’s an incident to be able to go out and identify the incident You know you see those old cop shows where they’re going through you know hours and hours and hours of film and that’s over now right so AI is now taking us and kind of bringing us out of the dark ages and and

And it’s every technology now that we are seeing has some form of automation, some form of ⁓ AI that’s driving, know, just convenience, driving value, and it’s really a success for us and a success for our customers.

Scott Bursey (16:53)
That is pure fire for our listeners. Now, Devin, let’s go underneath the hood. What is the biggest operational threat facing investors who refuse to upgrade their internal systems and data management?

Devin Ickes (17:05)
Well, I can speak to the security side of it. I think for security and infrastructure and kind of a couple of things come to mind. And I think as an investor or even an owner operator, they say, well, do I really need all that security? And one thing I ⁓ like to of point out is that security isn’t, when I ask you, when I say security camera, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

It is a crime, right? Something like that. That’s not always the case these days. Really, it’s about mitigating liability. And I think so as an investor and you have, let’s say, a property and your property is well-secured, it’s not just about deterring crime, but also protecting your asset, protecting your business. And that’s from, again, those kind of opportunistic events that happen where someone might trip and fall. And now you’re mitigating the litigation, really the liability.

So that is a huge thing for us, is to really get out and educate people that it’s not just about breaking windows, it’s about protecting your assets.

Scott Bursey (18:13)
That is such a valid point. And Devin, you’ve given our listeners so much, so much pure fire here today, but is there any additional golden nuggets or advice you’d like to leave with them?

Devin Ickes (18:24)
You know, I think for us, and I’ve said this probably a few times now, I think it’s be curious, right? Know what you’re buying, know what you’re getting yourself into. think, you you think about security, you think about securing your space. As an investor, right, as you’re building your portfolio, you know,

really security, it should be top of mind. And it can really bring value too from a physical perspective. And I say physical from physical security, but having those infrastructures already in place as you go to lease or as you go to sell or so on, it really does add value. And so I like to, from like, I speak with brokers all the time and I say like, you hey, like, well, let’s, can we get this in the TI? Can we?

Can we get the security in there? Because what it’s gonna do is it’s going to be so much more appealing now. So we already have an infrastructure. It lowers those costs for your tenants, for people that are coming in, whether you’re, like I said, you’re an owner operator or you’re an investor that’s leasing out that space. And so I employ you to ask questions, I think, from a security side. ⁓ Of course, you wanna have the biggest and baddest, but that’s not always necessary, right? ⁓

Work with a professional that listens to you and cares, I think is a big one. Because it’s gonna provide value 10, 20, 30 years from now.

Scott Bursey (19:53)
Devin, this has been an absolute master class. For those of our listeners that want to follow your journey or collaborate with you, what is the best way for them to reach you?

Devin Ickes (20:03)
Yeah, absolutely. You can find me on LinkedIn. I’m happy to do my website as well. I think LinkedIn is probably the best way to get a hold of me other than just sending an email and I was happy to.

Scott Bursey (20:16)
Thank you so much for joining us today, Devin.

Devin Ickes (20:18)
Absolutely, pleasure to have me here. Thank you for having me.

Scott Bursey (20:21)
And to our listeners, we appreciate each and every one of you. If you got value from today’s episode, please subscribe. We’ve got a lineup of exceptional guests, just like Devin, who are making huge moves in the market. Until next time, keep your standards high and your vision clear. We’ll see you in the next episode, everyone.