Women in Security - Wendy Witlow

Wendy Witlow General Manager/Miami – Allied Universal

Wendy Witlow joined Allied Universal in 2014 as a Client Manager and previously served as a District Manager running operations in three counties in South Florida for Universal Protection.

“I actually worked for several security companies, originally SFI (the first legacy company purchased by Universal Protection),” said Wendy. “Then, I worked for AlliedBarton for more than eight years until the merger -- which brought everything back full circle.”

Today, as General Manager in Miami, Wendy currently manages a team of 1,700 security professionals which includes four client managers, service managers, and several single site account managers. Her portfolio of business consists of commercial, residential, distribution, and retail. Wendy’s core focus is on customer service and training. She has conducted many workshops focusing on sales, financial, and emergency response.

According to Wendy, the security industry offers many challenges and benefits.

“Throughout the years, the labor market has been really tough,” says Wendy. “This has led to many challenges as we have to constantly think about pricing strategies and client relations a bit differently. Miami is a very fast-paced, growing market, which is great news. It does however present challenges that a smaller market might not experience. Even thru COVID, my team has grown several million dollars in revenue in a short period of time. Our clients in Miami have very high expectations of security and we are focused on meeting these expectations daily.”

Working at Allied Universal can be extremely rewarding but to be successful, you should learn everything you can about the company’s systems, take advantage of all the EDGE courses and keep abreast about security trends, said Wendy. “While women do not represent the majority in the security sector, this is a great industry for great leaders,” says Wendy. “If you have self-motivation, determination, and you can lead a team to a common goal, you can have a very successful career path in this industry. The future is endless.”

Wendy holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Florida Atlantic University. She is originally from Fort Lee, New Jersey but relocated to Florida for college in 1988.