Each year, select industry leaders will be recognized for their lifetime of contributions to the retail loss prevention industry as they are inducted into the Loss Prevention Hall of Honor.   The Hall is a place to tell the story of their achievements, to celebrate their success, and to continue their legacy, preserving their lessons in leadership, and the memories we have shared working alongside them, all serving as examples for future generations of loss prevention professionals.  

To be eligible for nomination, the individual must have served in a leadership role of Director or above within the retail loss prevention industry, or, if they are a solution provider, have been directly responsible for their significant contribution, achievement, innovation, or role as a stand-out leader.   They may be a current leader, retired, or may be nominated in posthumous recognition.

Individuals must be nominated by someone other than themselves.   

Tina Sellers has been a transformative force in the field of loss prevention for over three decades, leaving an indelible mark on every organization she has touched. Her career began at Mervyn's, where she started as a store investigator and rose through the ranks to become a regional director. She later held senior leadership roles at prominent retailers, including Family Dollar and Rite Aid, where she served as Vice President of Loss Prevention. In these positions, Tina was instrumental in developing and implementing comprehensive asset protection strategies that significantly reduced shrink and enhanced operational efficiency.

Beyond her corporate achievements, Tina has been a dedicated mentor and educator. She has served as an adjunct professor at Northern Michigan University, teaching courses in loss prevention and sharing her wealth of knowledge with the next generation of professionals. Her commitment to education extends to her involvement with the Loss Prevention Foundation, where she serves on the Board of Directors, contributing to the advancement of industry standards and professional development.

Tina's expertise is not confined to traditional retail environments. She has consulted globally on issues ranging from organized retail crime investigations to e-commerce fraud prevention, demonstrating a versatile and forward-thinking approach to asset protection. Her ability to adapt to the evolving retail landscape and address emerging threats has made her a sought-after expert in the field.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions, unwavering dedication, and pioneering spirit, Tina Sellers is a deserving recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Loss Prevention. Her legacy of excellence continues to inspire and shape the future of the industry.

Sean Sportun is a highly respected and accomplished security professional with over 30 years of experience in the Corporate Security Industry, earning global recognition for his leadership, innovation, and unwavering commitment to public safety. He holds an Honours diploma from the Seneca College Law Enforcement Program, along with leadership credentials from Queen’s University and Harvard University. Professionally, Sean is certified as a CPTED Level 2 Practitioner, Situation Awareness Specialist Advanced Practitioner, and International Crime Prevention Specialist. He contributes nationally as an associate member of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and is actively involved with the Ontario Gang Investigations Association. A passionate Community Safety Advocate, Sean has volunteered with Toronto Crime Stoppers since 2002, where he currently serves as Chair. Under his leadership, the program has launched impactful public awareness campaigns addressing Organized Retail Crime, Illegal Firearms, Human Trafficking, and Hate Crimes—strengthening community trust and engagement. Sean’s dedication has been widely recognized. He received the Key to the City of Baton Rouge for his Hurricane Katrina relief efforts (2005), was named Canadian Security Director of the Year (2013), and earned the Mission 500 Humanitarian Award (2016)—the first Canadian recipient. In 2021, he was an Ontario Premier’s Award nominee; in 2022, ranked #1 globally on IFSEC Global’s “Top Influencers” list; and in 2024, received both the Retail Secure Legends Award and the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. Sean’s influence extends to thought leadership, with Harvard Business School publishing two case studies on his innovative crime prevention strategies in retail. His lifetime of service, vision, and advocacy make him a standout candidate for the Lifetime Achievement Award.   

With a 40 year career, Cheryl is one of the most well-respected loss prevention executives in the industry. She is a true trailblazer; a figure who helped elevate the industry from a security/shoplifting focus to building fully integrated practices of loss prevention and profit protection. Cheryl has seen the industry expand when it comes to the growth of women in the field, too. At her first NRF PROTECT in 1990, she was one of only six women holding a VP or Director title. Since then, the industry has expanded to almost ten times that amount. Cheryl retired from Appriss Retail in the Spring of 2024 but leaves behind an impressive legacy of various industry firsts. After college, Cheryl answered an ad for store detective. Within the first 15 minutes on the job, she caught her first shoplifter and was hooked. Her career highlights include: - At Lord & Taylor, Cheryl was one of the first LP professionals to focus on prevention and general awareness, revolutionizing LP as more than just hiding to catch shoplifters. - At Toys “R” Us, she created the front-end training program that taught employees how to look for potential internal theft. She created programs to educate about paper shrink and how to identify product shortage. - At FuncoLand, Cheryl developed the practice of telephone interviews for suspected dishonest employees; presenting this method at the NRF Protect conference in 2000. The technique quickly became widely used and she was credited in Wicklander-Zulawski’s book Practical Aspects of Interview and Interrogation. - As a service provider, Cheryl was one of the first to embrace the partnership aspect and helped retailers build stronger programs, including creating best practices for rolling out gift card programs, POS systems and, of course, exception based reporting systems. - Prior to her retirement, Cheryl was a frequent speaker at industry events including, NRF, RILA, ASIS, LPRC, and RLPSA. She also served on the advisory board for RILA, NRF, RLPSA and several other industry organizations. Cheryl has been an integral part of the industry’s transition from “security” to a holistic and sophisticated view of loss prevention. 

• King Rogers
• Doug Wicklander and Dave Zulawski
• Dave Myer
• Benjamin A. Guffey, CPP
• Dick Hollinger
• Fred Wilson
• George “Pops” Luciano
•  John Hegan
• Lew Shealy
• Peter Berlin
• Bob MacLea
• Gary Manson
• Sandy Katz
• James Bridges
• Rich Mellor
• Wayne Hoover
• Paul Jones
• John Selevitch
• Mike Lamb

 
 A little about our Inductees...  (nomination details as submitted by those who nominated the inductee)
 
Richard Mellor, former VP Loss Prevention at NRF, VP Loss Prevention at Helzberg Diamonds.
Here is what people are saying about Rich:        
Richard “Rich” Mellor began his career in law enforcement as a police officer in Philadelphia before spending 40-plus years in retail security with a variety of companies. His resume includes titles of divisional vice president for Helzberg Diamonds, divisional vice president of LP and security for Bon-Ton, regional director of security for Macy’s East, and divisional vice president of security for both Woodward and Lothrop and John Wanamaker.

Following Helzberg Diamonds, Mellor was vice president of loss prevention at the NRF from November 2011 until his retirement in 2013. He continued to consult for NRF until July 2014. During his time with NRF he was tasked with leading NRF’s efforts on retail security and safety issues and managing the NRF Loss Prevention Advisory Council, a committee on which he had served for twenty-five years during his retail career, including chairing the council from 2002 to 2005. He is also a member of the NRF Ring of Excellence that recognizes pioneers in the retail LP community whose honor, integrity, and character serve as an example for the loss prevention industry.

Wayne Hoover, CFI, Wicklander-Zulawski          
Here is what people are saying about Wayne:
For 31 years, Wayne has selflessly endeavored to improve the Asset Protection and Law Enforcement industries.  He is a true example of servant leadership.  In his role at Wicklander-Zulawski, Wayne has taught thousands of students invaluable skills to improve their interview techniques and made himself available as a mentor as well.  Wayne never fails to answer his phone when a rookie (or veteran) interviewer reaches out in need of some advice.  His mission has never been about title or money, it has always been about improving the world around him, evidence of this is all the work he put into forming the Certified Forensic Interviewer designation.  He has been a positive role model for countless people throughout his career.  In addition to all this, he also volunteers his time to charity AND coaches baseball.  Wayne is an example for us all. 

King Rogers
King Rogers’ background encompasses over 40 years in the security and loss prevention field as well as early experience in a government intelligence agency. After spending six years as vice president of loss prevention at Strawbridge & Clothier, in 1984 King moved to Target Corporation where he was vice president of assets protection for almost 18 years. He was instrumental in the development of the Criminal Justice Long Distance Learning Graduate program at Michigan State University and was a co-founder of the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC) at the University of Florida. He was also one of the first inductees in the National Retail Federation's Loss Prevention Ring of Excellence.
 
King has been a successful entrepreneur since 2001 when he retired with the intent of bringing his successful experience to the broader industry. In partnership with several other practitioner/leaders, King started, grew, and sold two successful advisory services firms, KRI and KRG. Both companies capitalized on leveraging the knowledge of the founders who understood the application of forward-thinking technology and the value of meaningful intelligence in making measurable impact in permanently reducing loss.

In early March, 2016, KRG was acquired by Master Technology Group, Inc. and King served as senior assets protection advisor. Through his knowledge and experience he provided MTG with guidance to help grow its business and to better serve its clients. After a successful relationship with MTG, King recently returned to the role of bringing his expertise and experience to retailers as an independent loss prevention consultant providing assets protection advisory services to the broader marketplace. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Indyme Solutions, Inc., an Artificial Intelligence technology company and on the Advisory Board of BearCom, the nation's largest provider of Motorola radios.

With a Bachelor of Arts in history, King is a graduate from Yale University. While at Target he was on the forefront of identifying and developing comprehensive plans to attack organized theft rings, which is now known as ORC. I can recall personally meeting and having the chance to sit under the learning tree 20+ years ago discussing ORC approaches and leading-edge programs such as using data to track and identify problematic refunders. King has always been generous in giving back to the LP community and mentoring people like myself.
 
Doug Wicklander and Dave Zulawski
(Just like peanut butter needs jelly, you have to nominate Doug with Dave!)
Doug Wicklander and Dave Zulawski founded Wicklander Zulawski & Associates Inc. in 1982, a business that revolutionized loss prevention. Doug and Dave developed Interview and Interrogation techniques that were far from the traditional police interrogations of that time. Understanding the employee/employer relationship and the liabilities of poorly performed interrogations, they developed a non-confrontational style of interrogation that conformed with the way businesses preferred their employees be treated even when involved in criminal activity within the company.

This new style of interrogation allowed interviewers to develop rapport with employees involved in wrongdoing and this relationship allowed interviewers to develop more information on all the ways employees were able to deprive the company of its assets. This allowed loss prevention to establish controls to help prevent other employees from being involved in similar incidents and helped solution providers develop technology to prevent or identify employees involved in unethical behavior.
Doug and Dave were instrumental in helping the loss prevention community move from the reactionary police-type of investigation to the highly valued proactive loss prevention/asset protection culture now recognized in virtually all successful retail companies in North America and spreading internationally. There are many LP/AP executives that contribute part of their success to what they learned early in their career from Doug and Dave, including myself.

Dave Myers
Any connection you want to make, any LP Professional that ever worked for Montgomery Ward, Dave's your man. Not only does Dave have a wonderful way with people, it helps him guide his way through tumultuous times (Montgomery Ward) and still get top notch support for his organization.

Dave began his loss prevention career with Ventures Stores in 1970, where he became divisional vice president of loss prevention. He moved to Household Merchandising in 1982, and then on to lead the team at Montgomery Ward as vice president of asset protection from 1987-2001. He moved on to work for Secure Controls where Roger Laydon, the owner was a dear friend, and gracefully got Roger to share the customer satisfaction end of the business. He retired from Secure Controls after serving nearly 8 years as vice president of business development.

Benjamin A. Guffey, CPP
Ben Guffey was one of the most remarkable men I have ever known. A quiet, focused, strategic yet tactical, courageous, caring business leader who, while average in physical stature, was a giant in the retail loss prevention industry. Most old-timers in loss prevention remember Ben from his days at Kmart as vice president of loss prevention, and his leadership service on the NRF LP Board, his role on the IMRA (now RILA) Steering Committee, and his numerous responsibilities with ASIS. Ben was inducted posthumously into the NRF Ring of Excellence in 2007. He was instrumental in shaping and mentoring many of today’s influential LP executives, frequently behind the scenes quietly developing them and opening doors for them in their career paths.

Ben served several tours with the US Army in Vietnam, first as an explosive ordinance disposal technician and then later, after earning his degree and subsequent commission, as an EOD officer. In his very humble, quiet way, Ben would joke that he was very fortunate to come back from those experiences with all ten fingers intact, an unusual statistic for that profession.
Because of our employers, Ben and I were competitors (along with Dave Gorman from Walmart and Dave Myers from Montgomery Ward). But, in spite of that competitive spirit, we developed a long-lasting mutual respect—and ultimately a deep friendship. Consequently, when Ben and I retired from our respective corporate roles, we became partners in KRI, LLC, a professional international security consulting firm in which Ben served as president.

After retiring, Ben and his wife Jean relocated to Las Vegas where the climate and the tax structure were both more forgiving than what they had experienced for years in Michigan and elsewhere in the Midwest. When I would fly into Las Vegas for various meetings, Ben would always graciously meet me at the airport and when I spotted him waiting for me in the baggage claim section, I would inevitably greet him with “Dry heat, my a**”.

It has been over sixteen years since Ben’s sudden and unexpected passing. Today he is remembered by many as a gentle and courageous leader in both his professional career and personal life. It is truly an honor to have known him and to have been his friend.

Dick Hollinger
Dick Hollinger is a living legend across the entire loss prevention field. I first heard of Dr. Hollinger in the early 80’s having read his work on workplace deviance. I first met and worked with Dr. Hollinger in 1989 as Dr. Bart Weitz and I were working the first National Retail Security Survey (NRSS) draft, and as I was a research novice, he and Bart essentially helped me shape and write up what would become the global retail LP/AP survey standard. Dr. Hollinger and I became friends and colleagues, as well as he has long been a tremendous research mentor for me, and countless others.

Since we were on a roll with the NRSS, Richard and I launched into a similar shopping center-focused survey. We initially worked with the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) but ran into shopping center corporate lawyer headwinds concerned about legions of personal injury lawyers craving lawsuit benchmarks, and had to go it on our own, getting hundreds of participants to provide valuable information center operators used to improve protection.

Dr. Hollinger continued to build the NRSS and UF brand worldwide in the retailing industry, taught and mentored legions of students and practitioners, provided invaluable insight into how to leverage research and critical thinking into lower loss and crime results as a speaker at industry events, and even convinced many of his brightest students join the AP/LP ranks.

Fred Wilson
Fred Wilson was a one-of-a-kind leader that was ahead of his time and one of the greats who paved the path for all of us today. Fred was a leader of very few words, but when he spoke it was on point, purposeful, and everyone listened. His leadership helped give us the seat at the table that we have today.

There were several lessons from Fred that I still follow today. He taught me the importance of surrounding yourself with talent—the best people, and particularly those who have more potential than you do. Fred always had a team of very diverse, top-talent leaders during a time when there were very few females in asset protection leadership. He had an eye for talent and potential.

Fred was also one of the best investigators I have ever worked with, never leaving a stone unturned. He was not afraid of innovation and pushing the vendors for out-of-the-box ideas. There were times when you thought he was a little crazy with an idea, but he was never afraid to try something outside of the box to solve an investigation or a business opportunity. Circuit City was one of the first retailers to have a DVR that phased out VCR tapes, it was mind blowing when we rolled it out.

Fred’s master skill was his listening skills—he was the best. He would let you ramble on with whatever it was, never interrupted, and at the end he would say, “Well, what do you want to do?” I would realize I answered my own question, talking it out with him. I can still hear him listening to me today from a random pay phone on the side of the road after I paged him, (for those of you that knew him he had a very distinct whistle when he was breathing and listening). These were pivotal moments for me in my career. It taught me the importance of trusting your team. They know the answers—our role as their leader is to listen, coach and let them thrive.

Probably one of the most memorable leadership moments for me with Fred was during a high shrink store visit in a very high shrink market during my first week in a new role. All of the division, field, and corporate leadership were at the store in a conference room presenting their action plan. Fred knew instinctively that these were just words on paper and he left the meeting. The team just assumed that he had a call to make. Rather, he left the meeting to get out into the store and get to the root cause. He paged me and we walked the stock room and we found the root cause. He found old empty refrigerator boxes that were being used by the associates as places to take naps - pillows and blankets were in these boxes on the racks. He also found that a back door alarm had never been connected to the alarm system, and based on the grass and footprints he found, the door was being used on a regular basis. He was right. The following week we closed out several internal theft cases and the shrink numbers in the store improved overnight. Just last week I took the same approach with unannounced visits to engage with the teams to solve the shrink problems in the stores. He taught us that the real answers are in the stores, not in a meeting!
What I admired about Fred was the love he had for his wife, family and sailing. Fred would light up when sharing stories about his sailing trips with his wife.

I am so blessed that Fred saw something in me that I never did. I would not have had this amazing journey without his leadership and support! He kick-started many young LP professionals’ careers.

George “Pops” Luciano
George “Pops” Luciano is one of those people who always believed in sharing his experience with others looking for a mentor. He began his career in loss prevention with Vons Grocery Company in what at the time was called security. His first director position came with Smith’s Food King where he met his mentor, Lou Saenz. Lou was ahead of his time when it came to inventory control and cash handling procedures. Pops had a law enforcement background which helped his interview skills. From Smith’s he moved to HRT Industries, where he was first exposed to the latest anti-theft technologies such as EAS and cameras. About that same time civil recovery laws were being passed and he worked to implement recovery procedures to help retailers deter theft.

Because Pops has such a magnetic personality, many of the more successful people in loss prevention are attracted to him and still keep in touch (He just turned 89). Some of the other retailers he has worked with include Clothestime, WR Grace, and he started the LP program at Petco.

He was asked to become a partner in a startup company called Civil Demand Associates and was involved in growing CDA when he was offered the Petco job. That was when he approached me to work for CDA so he could move on with confidence. This offer to help me was life changing.

After the second or third time he retired, he returned to CDA to help me with sales. Working with my dad was the greatest time in my life. There are many personal stories, too many to mention here, but because of his personality there was never a day when we were not laughing. He isn’t good at remembering names so that was a source of incredible laughs especially at trade shows. I love my dad very much and to still have a pioneer around to talk to is a true blessing.

 John Hegan
John Hegan had a life-long career of over 40 years with Bamberger’s. His last position held at Bamberger’s was vice president of security before the organization was merged into Macy’s. Following the merger, John assumed the position as the vice president of security operations and standards at Macy’s. In this position he was responsible for the operating standards, primarily in areas such as training, expense control, the alarm monitoring center, risk management, and public events, such as Macys Fireworks, Macys Flower Show, and the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade.

John also handled sensitive areas, including all issues of safety and protection with Macys Board of Directors and Company Executive Committee group. John had a strong understanding of talent and developed some of the best leaders in the industry, past and present. He is also credited with developing the framework for law enforcement partnerships for Macys, a foundation that still is still followed today.

John’s greatest asset was his personal and business standards and ethics. He molded accountability and always had a strong focus on business commitments and delivering results. Many of John’s practices are still active across the industry today, such as the proper use of CCTV to avoid litigation issues, and using interior alarm system traps to better protect Fine Jewelry and high-value merchandise.

John was always a very approachable leader and had a calm demeanor regarding the way he addressed critical business stations. His leadership style is one we all should embrace and add to our skill set.

Lew Shealy
Lew Shealy lived by his own code that ultimately would be adopted by many of us that worked with him as we went on to other endeavors. There are a few things that still stand out today that we learned from Lew.  He taught us the importance of networking and the development of relationships in the industry. I was always amazed at the fact that Lew knew someone everyplace and if he did not, it wouldn’t take long for him to make a new “friend”.

He was old school in integrity. If you remember the Jim Collins book “Good to Great” Lew was a level five leader in many respects. He always fully supported his team, and we knew he had our back. He absolutely did not micromanage us and simply expected results and no one wanted to let him down. He loved recognizing young talent and giving them an opportunity to grow.    

Lew was an innovative thinker and was willing to take risks to get to the next best thing. He was one of the first LP leaders to play in the exception reporting arena and endorse the use of data analytics as a way of moving loss prevention towards the use of professional technology as opposed to a cops and robbers department.  Even in the 1980’s he was aggressively going after what we call ORC today and his contacts in law enforcement supported this with complicated sting operations.

He was also not at all afraid of the media, in fact he leveraged them to get the LP mission out there in the public eye, all the time using his lovable county boy image.

Two things that everyone that worked for Lew will always remember are the messages he had on his desk. The first was the Harry Truman quote “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.

The second was a paperweight that he gave to all of us on his team. It simply said “Does it stand inspection?  This was the question that he regularly challenged us with. I still have mine on my desk thirty-one years later. I had one of these made for all my team and I have Lew to thank for that. I left Fields in 1990 when we were bought out by Dayton Hudson. Lew and I both ended up in Florida at different companies. We stayed in touch on a regular basis until we lost him earlier this year. He was a great teacher, leader, mentor, and friend. Like many, I will miss him.

Peter Berlin
The New York Times called Peter Berlin the nation’s best known and most active consultant on inventory shrinkage.  He is an international consultant on retail theft, president of The Peter Berlin Retail Consulting Group, Inc., publisher of two leading retail industry newsletters on inventory shrinkage (named The Peter Berlin Report On Shrinkage Control - Executive Edition and Store Managers Edition) and founded the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, Inc., a non-profit organization directed toward shoplifting prevention and rehabilitation.

Peter Berlin started his career in retail in 1966 joining the executive training program at Abraham & Straus. He was assigned to inventory control and two years later became head of the department. In 1969, he was one of the first retail executives to see the value of alarm tags and began using the Sensormatic theft device, a system of plastic tags that set off an alarm if they are not removed before an item is taken from a store. In the A&S junior apparel department, shrinkage amounted to 7 percent of sales, but within a year of adding the Sensormatic, he said, it dropped to 1 percent. Later he found that shoplifters considered the plastic tags to be the most effective theft deterrent.

He later spent five years as the National Director of the Retail Loss Prevention Consulting Group for Price Waterhouse, traveling worldwide and consulting with more than 100 retail firms about how to prevent shoplifting and employee theft. Mr. Berlin conducted advanced educational seminars for retail executives was frequently quoted on radio, TV and in the media.
In 1977 Peter Berlin founded Shoplifters Anonymous out of his belief that by understanding and addressing the “root causes” of shoplifting, millions of individual lives and families could be improved and a significant reduction in shoplifting could be achieved for the retail industry.

Early in his career as a director of loss prevention for department and specialty stores, he observed that most of the people he apprehended had “no idea why they did it”, were not career criminals but were otherwise decent, law-abiding citizens—mothers, fathers, grandparents, juveniles, business, and professional people. Most shoplifters had a family, a job, had money in their pocket, did not need the item they stole, did not associate with known criminals, were humiliated, ashamed, guilty, and fearful and often felt devastated by what they had done.

Peter Berlin questioned why people would engage in such self-destructive behavior when it was clearly out of their character. After hiring three psychologists to study the problem and conducting surveys and personal interviews, and self-help groups he concluded that for the non-professional shoplifter, shoplifting was rarely about greed, poverty, or values. It was rather about individuals struggling with their own personal conflicts and needs, their feelings of entitlement, and other underlying issues in their life. It became evident that the shoplifting was not the real problem for these people but rather a “symptom” of the real problem.

It was also evident that these people were not proud of what they had done and wanted help to stop their self-destructive behavior. This was true for almost all shoplifters except the professional “career criminals” or “drug addicts”. These people could not easily be rehabilitated and clearly belonged in either a drug treatment program or jail.

Realizing that the vast majority of shoplifters were not career criminals; that there was little public understanding of the shoplifting problem; knowing that people who shoplift had nowhere to turn because of the shame and fear about what they had done; in 1989 Mr. Berlin started the non-profit organization known today as the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention.

Peter Berlin retired in 2005 but continues to work one-on-one with individuals dealing with shoplifting issues.
Born in Brooklyn in 1940 Peter Berlin received Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1963 from Long Island University in New York. Today Peter and his wife Meryl live in Boca Raton where he happily plays tennis 3 times per week.

Bob MacLea
Bob MacLea left an immeasurable impact on both people and programs. At the same time, like myself, many people called him a true friend. He led us through ground breaking strategies that helped us achieve world-class results. In the industry, he was very involved in key associations and remained an advocate for all the we hope to accomplish in our profession.
Bob had more than 40 years of experience as a loss prevention expert. He worked his way through the ranks at The TJX Companies Inc., beginning as a security guard at Marshalls in 1975 and eventually becoming senior vice president of loss prevention in 2010. His compassion for others left a lasting impact on many in the loss prevention community. Long an advocate for the profession, Bob was a founding member of the Loss Prevention Foundation and the Loss Prevention Research Council as well as an active member of the NRF LP Council.

To the scholarship recipients, Bob MacLea may be just a name, as most did not have the privilege of meeting him. What they should know about this LP industry legend is this:

• Bob was a consummate professional who treated all with kindness and respect — from the C-suite to store staff.
• He was generous with his time and advice, both personal and professional.
• Accolades written about Bob are not just words. They are tributes rooted in the deep connections he fostered with his family, friends, and LP colleagues.
• If you were lucky enough to spend time with Bob outside of work — golfing, fishing, hunting — you were fortunate to have had the opportunity.

Bob would advise the scholarship recipients to put this honor to good use. Maximize your LP knowledge. Better yourself. And most importantly, bring your A game to your LP career and your life. Bob was a true gentleman and he is remembered every day.

Gary Manson
Gary Manson began his retail career at Montgomery Ward like many others in the 70’s laying the foundation for what the loss prevention industry has become today.

Gary and I went way back to our days with Montgomery Ward. I first met him when he and I were assistant regional directors. Soon after we both were promoted to regional manager and shared many stories of our challenges and successes. Over the years, I visited with him at Neiman Marcus and shared a seat with him on the NRF loss prevention advisory council. Gary was always the first to volunteer for any new session.

Gary was inducted into the Retail Loss Prevention Ring of Excellence in 2009 following his retirement from Neiman Marcus as the vice president of loss prevention. He was always there to guide his team and mentor those in the industry. Gary was a man of impeccable integrity and high expectations for his team and the industry. He ensured the best vendor resources/services were developed and implemented as well as was incredibly supportive of exceptional training resources. His guidance and counsel were invaluable to the industry. He expected your best efforts and supported all to become exceptional leaders. He had an incredible talent and memory for the details that he was able to personalize with everyone and truly make them the center of attention.
 
Sandy Katz
Sandy Katz spent almost 20 years as vice president of audit and control for Talbots, a specialty retailer focusing on men’s and women’s fashions. For nineteen years he was responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the appropriate control environment throughout the company, including loss prevention, internal audit, inventory control, sales audit, and policies and procedures.

A certified public accountant with over twenty-five years of experience in loss prevention, Katz was the director of loss prevention for The General Mills Specialty Retailing Group, which included Talbots and Eddie Bauer at the time, and, prior to that, the director of loss prevention for Howland Steinbach, a junior department store chain,Sandy was always very active throughout the LP industry. He was a member of the National Retail Federation’s Loss Prevention Advisory Council for many years, serving as its chairman for six years. He was also a member of Loss Prevention Magazine’s editorial board. He has also long believed you have a responsibility to give back to the community that you live and work in, and became very active in taking that approach, saying on many occasions that this helps us all keep things in perspective.
 
James Bridges
Often in life individuals are bestowed with the title “pioneer”. But Jim Bridges is best described by the verb “pioneered”, meaning first to apply new methods and innovations. He was a doer and always thought we should work smarter rather than harder.

In the mid 70’s Bridges was appointed as the corporate security director for Federated Department Stores. Federated was composed of a number of prestigious department divisions, discount stores, and a grocery store chain. It was a very powerful company and was often referred to as the “Queen of Retailing”.

As Bridges began his tour of Federated businesses, he was surprised to learn that many of the security departments were mostly in the “cops and robbers” mode. The preponderance of the security chiefs were former police officers, and their only mission was to arrest and convict. There was very little CCTV. Most that were available were black and white units that had to be manually rotated to view another surveillance point. Security employees were not trained, and there were no procedures or practices guiding security functions or activities. Interactions between corporate management and security hardly existed.
Bridges recognized that retailing was changing and that the security he observed was not in a position to keep up with the pace of change. Computers were replacing cash registers, store design was allowing merchandise to be more openly displayed, and there was going to be a massive expansion of retail malls.

Bridges knew that security had to change from the 70’s mode. Importantly, he worked with human resources to start recruiting security managers that were college educated, and had management and business skills capable of effecting change in the midst of the growth. He consistently worked with security product vendors to provide more tools and products that allowed smarter approaches to investigations and prevention. He required mandatory training for all security employees. While Bridges accomplishments were many, the most pride he felt was seeing loss prevention professionals elevated in management organizational charts, evidencing the importance of their position.

From Boardroom executives to the front door guards, Bridges knew them all and called them friend. He was the spark and the compass that provided for today’s loss prevention stature and success.

John Selevitch, LP Magazine, Limited Brands, Toys R Us, Jordan Marsh, The Broadway, LPjobs
Here's what people are saying about this exceptional leader:
John Selevitch's illustrious career in loss prevention and his unwavering dedication to the field make him an exemplary candidate for the Loss Prevention Hall of Honor. With over 27 years of experience, John held significant leadership roles at renowned retailers such as Limited Brands, Jordan Marsh, Toys "R" Us, and The Broadway in Southern California, to name a few, demonstrating his profound expertise and commitment to asset protection.

As the Digital Editor for LP Magazine, John played a pivotal role in enhancing the publication's digital presence. He managed the LP Insider weekly newsletter and oversaw the operations of LPportal, the magazine's website, and its innovative segment, the Monday 5. His visionary leadership significantly contributed to the magazine's growth and influence within the industry.

In addition to his editorial work, John served as the Vice President of Operations for LPjobs.com, the leading e-recruiting website in the loss prevention sector. He also founded iSecureJobs.com, further showcasing his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to advancing the profession.
John's contributions extended beyond his professional roles. He was a dedicated volunteer and donor for the Humane Society of Charlotte and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, reflecting his deep sense of social responsibility and compassion. His volunteer work, spanning over two decades, highlights his commitment to making a positive impact on society.

Known for his quick wit, sharp intellect and warm sense of humor, John was not only a respected professional but also a beloved colleague and mentor. His ability to blend professionalism with a personal touch endeared him to many in the loss prevention community.
John Selevitch's legacy of innovation, leadership, and community service makes him a deserving nominee for the Loss Prevention Hall of Honor, celebrating his outstanding contributions and enduring impact on the field.
 
Paul Jones, Gatekeeper Systems, eBay, Luxottica, RILA, Limited Brands, Mervins, Jordan Marsh, NASP, The Loss Prevention Foundation ...and more!
Here's what people are saying about this exceptional leader:
..... 1 am nominating Paul Jones, LPC for Loss Prevention Hall of Honor - Lifetime Achievement
Award. Paul Jones is a distinguished retail asset protection leader with an impactful career spanning three decades. During that time, he has demonstrated the ability to develop and implement effective loss prevention strategies that have reduced shrinkage and streamlined operations in Fortune 500 companies. Beyond leadership roles, Paul actively serves the loss prevention community as an industry advocate for education and the advancement of the profession. He served as VP of Asset Protection for RILA, the Chairman of the NASP Advisory Board, and a member of the LPRC and Loss Prevention Magazine Editorial Board. He is currently the Vice Chairman of The Loss Prevention Foundation. Paul Jones embodies the essence of the Loss Prevention Hall of Honor. His extensive leadership experience, unwavering industry advocacy, and impactful achievements solidify his place as a true leader. His contributions to the Loss Prevention field throughout his journey make him a well-deserving nominee for the Loss Prevention Hall of Honor.

...... Paul Jones has made a profound impact on the loss prevention industry through his extensive
career and leadership roles. With over 30 years of experience, Paul has served as Vice President of Loss Prevention for major retailers including Limited Brands and Luxottica, and played a significant role at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) as Vice President of Asset Protection, driving advocacy and innovation for the whole loss prevention industry

At Limited Brands, Paul spearheaded innovative loss prevention strategies, drastically reducing shrinkage and enhancing overall security. His tenure at Luxottica saw the integration of advanced surveillance systems and data analytics tools, further cementing his reputation as a forward­ thinking leader.

Currently, Paul serves as the Vice Chairman of The Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF), an organization he has supported since its inception. His work with LPF underscores his commitment to professional development and education within the industry, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.

Beyond his professional achievements, Paul is deeply involved in philanthropic efforts. As well as being a former national Judo champion and passionate wrestling enthusiast, he has also been a driving force in fundraising for numerous causes, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. His dedication to community service and his ability to inspire others highlight his exceptional character and leadership.
Paul Jones's career is marked by innovation, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of excellence in loss prevention. His contributions have left an indelible mark on the industry, making him a deserving nominee for the Loss Prevention Hall of Honor
 
Mike Lamb -  Kroger, Walmart, The Home Depot, RLG
Here's what people are saying about this exceptional leader:
Mike Lamb has significantly impacted the loss prevention industry throughout his extensive career, serving as Vice President of Asset Protection for major (dare I say massive?) retailers like Kroger and Walmart, as well as The Home Depot. His leadership and innovative approaches in asset protection have made substantial contributions to these organizations, changing the way each one has managed their shrink strategy.
At Kroger, Michael led the asset protection and safety initiatives across over 2,700 locations, enhancing shrinkage control and safety measures. His tenure at Walmart saw him oversee a huge team of asset protection associates, implementing advanced strategies that improved overall security and operational efficiency. At The Home Depot, he was instrumental in developing regulatory compliance and safety programs that set new standards in the industry.

In addition to his corporate roles, Michael is a dedicated board member of The Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF), a role he has embraced since the foundation's inception, and he currently sits on the Executive Committee, lending his guidance and expertise to navigate the growth and expansion of the organization. His commitment to professional development and education in the field of loss prevention is evident through his active participation in LPF's initiatives, helping to shape the future of the industry.

Mike's career is marked by his extraordinary ability to blend strategic vision with practical solutions, consistently driving improvements in asset protection. His contributions have not only benefited the companies he served but also advanced the broader loss prevention community as he has worked to unite even competitive solution providers, to tackle industry challenges working together and integrating solutions for the benefit of all retailers.

Recognized for his leadership and dedication, As Mike moves towards retirement (again) I am honored to nominate him as a deserving candidate for the Loss Prevention Hall of Honor as we celebrate his outstanding achievements and lasting impact on the industry.