VENDOR SPOTLIGHT

by Victoria Head

AUGUSTIN M. M. HOUEGBAN,
PRESIDENT/CEO OF WORLD STAR PROTECTIVE SERVICES

Augustin Houegban grew up in the Republic of Benin in West Africa. He ventured to the United States in 2002 and has since studied business, finance and organizational security management. After working in the security field for over 10 years, Houegban opened his own security service, World Star Protective Services. World Star Protective Services, based in the Los Angeles area and having started out with five full-time security guards, currently has over 50 full-time security guards in its employ.

"I like being the one responsible for protecting people and their property," says Houegban. "Clients come to me with their needs and concerns after having invested a lot of time and money into their properties; it's my job to provide them with the necessary services to make them feel safe and keep them and their belongings protected. World Star Protective Services equips our customers with extra eyes and peace of mind. I enjoy the public relations side of the business the most; I like to know that my clients feel safe and secure when my team is on the premises." Although Houegban is the main one in charge of office planning and operations for World Star, he still enjoys putting on his uniform and presenting to job sites. Once at the location, Houegban finds comfort in being able to assess his team's presence at the site and in enforcing that sense of security and manpower.

World Star Protective Services offers armed and unarmed security to commercial and residential buildings, hospitals, universities, financial institutions, malls, car dealerships, construction sites, churches and special events. They also offer bodyguards, corporate escorts and have a security training academy which provides the state required training for their security employees. World Star is California licensed (PPO # 16004), bonded and insured and all guards are put through an extensive background check, fingerprinted, instructed in The Power of Arrest, as well as Public Relations and the Laws & Regulations of a security guard.

Drumming up new business and getting new clients to trust him with their security needs has been one of the biggest challenges for Houegban as he leads World Star Protective Services. "New business is hard to get. Like with so many things in California, most times it comes down to who you know. Getting involved with various associations in the area did help, however. I am currently the VP of Marketing and a member of the Santa Monica Junior Chamber. It allows for great networking and my company has also been fortunate enough to be able to provide security services at many of their conferences and special events." Houegban is also very involved in the African Community in the LA area and extends his company's services at their African Focus Induction Ceremonies.

Houegban says, "To choose World Star Protective Services as your source of high level security ensures that you will receive professional, highly trained asset protective officers; regular field supervision by the managerial staff at all job site locations; 24-hour communication hotline with control base for any emergencies, special requests or informative needs." World Star has earned a reputation for providing its clients with superior service and exceeding customer's expectations, making Houegban's company one of the fastest growing security services in the LA area.

In the near future, Houegban says that he would like to expand World Star Protective Services across the United States and abroad. "I would like to set up offices in the major cities of the U.S., as well as in African and Europe." To learn more about World Star Protective Services, you are welcomed to contact Houegban at (213) 384-7100 or at (213) 761-0278. Also, feel free to visit World Star's website at www.worldstarprotection.net.