The Kevlar Statesman

Photo: Courtesy of ICON Services Corp.

Elijah Shaw is a unique balance of brains and brawn. CEO of ICON Services Corp., he is a man of many suits—some of which even contain kevlar. With the constant potential for danger in today’s world, celebrities and executives alike look to Shaw for protection. Some of his A-list clients include supermodel Naomi Campbell as well as rapper Curtis “50-Cent” Jackson. Shaw is best known, however, for being singer Usher Raymond’s personal bodyguard. Working closely with celebrities on a daily basis, Shaw protects not only their safety, but a few of their secrets as well. Quite the opposite of the stereotypical bodyguard (musclebound, cocky, and pumped full of steroids), he presents a suave and intellectual demeanor. Less Rambo; more “Bond, James Bond.”–Katina Harkins

Takeover: ICON was one of the few security firms entrusted with providing security services for the 2008 Republican National Convention, Democratic National Convention, and Presidential Inauguration Ceremony. Considering the historic nature of the 2008 Presidential Election, how was this opportunity significant to you personally?

Elijah Shaw: It was a fantastic experience to be involved in even a peripheral way with these historic events. Growing up, just because of my family’s economic condition and the sheer law of survival in the inner city, I paid little or no attention to politics. Sure, I knew who some of the major players were, but that was about the extent of it. Now, having been involved in last year’s world changing election, I pay closer attention to politics as a whole and am keenly aware of how actions of the present can acutely affect the future.

You’ve stated that one of the reasons you decided to start your own company was so that you could ‘recreate the wheel’ by blending elements of celebrity protection with corporate security, something your former employer wasn’t too keen on. Generally speaking, how open is the private security business to this kind of tactical innovation? And how competitive is the industry?

Private security, like other industries, is a business. The majority of successful agencies have been around awhile and are very hesitant to deviate from what works. If something is making you money, why change it? I understand that thinking, but I wanted something different, so I took up the challenge to create a new template. While a niche market, our industry is very competitive, especially on the outside looking in. It seems to be a dream job. So once you gain it, you don’t want to lose it. However, like any service in the marketplace, the business (and the clients) ebb and flow.

How do you prepare for high risk assignments that take you to countries where there’s an increased threat of violence? And at one point would you have to say to a client, ‘Ok, this is too dangerous’ and advise against visiting a certain location?

The high risk assignments are where you really need to be focused. 90% of the job is in the planning, so you take care to minimize your clients exposure to harm. Depending on the type of client, resources might go from unlimited to a shoe string budget, so you just have to make due with the hand you are dealt. There are times, for example, when an entertainer has to make a public appearance, even when faced with a higher threat level, and the recommendations I make leads me to butt heads with other decision makers. Sometimes you can’t get away from that, but that is ultimately why a service like mine is used.

You read about celebrity bodyguards who feel ‘babysitting’ or taking a bullet for a client is not in their job description. Personally speaking, what do you feel is the extent of your duties as a bodyguard?

My primary responsibility is to keep my client safe from any and all threats. I guess to those guys I would ask, ‘What exactly are they in it for?’ 98% of the time, nothing happens. But in a split of a second, that could change. At that moment of truth, our response could mean life or death for our client.

Being away from the office seems like a constant occurrence for you. With a staff of nearly 50 people to manage, operating all over the globe, how do you keep the trains running on time? And is there a specific reason your company operates out of Minnesota, as opposed to more commercial markets like NYC and L.A.?

One of the toughest things I do is travel extensively to work personally with clients and at the same time run the day-to-day operations of my agency. The one thing I learned to do early is to identify quality people and put them in support roles. So even while I’m very much a micro-manager, I do know how to delegate and can trust that the important tasks get done by the appropriate staff. I also had to learn to step back and ‘smell the roses’ every once in awhile. I believe most entrepreneurs are very driven, but sometimes when you’re in the zone, you forget to come up for air. You can’t sprint the whole way in a marathon. And the reason I live in Minnesota is simple: the rest of my life is so fast-paced and crazy, it’s nice to be able to retreat to a quiet block in a quiet neighborhood and leave the hustle and bustle of the “Hollywood lifestyle” on the tarmac. It helps me maintain my sanity.

From reading your blog and following your twitter feed, you come across as having a very studious work ethic, particularly in regards to keeping up with developments in the private security community. Have you always been so detail oriented, or was it something that developed over time by virtue of your profession?

I think I was always a person that fed on information. I was a voracious reader, and technology just puts getting news from around the world at your fingertips. However, it wasn’t until the last few years, and with the prompting of mentors and peers, that I realized that I could share my outlook and use the information inside my head to help others.

With danger possibly lurking around every corner, guarding someone’s’ safety seems like a stressful enough job. But you also have the added weight of running a company. What do you do to relax and unwind?

Unfortunately, stress does come as part of the package deal with the successes I’ve had as a business owner and a bodyguard. I find that more and more, I enjoy quiet moments where I can just shut my brain off for a bit.

Considering your line of work, you must have plenty of interesting stories. Are there any you can share?

I think I’ll need to keep the best stories in my head because a big part of what we do involves trust, and you don’t ever want your clients to feel like their personal business is fair game for conversation. However, my career has allowed me to travel the world a few times over, and I’ve seen, and been a part of, some amazing things. I can remember taking a client to Jerusalem to visit some of the historic sites and during the trip, she insisted on going to Bethlehem, which is in Palestinian controlled territory. The situation was so tense that even our guide could not accompany us. We were told that in the event something ‘happened’, there would be no cavalry to come riding in to save the day. We made it in and out safely, but just to be able to move from something like that to dinner at the White House to being backstage at Summer Jam in NYC—these are experiences I never could have imagined getting a chance to be apart of.

Bodyguards are stereotypically thought of as being big, burly meatheads, who aren’t particularly discreet or courteous. But your approach seems to rely more on finesse than, say, brute force and intimidation. Is there a strategic motive behind this seemingly counter intuitive approach?

Absolutely! The biggest reason is that I’m not ‘big or burly’ [laughs.] When I set out to make executive protection a career, I looked at the guys who were doing it the BEST. My model was the Secret Service, and when you see those guys, you don’t see knuckle draggers or meatheads. You see professionals who easily could be mistaken for politicians, businessmen, or aides themselves. Blending in when needed is just as important as standing out, and being mentally fit goes side by side with the physical part.

For most entrepreneurs, business ownership provides them with the financial freedom to do what they truly love. For some, that means seeing the world, collecting art, or pursuing philanthropic causes near and dear to their hearts. What would you say has been the most rewarding part for you?

Right now, I just feel really fortunate to have a company that has existed for over 10 years. I started ICON in my attic with a desktop computer and a business line. I have watched it grow like a baby to where we do business worldwide with A-listers in both the celebrity and the business world. I’m also finding it rewarding to now be training the next generation of future protectors, and tracking their progress as they grow in the industry.

What does the future hold for ICON?

We have some exciting plans coming up that will increase our presence in the marketplace. One thing we’ll be doing is expanding the training division of our agency so that, in addition to our Celebrity Bodyguard course, we’ll also be offering classes on Stalker and Paparazzi detection as well as self defense courses for women (that really work!)

And what about for Elijah Shaw?

For me, I just want to continue to keep doing what I love. This industry has been very good to me, and as long as I can continue to provide a quality service to my clients, I plan on being in the business for many years to come.

Elijah Shaw is the CEO of Icon Services Corporation, a security and investigative firm that specializes in providing Executive Protection to high profile individuals. Shaw is also the National Director of the North American Bodyguard Association. You can connect with him through his company’s website, his blog, or Twitter.