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Kristen Argus
General Manager, Allied Universal
United States Army
A U.S. Army veteran who served in the Transportation/Logistics Corp., Kristen Argus joined Allied Universal in 2015. She left the military after 11 years of service to spend more time with her family.
Why did Kristen decide to serve her country? Her father served in the National Guard and her grandfather served in World War II.
“I was recruited to play Division I tennis at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York,” said Kristen. “During my visit to the Academy at the age of 16, I realized I wanted to take on this challenge, and I had a deep desire to be part of the traditions and lineage.”
Kristen held a variety of job assignments in the military including Platoon Leader, Transportation Staff Officer, Company Commander and Branch Assignments Officer and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, Washington, DC, Ft. Eustis, VA, Central America, Honduras and Germany.
She concluded her service at the rank of O-4 or “Major” and is most proud of the back-to-back “Company Command” positions she held overseas.
“Normally you are only allowed or asked to do this once in your career,” says Kristen. “It is a high stakes position that you must perform well in order to make the next rank.”
When Kristen left the Army to join the civilian workplace, she was happy she found a place to call home where she could feel part of a team again.
“If you are among the right people and the right team, you can still establish and build camaraderie and the teamwork spirit,” says Kristen.
Kristen believes her military experience influenced her career at Allied Universal.
“I’m not sure I would have sought out this industry without having a background in field operations. Many of the skill sets are similar---patrol, observation, investigations and reporting.”
Whenever she can, Kristen gives advice to veterans who are leaving the military about starting a civilian career in the security industry, which is a perfect segue.
“It is fast paced, much like what veterans experience in the military,” she said. “At Allied Universal, we have structure and processes; however, priorities and the mission can change on a moment’s notice, which requires you and your team to be responsive in order to alleviate the situation.”
Kristen started her career at Allied Universal as a Director of Value Management and is now in a leadership role as a General Manager for the Atlanta market. Her goal is to move into another role with increased responsibility, geography and new challenges.
