Bland Cologne has over thirty-seven (37) years of experience in law enforcement, intelligence and corporate security. He began his career as a police officer with the City of Falls Church, Virginia Police Department, and continued as a Staff Instructor with the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy. Later, he became a Special Agent with the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) where he served multiple deployments both overseas and aboard Navy ships. Bland left NCIS to become Director of Corporate Security & Safety for American Express Travel in Florida. In 1992, he started Brandon & Associates, a Jacksonville Private Investigative firm which became First Coast Security Services in 1999. Since that time, FCS has experienced tremendous growth under Bland’s leadership by focusing on its core values of service to the customer and concern for its employees.

Tim is responsible for all performance and profit/loss functions for First Coast Security. He has been in the contract security industry for over thirty years, during which time he has held multiple senior level management positions. Tim began his career in 1989 with Burns International Security as District Manager. He was promoted to VP, General Manager in 1993, then to Business Unit VP in 1998, and led the integration of Pinkerton and Burns following their 2001 acquisition. Tim then served as Division President at Securitas from 2001-2010, then as CEO of Paragon Systems from 2010-2012. He later served as President at Inter-Con Security Systems, and as Principal at Valensec International, serving the federal market.

Chris Austin has thirty-two (32) years in the security industry. He began his career in 1994 with Brinks Armored Car. In 1996, he was promoted to Branch Manager for the Jacksonville district. In 1997, he was promoted to City Manager in Orlando, and in 2000, he was promoted to District Manager for the South Eastern United States becoming the youngest person to hold that position. In 2007, Chris was recruited to FCS as the Business Development Manager and was promoted to Vice President in 2008. Chris has served as the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and Chief Operating Officer where he passionately focused on performance, value, and long-term strategy both at FCS and in the industry.

Susan is a seasoned financial professional with over 30 years of extensive experience in various facets of accounting and holds a master’s degree in accounting, and a CPA certificate. Her expertise spans across Government Accounting, Public Accounting, Audit, Tax, and Education. Throughout her career, Susan has demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for financial management and strategic decision-making. In her current role as CFO, she oversees all accounting operations and systems administration, ensuring financial stability and accuracy.

Glenn has a distinguished 30+ year career as a human resource executive, and holds a MA degree from the University of Jacksonville. He began his HR career as a Human Resource Supervisor for Yellow Freight Systems, and later served as Director of Corporate Human Resources for Arnold Transportation Services. Most recently, he served over 15 years as Vice President of Corporate Human Resources at Advanced Disposal Services. In his current role, Glenn provides guidance to management teams in HR matters, directs staff on HR functions, and develops, interprets, and implements policies and procedures according to federal and state laws and regulations. He leads all human resource initiatives – including employee relations, recruitment/retention, staff development, regulatory compliance, HR policies, and benefits administration.

Bob is a security industry veteran, progressively holding multiple executive leadership and sales roles, most notably as the Senior Vice President of Sales – North America at Securitas. He has been an executive with some other industry leaders such as Aramark, and Baxter Healthcare. During his tenure, he not only drove and achieved substantial top-line growth, but also supported the implementation of innovative business models and played a pivotal role in securing major contract awards. His wealth of experience across many customer markets and strategic acumen uniquely equip him to lead our business development initiatives. Bob holds a BS Degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Darrin Finley serves as the National Vice President of Training and Quality Assurance after re –joining the First Coast Security team after a 10-year hiatus. In his previous role at First Coast Security, Darrin was the Director of Administrative Services with responsibility for Human Resources, Accounting, Information Technology, Risk Management, and corporate administrative support. Before returning to First Coast Security in 2025, he was a leadership consultant helping individuals and organizations improve their performance through a focus on leadership development, organizational design, and operational process improvement.

Overall, Darrin’s 30 + year career spans general business administration, operations, information technology, human resources, and financial management in both private sector and publicly traded companies having been a senior executive in industries ranging from banking and financial services to hospitality.

Darrin received his Bachelor of Science degree in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his Master of Business Administration from Jacksonville University. He also completed the advanced management program for executive development at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

A native of Birmingham, Darrin was raised in Atlanta. He currently lives in Jacksonville, where he has served as a board member for organizations such as Learn to Read, The Jacksonville Public Library Foundation, We Care Jacksonville, and Level the Playing Field Leadership Academy. He has also served as a coach for Jacksonville First Coast Soccer Association.

AJ Romano is a high energy executive with twenty (20) years of experience in the security industry in almost every position of management. In his current position at FCS as Senior Vice President, he is primarily responsible for implementation and oversight of large client accounts. He brings to this a demonstrated ability to develop tactical and strategic business plans, reduce operational expenses and improve success. He is adept at developing metrics for both the company and the client to measure performance and value. AJ has an extensive background in project management, budgeting and forecasting, human relations management, negotiation and presentation skills, production and operations management, and managing large staffs in a multi-site, multi-state environment. Prior to joining FCS in 2010, AJ was with Brinks Armored Car for ten years in numerous management positions culminating in his appointment as the District Manager for Central Florida and Louisiana and Regional Vice President for the southeast.

Jonathan started with FCS in Sept 2021 as an Account Manager after relocating to Ashburn, VA from Atlanta, GA. Two years later in 2023, Jonathan was promoted to Regional Director. His favorite aspect of the job is getting to work with so many different people from all over the world since the Greater DC area is a melting pot.

Earle has over forty (40) years of experience in contract security, beginning his security career in 1977 with Enforcement Security Corporation. In 1995, Earle advanced to the position of General Manager for Wells Fargo Guard Services in Gainesville, Florida. He was promoted in 1998 to District Manager for Burns International, and then served as Area Operations Manager for the Southeast Business Unit for Securitas USA.

Earle joined First Coast Security in 2003 and has provided executive leadership in a variety of operational and business development roles since that time. He current serves as Director of Quality Assurance, ensuing that our teams are consistently meeting our standards and expectations, and providing valuable coaching, guidance and mentorship to our operational management teams.

Joe has over than 25 years of experience in the security industry. He spent over 20 years as an expert polygraph examiner and investigative consultant servicing many fortune 100 companies, law enforcement and governmental agencies. An expert in interview and investigative techniques, he also served as an expert witness and guest instructor for law enforcement agencies and academies. Joe also provided employment screening solutions to most of the largest Armored car logistic organizations in the country as well as retail, warehouse and restaurant entities on a national level.

Joe joined FCS in 2015 as VP of Strategic Implementation with the primary role of contract transition and expansion of FCS partners throughout the country. Joes team has transitioned or started over 80,000 hours per week of security coverage primarily in data centers, critical infrastructure and Federal protection. His expertise in security and personnel evaluation has been instrumental in the core values and mission statement of FCS as we continue to grow and expand throughout the U.S.

Christine brings a unique blend of experience and expertise to her role as the Director of Human Resources. Since joining our company in 2015, she has been an instrumental force in fostering a thriving workplace culture. With over two decades of dedicated service in the field of HR, her knowledge and insights have contributed to the success and growth of our organization. Christine’s journey encompasses a background in security operations within our company which enriches her approach to human resources. As the Director of HR, Christine’s responsibilities extend across a spectrum of functions. She skillfully manages a team of HR generalists, benefit coordinators, and compliance experts, ensuring the seamless execution of these crucial functions.

Conni Hull studied Criminal Justice at Western Oregon University and in 2015 entered into the professional private security industry. Conni has been a Security Operations Manager with FCS for 6 years and her most current role is as our Regional Security Director in our Pacific Northwest market.

Robert Morison joined FCS in April 2020 and currently manages the client portfolio for the State of Florida. Rob’s focus since he joined FCS has been on providing high quality service to our Florida clients. He has twenty-five (25) years of operational and leadership experience in the security industry and has held multiple management positions, including, Regional Vice President in the Northeast and in Florida, Assistant Director of Retail Services, Director of National Services with a focus on high-end retail clients, and national account executive focusing on domestic growth.

Tom’s professional background in security and law enforcement spans over 37 years. Tom worked in Hotel Security Management, locally in Jacksonville, and left that to serve the community by joining the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) in Jacksonville, Florida in 1991. In his 29 plus year career with JSO, he worked in various distinct parts (Investigations and Homeland Security, Patrol, and Personnel and Professional Standards) of the agency beginning with his tenure in the Homicide Unit and then eventually promoting to and retiring as the Director of Personnel and Professional Standards. In 2020 after his retirement from law enforcement, he has worked as the Crime and Safety Analyst as an on-television expert about crime and safety issues, and he recently joined the FCS team and is the Regional Director of Operations for the State of Florida.

Kenny Neltner joined FCS in April of 2022 and currently manages the client portfolio for the State of Tennessee while also serving clients in other states. Kenny’s focus since joining the team has been embracing culture and implementing it into our officers, supervisors, and overhead staff to provide the best possible quality and value for our clients with continual focus on operational excellence and year over year growth. Kenny has been in security for roughly seven years providing operational leadership and satisfaction to clients within his region. Kenny enjoys working in operations because no two days in a row are ever the same and there are always new challenges to accept and goals to achieve.

With two decades of dedicated service to FCS, Michelle stands as a pillar of expertise and reliability. As the Finance Manager, she oversees the invoicing department and payables with an unwavering commitment to precision and efficiency. Additionally, she processes all government contracts and manages our sales tax obligations, demonstrating her comprehensive understanding of regulatory framework for federal, state and local tax jurisdictions. With an extensive background in our organization, she provides valuable insight and knowledge within the contract security industry.