By Francis Chan

MR RANDY Chua's life reads like a classic rags-to-riches story.

The 41-year-old has risen from being a humble security officer to become the chief executive officer of a multimillion-dollar security firm.

Life for Mr Chua, founder of the Legend Group, could not be more different 20 years ago when he could be seen walking the beat and patrolling condominium compounds.

The company that he started in 1994 now employs almost 550 people and operates five separate units that provide security and other related services.

Business has boomed during Legend's last financial year, soaring from $7 million to $12 million.

And despite the recent downturn, the self-made entrepreneur is confident of hitting his revenue target of $16 million next year, because security services are recession-proof, he said.

'In good times, people hire us to protect their property. In bad times, when they have to shut down operations due to the slowdown, they still need to hire us to look after their factories that are temporarily closed,' added the father of six.

Sounds simple enough, but for Mr Chua, life in the early days as a lowly O-level certificate holder was anything but easy.

The son of an odd-job worker, Mr Chua never really took to the books. So after completing national service in 1988, he worked as a security officer at a condo at Balmoral Park.

'One day, when I helped my boss collect the payment for our services from the condo management, I took a peek,' he recounted.

'I was shocked to see the amount and, after asking my colleagues how much they were paid, I came to a conclusion that there was money to be made in this industry. I decided to make a career out of it. But of course, at the time, I did not calculate things like overheads and other costs.'

A few years later, despite getting a big promotion at the security firm he was working for at the time, Mr Chua decided to strike out on his own.

With money he saved over the years, as well as some financial help from his mother, elder brother and a private investor, he managed to pull together the $50,000 he needed to start Legend.

'At the time, the company was made up of just a clerk, an operations executive and myself working out of a small 300 sq ft office, but I had big dreams,' he said.

Mr Chua, however, did more than just daydream. Being a beneficiary of structured security training courses early in his career, he made it a point to provide sufficient training to his team as he began to build the company.

'Right from the start, I knew I had to get my staff trained. So by 2002, 2003 - even before training and certification became compulsory for security officers here in 2005 - I already sent my men for NSRS training,' said Mr Chua, referring to the National Skills Recognition System, the national framework for establishing work performance standards.

Another reason he wanted his employees to have the right qualifications was to help enhance the profile of the occupation.

'One day, I was at a coffee shop with one of my officers, and he met a friend,' recounted Mr Chua. 'His friend asked what he was doing, and my man was too ashamed to say that he was working in security. That really got to me.'

Over the years, he has painstakingly instilled a sense of professionalism and responsibility into the men and women he deployed for jobs: whether they are stationed at properties for static duties or taking charge of screening visitors.

'As security officers, people should feel proud of their jobs because they save lives and protect properties. It's a good job, I hope Singaporeans will change their mindset about the security line,' he said.

'My belief remains that we have to be trained to be different in our line, otherwise how can we hold the responsibilities of policing an area and helping people solve their problems?'

Mr Chua, however, faced problems of his own in 2005 when Legend suffered an exodus of about 100 trained officers.

The security industry was going through a massive shake-up at the time and firms were allowed to deploy only trained officers.

In addition, larger security firms dangled higher salaries and attracted officers away from Legend.

Unable to offer better salaries and faced with competitors offering lower prices, Mr Chua found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. But somehow he found a way to revive his business. 'I was left with only 200 men and I had to forgo more than half of the contracts Legend held,' said Mr Chua.

'From 380, I was left with only 160 projects...but I went back to the basics (of training and certification) and managed to pull the company to safety.'

He credited advice from his father for helping him to get out of the rut.

'My dad - whom I am very proud of, even though he is not highly educated - told me when I first started out that it was not about what you can achieve, but how you take the blows and still get up to reach your goals. That has stuck with me all these years,' he said.

Besides his continued emphasis on training, Mr Chua also set up Legend Security System Solution - a unit of the group that develops and provides security management systems for clients.

Last year, he invested $150,000 to develop a Web-based platform to enhance his staff's efficiency and provide more value to his clients.

'For example, in the past, when a visitor entered a property, the guard would manually record his particulars, sometimes without even doing a proper ID check,' he said.

'But with our new system, all the officer needs to do is scan the identity card of the visitor and automatically his particulars are recorded. He can even be tracked when he leaves, and how often he returns to the building.'

The system, Mr Chua said, is in place at 28 of the 78 sites where Legend is providing security services.

A similar model was used to help screen for infected people during the Sars and H1N1 crises in Singapore.

These initiatives, along with the new 4,000 sq ft office and training centre, contributed to Legend achieving an 'A' grading - the Security Industry Regulatory Department's highest grading - in 2007 and last year.

Legend is also one of the few security firms in Singapore to attain the ISO 9001:2000 industry certification.

Mr Chua said the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and other acts of terrorism have raised awareness of security threats and increased the need for more private security firms in Singapore.

'The rise of terrorism has led us to upgrade our capabilities, contributing to the industry's growth,' he said.

'For example, the recent issuing of identification passes for security personnel has not only given officers a sense of recognition, but also helped increase their confidence as licensed officers.'

Mr Chua added that such moves by the authorities can only serve to boost the security industry, but Legend has set its sights on more lucrative markets abroad.

'Last January, we signed a deal with a security firm in India to provide training and consultancy on security matters...and that is my dream: to make it big overseas,' he said.

Gaining respect

• What is your greatest ambition?

With our current infrastructure, which includes a business model that is easily transferable, I believe we have what it takes to venture overseas.

Also, I want to ensure that all my staff are happy and develop this industry into a well respected line of work here.

It must not be the last option for people... I hope one day that every security officer can proudly say: 'I am trained, I am professional and Legend, the company I work for, is a global company training and providing consultancy services for other firms overseas.'

• What do you need to achieve it?

In order for me to reach my goal, clients need to understand that they need well-trained officers and not go for the cheap option when sourcing for officers - that is very important.

Also, I believe that by cutting down on the hours per shift - currently most, if not all, officers operate on 12-hour shifts - the industry may appeal to more young people.

I believe these changes will help make people prouder to be associated with the security business and make my dream come true.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.