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"From the very beginning I knew the importance of having good financial advice" |
My association with Johnston Smillie goes back a number of years to when their office was situated in Forres Street, Edinburgh, when in 1973 as a fresh faced sixteen year old I was successful in gaining a job as a trainee accountant.
In those days they were firmly established in the heart of Edinburgh’s West End and while I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, I felt my talents lay elsewhere.
On the day I left Johnston Smillie, I was taken aside by Mr Smillie who explained to me that I was making a big mistake by leaving the firm when I had such good prospects ahead of me.
Jumping ahead some years from that date, and after a lengthy period working as a freelance security operator, I was encouraged by two of my clients who, impressed by my professional and unique approach to security, encouraged me to set up in business and in 1980 Rock Steady Security was established. From the very beginning I knew the importance of having good financial advice and guidance therefore it was quite logical for me to go back to the firm who had provided good grounding for my very basic knowledge in accountancy.
The 1980’s were an era of rapid growth and development in what is now generally known as the events industry. In particular, Rock Steady became a brand name synonymous with high standards of service and the new buzz words of ‘customer care’ for what was burgeoning numbers of the event going public.
The Company’s success in the live music industry was then acknowledged by the decision of Rangers Football Club in 1987 to contract Rock Steady to manage all of its security, stewarding and crowd management operation within Ibrox Stadium. This was a first and innovative step by the Club who since that day have retained the services of Rock Steady and been held up as a model for those wishing to replicate professional crowd management and safety in stadia throughout the world.
Rock Steady’s continued growth and fundamental changes to the security industry through legislation saw the need for the Company to de-merge in 2004 so that it could best serve its client base. Johnston Smillie provided expert advice at every stage of the proceedings and greatly assisted in the smooth transition of the de-merger.
In 2005, our 25th year, it is indicative of the Company’s standing when our client list for the year reads such luminaries as Live 8 in Hyde Park and Murrayfield Stadium, T in the Park (since it began), North American and European concert tours with Paul McCartney and Phil Collins respectively and security providers for VIP’s such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the actor Tom Hanks.
In my young days as a Johnston Smillie employee in Forres Street, I could never have envisaged a day when I would be at the helm of a well established company employing over two thousand five hundred personnel. I am delighted to say that I was fortunate to have known of Johnston Smillie for them to then become a very important partner, offering excellent advice and high standards of service, in Rock Steady’s growth and success.
