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Monterrey Security: Touchdown with the Minnesota Vikings

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By Clemente Nicado, Editor in Chief
Juan Gaytán is one of those entrepreneurs who has a dream and doesn’t let it go until he — in football terms — makes the touchdown.His company, Monterrey Security, Inc., has just signed a five-year contract to handle another powerful team: The Minnesota Vikings.Now, the Pilsen-based business is responsible for guarding the security of two rivals, the Vikings and the Chicago Bears, which have been clients for 16 years.

The news comes just one year after Monterrey hit a homerun by being chosen to guard Wrigley Field stadium, giving Negocios Now another piece of breaking news and a popular cover for our social media pages.

In an exclusive interview with Negocios Now, an enthusiastic Gaytán speaks of the new challenge in Minnesota, his business philosophy and the reactions of the Chicago Bears leaders when they found out he would be guarding their staunchest enemies.

Gaytán laughs just thinking about the days when Monterrey will be guarding both teams as they face off in Soldier Field or US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, because Gaytán is not an athlete or a fan first, but the CEO of the only Latino business that has been able to get a foot in the door of the exclusive NFL.

“We handle two of just 32 teams in the NFL in the whole country,” he said enthusiastically. “And they’re two big teams, and rivals of many years.”

Of course it was a difficult selection process. So why did the Vikings choose Monterrey Security over security companies that are five or 10 times the size of the business whose roots trace to Mexico?

“Our vision,” Gaytán said without hesitation. “Our philosophy of working within the local community. This is a marked difference between us and other security companies.”

Along these lines, Gaytán and his team set out for Minneapolis as soon as they received the green light from the Vikings, opening offices and starting the process of hiring 2,000 people, but not just through advertisements in newspapers or on local TV.

“We are looking inside the community, in the small neighborhoods, in the churches, with the support of the leaders of community organizations,” said the former Chicago cop. “These jobs are for the people of Minnesota. There’s no one better than them to guard their own stadium and get this opportunity.”

The challenge for Gaytán is great. Especially because he is in new territory, far from Chicago.

It seems as though Minnesota has not had a business with this philosophy, according to Gaytán. In fact, many people did not know the security company that had been working for the Vikings for 20 years.

“They told me it would be difficult, that this had never been done here, that they didn’t think it would work. And I responded, ‘Have faith, support us and you’ll see, we have done it for 17 years,’” said Gaytán, who considers it an advantage to be “a multicultural business, with a visible presence of Latinos and African Americans. That’s where the strength and the growth potential of Monterrey Security resides.”

“Many have asked us, why aren’t there more African American and Latino police officers. Well, it is, among other things, because they are not given the opportunity. Here, we have prepared them and given them experience, and thanks to it, they have gone on to be police officers, firemen and other types of security officers.”

Are The Bears bothered by Monterrey’s contract to guard their rivals? Not at all. The opposite, in fact. “Before we started the process, we went to ask permission from the owners of the Bears, and not only did they give us their blessing, but they made a video to show their support.”

“It was very emotional — a video that made us cry. This was huge for us. It’s a testament to the years of work, their hopes that we keep moving forward, that we are a family that wants to support the community.”

Neither side will say how much the contract is for. But for Monterrey Security, the only Hispanic business that has secured contracts with four of the most important sports organizations in the country (NFL, MLS, MLB, and PGA), money isn’t the most important thing now.

For now, the business is working at top speed to be ready for next July, when US Bank Stadium, a behemoth that was built at a cost of $1.1 billion — the most expensive in the history of the league — opens its doors with a country and rock concert before it hosts the teams of the NFL.

“We have to show the country that it can be done with our philosophy of involving the local community and inspire other people to follow our lead,” Gaytán insisted.