If you’ve flown a major airline recently, had business with a federal agency, ridden public transportation, or even visited a DMV office, chances are you’ve been under the protection of Summit Security Services, Inc.
Summit, with headquarters on Long Island, is one of the most highly regarded security service firms in the U.S. It is also one of the premier partners of Farmingdale State College (FSC) when it comes to hiring alumni and students, as part of its roster of 4,000 security services personnel across the country.
In fact, more than a dozen of them work at Summit, many under the supervision of the vice president of security operations center John Liberti '04, a Security Systems/Law Enforcement Technology major.
“I look for mentoring opportunities, to take our employees to the next level,” said Liberti. “The relationship with Farmingdale is providing us with a number of smart, eager, business-minded individuals that make this easy to accomplish.”
Summit’s co-president Robert Auletta, a former member of the Long Beach Police Department, is also impressed with the quality of FSC alumni and students. “I can’t say enough about the graduates from Farmingdale we have hired,” he said. They’re ‘A’ people. They’ve never let us down.”
Robert Auletta's brother, co-president Nicholas Auletta, agreed. “People from Farmingdale are industrious, intelligent people, and real team players. All things being equal, we would hire from Farmingdale.”
FSC and Summit Security began their relationship in 2016, when the College reached out to Liberti and the Aulettas. “We were impressed with Farmingdale, and began trying to figure out how we could get students from their security program,” according to Robert Auletta. “We thought there would be good synergy there.”
The usual point of entry for FSC alumni and students has been the corporate command center. One Farmingdale alumnus who has moved up the ladder quickly is Matthew Bird '15, a Security Systems graduate who joined the company right after getting his diploma. Today he is command center team leader, and credits his time at FSC with helping him succeed.
“Farmingdale taught me how to be responsible and set goals,” Bird said. “It taught me to dig deep into my work, because people that come out of Farmingdale have to work. That’s why I like hiring people from Farmingdale.”
The relationship between Summit and Farmingdale continues to grow. Liberti is a member of the Farmingdale College Foundation board and a Golf Classic honoree, and Summit has been honored by the Foundation with a Ram’s Horn Award for Corporate Leadership.
So you could say that the partnership between Summit and Farmingdale is, indeed, secure.