DELIVERING INTEGRATED, INTELLIGENT NETWORKING AND SECURITY SOLUTIONS

Joseph Grillo is a 30-year leader of the electronic security and identification industries with a track record of successfully growing, acquiring and restructuring businesses. In 2012, Grillo founded ACRE, LLC as a platform to consolidate acquisitions in the electronic security industry. Since that time, Grillo has completed seven acquisitions globally. Grillo was known for his long-term association with HID, serving as National Sales Manager in the early 1990s, then participating in a management buyout of the business in 1995 from Hughes Aircraft/General Motors. As President of HID, the company grew from a $15M card and reader company to a dominant $100M+ industry leader by 2000.  He successfully led the effort to sell HID to ASSA ABLOY in 2001. At ASSA ABLOY, Grillo was promoted to running its $750M Global Technology Division. In addition, he served as President and Board Member of the Security Industry Association (SIA) from 1998-2007.

Parke Hess is a Member of ACRE, LLC and serves as its Chief Financial Officer. He also serves on the ACRE, LLC board. Mr. Hess has been involved in the electronic security industry since 1995, as CFO of the management buyout that resulted in the founding of HID Corporation.  He has been COO and CFO of several public and private corporations, involved with venture capital and IPO funding, corporate restructuring, and numerous international and domestic buy and sell transactions. Parke graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from the US Air Force Academy and has an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.

Steve Wagner serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the ACRE Operating Group. Prior to joining the ACRE Group, Steve was the founder of Cartwright Partners LLC, where he coached C-level executives of global enterprises through growth and acquisition strategy, as well as business management. Calling on this experience, Steve came out of retirement to join the ACRE family, acting as the interim President of Open Options during its acquisition in 2019. Steve has more than 30 years of industry experience and held a number of senior leadership positions at HID Global. He was also instrumental in building the Checkpoint Systems Access Control Group, formerly Sielox, and served as the President of Mercury Security for seven years. Steve remains an investor and owner in ACRE.

Ms. Sawdon joined ACRE in 2016 as Chief Accounting Officer and also serves as Chief Financial Officer of ACRE Operating Group. Coreen is a Certified Public Accountant who spent 13 years in public accounting with E & Y, Coopers & Lybrand and Arthur Andersen before launching out into private industry where she became CFO of CG Technology, formerly known as Cantor Gaming, and CFO of Shuffle Master, Inc., a $200m NASDAQ company with operations throughout North America, Europe and Asia. In addition to being a catalyst for improving profitability and growth, she has extensive experience in leading IPOs, secondary offerings, debt refinancing and as an expert in establishing Sarbanes Oxley infrastructure and compliance systems. Coreen has a Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting from Pepperdine University and is a Chartered Global Management Accountant, in addition to being a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

With more than 25 years of security industry senior management experience, Kim Loy has achieved significant success within a wide variety of global enterprises. As Chief Product Officer for ACRE, Kim is responsible for oversight of the company’s brands, strategic product planning and cybersecurity strategy.  In addition, Kim provides direction for messaging strategy and communications development. Prior to her role at ACRE, she served as the Director of Technology and Communications for Vanderbilt International in Dublin, Ireland, where she managed the global R&D, Product Management and Marketing Communications teams and developed technology partnerships to increase the company’s reach. Loy has held senior positions with GE Security, G4S, Xtralis and Pelco by Schneider Electric. All of these global positions have provided Loy with extensive international experience including time living in England, France, Belgium and Ireland. The positions have encompassed the management of various departments including R&D, Product Management, Training, Marketing Communications and Operations. Kim also serves on the Security Industry Association Board of Directors.