PROTOS SECURITY NAMES MARK HJELLE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

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Oct 26, 2022, 10:00 ET

Seasoned National Services CEO Brings Deep Strategic, Operational and Technology Background

NORWALK, Conn., Oct. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Protos Security, a leading technology enabled managed security services platform in North America delivering an integrated suite of physical and technology-based security services to commercial customers, announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Mark Hjelle as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board effective immediately.

Protos Security, a portfolio company of Southfield Capital, has continued its strong, double digit organic growth trajectory by leveraging the national managed services platform it has built over several years to deliver security services and provide customers with a unique model that delivers the industry's best solutions and outcomes. The CEO addition reflects Southfield's commitment to bringing talent and resources to build upon Protos' success.

Andy Levison, Managing Partner at Southfield Capital, stated, "Now is the right time for a leader with Mark's experience to help further accelerate Protos' growth and to continue to make the right investments in the platform, team and technology to extend Protos' innovative leadership position in the security space. Mark has a tremendous background in building and scaling national businesses leveraging technology while creating a highly engaged and aligned culture."

Mr. Hjelle commented, "I am excited to join Protos at this stage of its growth where there is so much opportunity to serve customers across all end markets with a differentiated model that provides unparalleled security program transparency and flexibility. It is also clear to me that Southfield Capital, the management partners who have joined Protos, and the Protos executive team all share an aligned vision of what can be accomplished with an unrelenting focus on meeting the security service needs of customers. The momentum in the business is simply tremendous. It is an honor and a privilege to be joining Protos as CEO and I look forward to working alongside my Protos colleagues to continue the significant growth trajectory and commitment to delivering value to our clients."

Mr. Hjelle is an experienced Chief Executive Officer and Board Member who has led large, private equity backed national business/facility services firms for nearly 25 years delivering strong top-and-bottom-line growth and building high performing teams with strong culture. Most recently, Mark was CEO for CSC ServiceWorks, a $1.2 billion B2B2C provider of technology-enabled consumer services where he led the development of a proprietary digital platform leveraging IOT, artificial intelligence and machine learning that enabled consumer driven revenue growth and services extensions. Prior to CSC, Mr. Hjelle was President of Brickman/Valleycrest (nka Brightview Holdings (NYSE: BV)), a $2.5 billion national provider of exterior landscape and snow removal services where he led over 20,000 team members across 250 branch offices. Over the course of his 18-year tenure at Brickman, Mr. Hjelle held numerous leadership positions in the areas of operations, finance and business development. Mr. Hjelle earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from the Case Western Reserve School of Law.

About Southfield Capital

Southfield Capital is a private equity firm that invests in high-growth, lower middle market companies in the outsourced business services sector. The firm targets companies with $4 - 15 million in EBITDA and partners with management to scale the business through a combination of organic and acquisition growth strategies. For more information, please visit www.southfieldcapital.com.

Our Team
Andy Levison, Managing Partner
Andy Cook, Partner
Heb James, Partner
Tim Lewis, Partner
Brandon Pinderhughes, Principal
Chris Grambling, Principal
Jason Perlroth, Principal & Head of Business Development
Josh Sylvan, Vice President
Matt King, Senior Associate Logan Vorwerk, Senior Associate
Mike Weber, Associate
Jon Goldstein, Chief Financial Officer