FMI Contracts Loss Prevention and Security Expert Bill Alford

WASHINGTON, DC — July 8, 2005 — Food Marketing Institute (FMI) announced today that William “Bill” A. Alford, founder and president of International Lighthouse Group, Inc., will provide loss prevention and security consulting services to FMI and its food retail and wholesale members.
     

“Bill brings high caliber leadership and expertise to loss prevention and security, which are top concerns for retailers. FMI's Loss Prevention Committee supported this important addition to our team to focus on issues ranging from shoplifting and organized retail theft to shrinkage and employee theft,” said FMI Senior Vice President Michael Sansolo.
     

Alford will provide industry and in-company expertise for key FMI loss prevention initiatives, including:

• Identify and implement initiatives that promote the use, business value, and ROI of the loss prevention function as designed to enhance the financial strength of its members.




• Develop strategies and plans to further address industry loss prevention activities such as Organized Retail Theft (ORT), disaster recovery, business continuity, bio-terrorism and food security table top exercises (TTX). Maintain relationships with the criminal and investigative arms of various federal agencies.

     
• Serve as an industry resource for loss prevention training publications, videos and white papers, and provide loss prevention expertise and communications outreach on legislative and regulatory issues.

Alford is a Certified Fraud Examiner with over 21 years experience in retail loss prevention. His background includes experience directing loss prevention departments and functions for major supermarket chains such as Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Kash n’Karry Food Centers and BI-LO, Inc. For these companies, Alford developed policies, programs and procedures to reduce inventory shrink, minimize fraud, design corporate initiatives to ensure regulatory compliance and identify and resolve crimes and misconduct at store level and at warehouse/distribution/manufacturing facilities.

     
Alford is chairman of the 2005 National Retail Loss Prevention Council (NRLPC) for ASIS International, which has more than 33,000 members and is the preeminent international organization for security professionals. The mission of the NRLPC/ASISI is to assist the retail loss prevention profession through educational programs and current technological innovations, develop collaborative partnerships with related trade organizations working on common issues and to promote professionalism within the retail loss prevention industry.

Alford is a member of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and the Association for Certified Fraud Examiners, and he sits on the board of many local and state civic organizations.