2026 Business Excellence Awards: Protos Security

Award Category: For-Profit Business, 250+ Employees

Protos Security

Headquarters: Norwalk

Year Founded: 2006

Industry: Security

Top Executive: Mark Hjelle, CEO

Employees: 309

Website: protossecurity.com

Founders: Chris Copenhaver & Patrick Henderson

Protos Security delivers integrated protection services — including guarding, off-duty, specialized, software and remote services — to organizations across North America.

Protos combines these capabilities within a single platform to support multi-site environments with scalable protection. The company has 48 employees based across Connecticut, including 46 in Norwalk.

Check out the other 2026 Business Excellence Awards honorees

Tell us a bit about your recent accomplishments.

Since 2020, we have completed 12 acquisitions, strengthening our position as a national leader in managed security services. Most recently, we acquired AT-RISK International, a globally recognized provider of executive protection, intelligence, investigations and risk consulting services. This acquisition further expands our ability to help organizations address increasingly complex security, business continuity and enterprise risk challenges.

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Over the past several years, our company has experienced significant growth while continuing to invest in Connecticut. Since 2020, we have increased revenue by more than 300%, demonstrating the scalability of our business model and the growing demand for software-enabled security solutions.

We also maintain a 97% client retention rate, reflecting our commitment to service quality, responsiveness and long-term customer relationships.

What are your plans for future growth?

Our future growth strategy is centered on expanding our specialized services division through a combination of strategic acquisitions and organic growth. We’re continuing to invest in our people, technology and service offerings to meet increasing customer demand while maintaining the high level of service our clients expect.

Check out the other 2026 Business Excellence Awards honorees