Protiviti Acquires Canada-based Creative
Options and Radius
Industry Leaders in Loss Prevention and Risk
Management Add to Breadth and Depth of Protiviti’s Retail
Industry Practice
MENLO PARK, CA – February 15, 2006 –
Protiviti Inc., a leading provider of risk
consulting and internal audit
services, today announced it has completed
its acquisition of Creative Options and Radius, two Canadian
companies that specialize in the retail sector and focus on
delivering loss prevention and risk management strategies,
along with employee awareness and training programs.
Financial details regarding the transaction were not
disclosed.
Creative Options and Radius are recognized
industry leaders with skilled professionals experienced in
assisting Fortune 1000 retailers throughout North America.
Radius specializes in providing on-site loss prevention and
risk management strategies to address issues such as shrink,
identity theft, worker safety, supply chain logistics and
crisis management, among many others. Creative Options
focuses on communicating these loss prevention and risk
management strategies to all levels of a client’s
organizational structure. Its primary services include
employee awareness programs and communications, customized
web portals for clients to track loss prevention and safety
metrics, and an audit software application for handheld or
web-enabled computers. These services are now part of
Protiviti’s retail industry practice.
“Our acquisition of Creative Options and
Radius provides considerable new business opportunities not
only for our retail practice, but also for our other
industry product offerings,” said Everett Gibbs, managing
director of Protiviti. “Many of our retail clients have
expressed interest in having Protiviti assist them with risk
management related to loss prevention and employee safety
and awareness. We are pleased to now have the deep
competencies and capabilities to address these needs through
the proven methodologies and highly experienced
professionals of Creative Options and Radius.”
The founder of Creative Options and
co-founder of Radius, Patricia Quinn, joins Protiviti as a
managing director, as does Radius co-founder Craig
Matsumoto, head of the firm’s loss prevention practice.
Quinn will be based in Protiviti’s new office in Waterloo,
Ontario, while Matsumoto will be based in Protiviti’s Boston
office. More than 30 professionals from Creative Options
and Radius are joining Protiviti’s full-time staff. They
will work from Protiviti’s Waterloo office as well as
several Protiviti locations in the United States.
About Protiviti Inc.
Protiviti is a leading provider of
independent risk consulting and internal audit services.
The firm helps clients identify, assess and manage
operational and technology-related risks encountered in
their industries, and assists in the implementation of the
processes and controls to enable their continued
monitoring. Protiviti also offers a full spectrum of
internal audit services to assist management and directors
with their internal audit functions, including full
outsourcing, co-sourcing, technology and tool
implementation, and quality assessment and readiness
reviews.
Protiviti, which has more than
45 locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia
and Australia, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half
International Inc. (NYSE symbol: RHI). Founded in 1948,
Robert Half International is a member of the S&P 500 index.
Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public
accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial
statements or offer attestation services.
Creative Options establishes Strategic
Alliance with Paul Lunt & Tim Hickey
(WATERLOO, Canada, November 29, 2005)
Creative Options and Radius announce a strategic alliance
with Tim Hickey and Paul Lunt of Pro-Lock USA, Inc.
Tim and Paul, have been appointed as New
Business Development Consultants for Creative Options custom
print and interactive communication products, including the
COMPASTM mobile audit solution, as well as Radius Loss
Prevention risk-consulting and services.
“We are pleased to bring on board Tim
Hickey and Paul Lunt from the Pro-Lock team,” said Patricia
Quinn, President, Creative Options. “Their combined
experience in the retail loss prevention industry makes them
ideal partners and our clients will benefit from their
expertise and the advisory role that they will play to our
organization.”
“One of the core strengths of Radius is
the diversity in loss prevention executive experience. Paul
Lunt brings over 30 years experience to the table, most
recently as Vice President, Asset Protection & Risk
Management for Footlocker and Vice President, Loss
Prevention for Staples,” remarked Craig Matsumoto,
President, Radius. “Tim Hickey complements Paul with over 15
years experience on the vendor side, specializing in LP
technology solutions, including mobile audit software.”
CREATIVE OPTIONS, a world-class specialty
communications firm, has built its reputation on designing
communication tools that measurably reduce shrink and
accidents. From employee awareness to mobile audits, the
firm is widely recognized for bringing innovative solutions
to retail. With the RADIUS infusion of comprehensive loss
prevention and risk consulting services Creative Options is
taking the communication process one step further – closing
the loop from strategy to execution. For more information,
visit
www.creativeop.com.
Creative Options Announces Partnership with Energy Star
(WATERLOO,
Canada, January 21, 2005) Creative Options
today announced that it is partnering with ENERGY
STAR,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s program to
promote energy efficient behavior. The relationship will
enhance the ability of Creative Options’ customers to
measure and improve the energy performance of their
facilities.
ENERGY STAR is a program that offers businesses and
consumers energy efficient solutions to help save money
while protecting the environment for future generations. As
a business partner, Creative Options will join a nationwide
effort to eliminate energy waste through the voluntary
implementation of improved energy management practices and
technologies. By leveraging the resources provided by ENERGY
STAR, in concert with Creative Options’ custom communication
solutions, retailers will be able to access a powerful tool
for managing energy usage.
“The statistics speak for themselves. For the average
supermarket, the United States Environmental Protection
Agency has found that reducing energy costs by 10% is
equivalent to increasing sales per square foot by nearly
$42,” said Pat Quinn, President of Creative Options. “There
are two primary paths to achieve energy reduction – through
the implementation of new technology and by changing
behavior. As a leader in employee communication, we have the
ability to engage and educate the front-line associate in
energy saving techniques. Our partnership is a symbol of our
commitment to promoting energy saving behavior to the retail
sector.”
Craig Matsumoto Joins the Creative
Options Team
(WATERLOO,
Canada, December 1, 2004) Craig Matsumoto, former Chief
Operating Officer of LP Innovations, has
joined the executive ranks of Creative Options. As President
of the newly launched division Radius, Matsumoto will
oversee the strategic direction of this business consulting
group.
Craig
began his career in Loss Prevention in 1980 and has held
senior executive positions in Loss Prevention and Operations
for such companies as Mervyn’s Department Stores, Reebok
International, and T.J. Maxx, where he was the Vice
President of Loss Prevention and Audit. As an industry
thought leader, Craig has served on several loss prevention
committees as an advisor for global source tagging,
anti-counterfeiting measures and Electronic Article
Surveillance standardization. He has also been interviewed
by several major media outlets including 60 Minutes, where
he appeared on a segment targeting organized crime’s impact
on retail.
“Our
clients are demanding that we consistently re-invent
ourselves in order to discover new and creative ways to
enhance their asset protection strategies,” said Pat Quinn,
President of Creative Options. “With over 25 years
experience in retail, Craig is a welcome addition to the
Creative Options team. Not only does he augment the
knowledge of our development team but, he will help broaden
the scope of our solutions to include consultative services,
security compliance and forensics.”
“For over
19 years, Creative Options has helped customers craft
award-winning communication campaigns that change employee
behavior at the store level – where success in retail
ultimately stems from,” said Matsumoto. “I look forward to
helping the company continue to evolve with the changing
dynamics of the retail industry.”
(WATERLOO,
Canada, May 20, 2004) At a luncheon ceremony at the
Waterloo Inn & Conference Centre, the Better Business Bureau
honored Creative Options for their exceptional record of
ethical business practices. The award validated their
efforts and highlighted their relationship with each key
stakeholder group – customers, employees and the community
at large.
The Business
Integrity Awards recognize for-profit organizations for
their commitment to maintaining a culture that sets
exceptionally high standards for ethical behavior. Award
winners must show no failure in meeting financial
obligations, while fostering a culture that emphasizes the
importance of "doing the right thing" each and every day.
An independent
committee (selected from both academic and business
communities) analyzed competitors by six criteria:
•
Internal standards of ethical behavior
•
History of ethical business practices
•
Corporate communication and sales practices
•
Employee training in ethics
•
Business continuity (active for the past five years)
•
Ability to meet financial obligations
Of the
organizations nominated in
Ontario’s
South-West Region, Creative Options stood out as a leader in
business integrity.
(WATERLOO,
Canada, March 29, 2004) A leading optical vendor has signed
a 5-year agreement with Creative Options to develop, host
and manage their loss prevention auditing system. The audit
system, build upon Microsoft’s .Net architecture, will
consist of both a web-based and desktop application.
With over 2,200
stores under multiple banners, the retailer's field auditing
team had the vast responsibility of uncovering and analyzing
loss prevention issues at the store-level. Each banner
required a unique set of rules and questions, a complicated
situation made more so by the inherent limitations of a
paper-based audit system.
Launching in May
2004, the Creative Options Professional Audit Solution will
enhance the productivity of the field audit team, increase
management responsiveness, and enhance data integrity.
Audit results uploaded to a central database will become
immediately available for analysis, drastically accelerating
the identification and resolution of problems as they occur.
Creative Options
Professional Audit Solution helps loss prevention teams
effortlessly gather, report and analyze audit data.
Customized to the unique needs of each team, the solution
extends their capabilities, allowing them to process more
audits more efficiently and more effectively.
