Article reprinted from
"HUMMER ADVENTURES", Spring 2000

HUMMER PROVIDES SHOW OF FORCE FOR
HARVARD PROTECTION SERVICES, LLC by Monica Wolfson

New Yorkers can be a fairly blasé bunch. Nothing much fazes or impresses them, and it takes a lot to draw their attention.

But Harvard Protection Services' white HUMMER wagon - which has a gold painted HARVARD® logo on the door - is a hit with natives and tourists alike.

Even New York City cabbies make way for the HUMMER as it rumbles through the jam-packed concrete jungle also known as Manhattan.

Stanley Doobin, president of Manhattan-based Harvard Protection Services, says he uses the HUMMER as a promotional tool in his security business because the vehicle emanates force, which is a necessity in his competitive security business.

Harvard Protection Services' HUMMER gets lots of attention in New York. Left to right are Gabriel Duarte, the company's Operations Manager, and Dominick Ripillino, a retired sergeant for the New York City Police Department, who is Vice President of Operations and runs the company's Security Division.

A lot of companies ride around in Suzuki Samurais. That doesn't portray strength,"Stan said. "When you see someone in a HUMMER, that portrays strength."
 
When Harvard's supervisor motors around the streets of New York City in the stern vehicle, he draws a crowd.

Tourists want their picture taken with the HUMMER. Even New York natives gawk at the HUMMER's immensity.

"It's a little difficult to go for rides in New York City with the traffic and narrow streets,"Stan said. "But even the taxi drivers don't cut us off. No one wants to take on a HUMMER."

Harvard®, which also has clients in Philadelphia and northern New Jersey, provides building security, cleaning services and metal maintenance, as well as high-tech security systems. Harvard, which employs 3,000 people and has $140 million per year in revenues, hires retired NYC detectives who use their hard-earned investigative skills while running the security division.

But the first impression many get of Stanley's company is that white HUMMER. And the vehicle does a good job attracting business for him.

Prospective clients say "You are the one with the white HUMMER," Stanley said. Normally Harvard, which Stanley started four years ago, would buy Suburbans or Jeeps, but he decided on the extra expense for the HUMMER to see if it would bring him notoriety and boost his company's image.

"One thing everyone notices is the HUMMER,"Stanley said. "There are fewer HUMMER's around."

He bought the vehicle in 1998. The only modification he has  made to it is the installation of a motorized snowplow, which was bought from a specialized snow removal company.

The vehicle has worked so well in attracting attention to Harvard Protection Services, LLC that Stanley is considering adding a new HUMMER to his fleet.
Squeezing a HUMMER into a tight parking space doesn't seem to be a problem", he said. He usually keeps the vehicle in an enclosed garage. But when it comes time to park the HUMMER on the street, everyone gives it space. "Everyone yields for this vehicle!"