Building on confidence
First black chairman of business group trying to capitalize on Virginia's assets

by Liza Prezioso Linnell
for Virginia Business
August 2007

Julien G. Patterson used to teach diplomats how to maintain a low profile so that they could survive in dangerous places. But when he became an entrepreneur in the late 1980s, Patterson had to rely on a different set of survival skills to keep his security services company alive.

In the early days of what is now OMNIPLEX World Services in Chantilly, Patterson would tank up on salad and seafood on Sundays after church at a Tysons Corner buffet. Then, he would not eat for one or two days to save money. He also moved out of his home and began sleeping at a warehouse that he leased near Washington Dulles International Airport. Sometimes, he spent the night on the floor.

His persistence and drive eventually prevailed. OMNIPLEX today has 3,500 employees handling background checks and providing security training for customers around the world. Patterson, 56, expects 2007 revenue to crack the $100 million milestone. To top it all off, he was elected chairman of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce earlier this year, becoming the first African-American to lead the

83-year-old business group. "You give me the definition of a leader, and I'll tell you that Julien fits that," says Ben Davenport, Patterson's predecessor as chamber chairman.

"Julien is a real gentleman and statesman and an advocate for the commonwealth," adds Davenport, who heads First Piedmont Corp. and Davenport Energy in Chatham. "He does precisely what he says he's going to do."

Paterson says he did not make it to this point on his own. Religious faith and strong personal connections have made a big difference in his life. "Whenever you win the confidence of those around you and feel their support and encouragement, you feel comfort about taking on leadership," he says.

One of the people who showed confidence in Patterson at a critical time was Harry Fitzwater, a former deputy director of the CIA. Before starting his business, Patterson worked for the CIA as a security specialist, handling a variety of special projects, which Patterson says he's "not at liberty to disclose." By 1987, Patterson had retired after four years of leading mobile training teams. Those teams were responsible for international security training of government employees stationed at high-threat posts worldwide.

Patterson says Fitzwater, who died in 2004, was more than a mentor. "He's the father I never knew." At one point when Patterson was struggling to keep his company afloat, he asked the retired Fitzwater for help "and he gave me $10,000 because he loved me," Patterson says. "When you find people who know who you are and what you're trying to achieve, you can do anything. They will give you money, they will give you time, they will open doors because they believe in you."

Fitzwater was one of several people who helped Patterson land an $800,000 contract with his first major customer, Magnavox. Another person who helped was a friend, Terri Wesselman, who had a surprising knack for jazzing up his initial proposal to bid on the contract with Magnavox. Her aid prompted Patterson to joke, "I'd better marry Terri." A year later, it was no joke. They were husband and wife.

At the Virginia chamber, Patterson underplays the significance of his role as the first black to become chairman of the statewide business group. "I don't keep track of that sort of thing. I wasn't reared that way," says the Norfolk native. Instead, he prefers to emphasize the growing diversity of the chamber's 1,000 members, which range from home-based businesses to Fortune 500 corporations.

The chamber presents a united front for these businesses on issues critical to the state's economic growth. "We want to capitalize on Virginia being selected as one of the best places in America to do business," Patterson says, referring to the commonwealth's designation as the No. 1 state by Forbes.com. "It's a business-friendly environment with the right balance" of key assets, he adds. On his list of attributes: quality of life, variety of business types, low taxes, proximity to Washington, access to major airports, highways and railroads, and a skilled work force.

The Virginia Executive Reception is one way that Patterson and the chamber try to build momentum for the state's economy. The invitation-only gala is held in a different state each year, allowing Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and economic development officials to tout Virginia's advantages to high-ranking executives. Patterson spoke at this year's event in June at the Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta. In the past, such events have aided the commonwealth's efforts to woo the relocation of Philip Morris USA and MeadWestvaco Corp.

Patterson brings to the chamber the same kind of dedication his customers see at OMNIPLEX. "If I get involved, I give it everything I've got. I do that because I gave my word, and there is an expectation," says Patterson.

One longtime customer who says Patterson lives up to expectations is Jim Coughlin, security manager for Raytheon Co. "Julien and his staff are very competent, very efficient. They do an excellent job," says Coughlin. OMNIPLEX's 30 guards keep Raytheon's 1,300 employees safe, all while complying with Department of Defense security regulations for its Fort Wayne, Ind., facility.

Coughlin, who has known Patterson since 1992, recalls an incident when a guest of an adjacent hotel accidentally wandered onto Raytheon's grounds. "The guest was told [by an OMNIPLEX security guard] that he couldn't be walking his dog on our property. He turned out to be a personal friend of the CEO at the time. The gentleman wrote a letter to him saying how professional his encounter was. That says a lot."

Whether supplier or customer, Patterson makes a lasting impression, says Leslie Grizzard Hale, a vice president for the Washington, D.C., region at Citizens Bank. Hale handles lending and cash management for the OMNIPLEX account and says her bimonthly interactions are eye-openers. "You learn a lot about a company and who is running it. [Patterson] has the highest integrity. He's very caring. He definitely cares about the people in his company."

Patterson also cares about people who haven't prospered as he has.  A deacon at Ox Hill Baptist Church in Chantilly, he is a board member of Prison Fellowship Ministries, an outreach organization that collaborates nationwide with churches of all denominations to serve inmates, ex-prisoners, crime victims and their families. "I feel that it is more than just coincidence that Harry and so many others would attest for me," he says. "These are not things in my mind that are due to a roll of the dice. There is a divine hand here."