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November 21, 2025 | S2 Ep 4
How to Run Safer Stores Without Slowing Teams Down
Adam Lukoskie | Founder | Correia Security Resources
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SHOW NOTES

Safety and performance aren’t opposites — they’re inseparable.

In this episode of FRONTLINE FRIDAYS, host Ron Thurston sits down with Dean Correia, Founder of Correia Security Resources, to unpack what it really takes to keep stores safe without slowing teams down.

After more than 30 years leading security operations for brands like Walmart, Starbucks, and Gap, Dean has seen firsthand that the safest place to work is the best place to work. From embedding safety into daily huddles to turning critical incidents into leadership opportunities, he shares how great managers protect their people, and their profits, through consistency, care, and communication.

Together, Ron and Dean explore how safety culture builds trust, why shrink is now a boardroom topic, and how every frontline leader can create accountability without fear.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make safety part of your store’s rhythm — not just a policy on paper — this one’s for you.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • (02:11) Why “the safest place to work is the best place to work”
  • (03:32) The leadership lessons Dean learned from crisis and loss
  • (06:35) Why you should lead with humanity, not hierarchy
  • (07:35) How to address rising incivility and organized crime in retail
  • (11:00) The one policy Dean says every brand should have
  • (13:50) Why safety is about trust — not just shrink
  • (16:14) How engagement and security fuel better store performance
  • (17:54) What Walmart and others are doing to invest in safety
  • (20:26) A simple framework for incident reporting that actually works
  • (24:11) How shrink impacts pay, hours, and customer experience
  • (28:18) Why every leader should “serve the store” — not just run it
  • (33:05) How to embed safety into your store culture, every day

BONUS CONTENT

GUEST BIO

Having experienced multiple workplace deaths and murders, Dean Correia’s mission is to help make workplaces & communities safer. He is a security risk consultant based in Toronto providing risk management solutions based on research and proven practices learned and implemented during his 30+ years as a security practitioner.

Some of his career highlights include leading Walmart Canada’s security event planning for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the G8/G20 summit. At Starbucks Coffee, he played a key role in the creation, development, and implementation of auditing and investigative programs that delivered millions of dollars to the bottom line.

ABOUT FRONTLINE FRIDAYS

Your store teams feel it: more pressure, more change, less time to get it right. FRONTLINE FRIDAYS helps you turn that pressure into impact.

Built for senior retail + hospitality field leaders, each episode features candid conversations with execs from iconic brands, sharing tactics you can use today.

HOSTED BY RON THURSTON. Ron is a global retail leadership expert and two-time bestselling author of RETAIL PRIDE (2020) and HUMAN PRIDE (2025).