KINGWOOD — Leroy Forbes said his office is usually the great outdoors. Forbes and his wife Marlene own Silver Eagle Security in Kingwood.
“We do a lot of park security,” he said. “Some of the job sites require going on 4-wheelers and riding the trails. That’s my favorite job, making sure everyone is out of the park before locking the entrances. One of my favorite places is Cheat Lake. We secure the park and take care of the trails.”
Silver Eagle Security provides guard service, private investigation services, and facility management services. The company is licensed in West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and New York.
Before starting his business, Forbes spent 31 years as a police officer. He worked at the Star City Police Department, the Westover Police Department, the Kingwood City Police Department and the Granville Police Department, where he served as a lieutenant.
“Being a security guard is very interesting,” Forbes said. “The interaction with people is very unique and special.”
One of the facilities Silver Eagle provides security guards for is Mon General Preston Memorial Hospital.
“We provide security guard service for Preston Memorial and do on-site security checks. On-site security checks involve making sure people have proper ID and making sure they are going to the correct area for their appointments,” Forbes said.
He said he employees 12 security guards, two of whom are in New York.
“We work a lot of recreation areas, so we are outdoors a lot,” Forbes said. “We do events like the white water releases in New York, where they open the tubes and let the rafters go down the river. We do point-of-entry security for them and direct traffic.”
He said he has seen a big increase in park and trail usage, and believes COVID has encouraged people to use the outdoors more.
Part of taking care of parks and recreation is facility management.
“We work for several companies,” Forbes said. “We go in and oversee garbage pick up, trail maintenance, fence repair and structure maintenance. It’s something we enjoy. I like going to work and seeing a lake and knowing that’s my office.”
He said his company also provides security for a park on the Shenandoah River and the Cheat Lake Park.
“We take care of the trails and keep them open,” Forbes said. “We ride the trails and secure them. Cheat Lake was one of my first sites.”
Security is not Forbes’ only interest. He also served as an assistant coach at Preston High School.
“I coached basketball and football. I enjoyed coaching; it was a lot of fun,” he said. “To this day kids still call and say hello coach.”
To contact Silver Eagle Security call 304-441-2221, email silver_eagle24@outlook.com or online at silvereaglesecurity.net. Silver Eagle Security can also be found on Facebook.
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