The Security Week Gala hosted by the Security Industry Association and the InterPort Police, took place Nov. 2, 2011 at The Lighthouse in Chelsea Piers, New York City.  Members of the security industry came together to honor two distinguished leaders.

Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security, was the fifth recipient of the Fred V. Morrone Memorial 9/11 Award. She said, “[there is] an inextricable link we all share in this room. We cannot succeed without the partnerships present in this room. And we cannot succeed without the

Janet Napolitano accepts the Fred V. Morrone Memorial 9/11 Award in New York City, Nov. 2.

motivation that episodes and attacks like 9/11 give to us. We have made extraordinary progress in the decade since 9/11. But out motto is never to forget. Never to forget the awfulness of that day here in New York, in Washginton, in Shakesville and across the United States. Never forget the individuals and the heroism of leaders like Fred Morrone. And never to forget our commitment to keep this country safe and secure. As I take this award home, I’m going to accept it on behalf of the 240,000 men and women of the Department of Homeland Security.”

Last year's honoree, Leo Guthart, presented Steve Roth with the George R. Lippert Memorial Award during the Security Week Dinner.

Steve Roth, chief executive officer of Tri-Ed/Northern Video, received the George R. Lippert Memorial Award from last year’s winner and longtime collaborator and friend, Leo Guthart. Roth began by saying, “As one of the few people in the room who knew George Lippert, receiving the award brings back memories of George and also of my earlier days in the industry.” Roth noted his greatest fortune was working with talented people and described his experiences in developing ADI in the early eighties, “We didn’t invent the distribution concept. But we had a very strong focus on one ideal, which was to make it better. And I think I can say that intellectually we did, but at the same time we took it from a small endeavor to quite the powerhouse. But that was only part of our experience. We continued to do what was right for the industry; as a group — as a team — we moved in that direction.”