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Graham Kee: The Mediator

To get the job done at a major seaport, Graham Kee convinces dozens of competing stakeholders that collaborating on security helps everyone succeed

This is the kind of business sense that allowed Kee to convince stakeholders that restricting access to the port was worth the hassle. And here's another payoff: When the card is read, the crew back at the terminal knows to expect the truck and can start preparing to load or unload it. What's more, by limiting the amount of traffic on the road, the port authority estimates that it has saved $12 million by eliminating the need for a road expansion.

"The fact is, when [Kee] puts a security system in place, he also looks at how it can improve and enhance [all] port operationsnot just securitywise," says Beth Brown, a regional security inspector for Transport Canada, the government agency that regulates the port. (Brown spoke to CSO as a colleague of Kee's, not as a representative of Transport Canada.) Brown cites the vehicle access system as an example of a security application with business benefits. "He brings a lot of synergy to the port security community. Graham has one of the best operations going, because of his approach and his proactiveness. He's in the lead."

Another Test

The coming months will test the amount of goodwill that Kee has truly garnered. The Canadian government has announced that it will soon require a background check on anyone in the port who has certain responsibilities or access to certain areas. The details of the regulations are still being worked out, but there are huge points of contentionprimarily that the government wants to know not only criminal history but also a bevy of personal details such as ethnicity, ex-spouses and everywhere the employee has traveled in the past five years.

Naturally, many in the port community are upset, seeing this as an invasion of their privacy. Among the loudest critics are members of the port's powerful longshoremen's union. This makes negotiations tricky, because many Canadians believe that the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang and organized crime figures control this union.

It's a perception that Kee and others say is grossly exaggerated. "Are there Hell's Angels working the port? Absolutely," says Jock Wadley, who heads the city of Vancouver's waterfront police team. But, Wadley insists, "Organized crime does not control the port authority. They don't control the terminals. They don't control labor unions."

Nevertheless, even the perception of a link to organized crime complicates discussions about the background checks, because it feeds into the stereotype that the unions have something to hide. In this debate, Kee must serve as a liaison, learning about how the background checks will work and explaining it to members of the port community. Kee is optimistic that reason will prevail.