Brock Ryan

Brock Ryan, Owner of Safety Solutions Plus and Co-Founder of Fortress Consulting, received the 2023 BOMA Georgia President’s Award.

BOMA Georgia created the BOMA Safety and Security Organization (BSSO) in mid-2022 to give security and life safety professionals at commercial office buildings, corporate facilities, and other commercial properties the opportunity to enhance their professionalism; increase knowledge of important aspects of safety and security; enhance their knowledge of property operations and management; and return value to the owners, managers, building tenants and visitors, and assets they serve.

“Providing high-quality educational training has been foundational to the successful launch of the BSSO,” said BOMA Georgia Chief Executive Officer Gabriel Eckert. “Brock Ryan’s leadership has been essential in providing practical and engaging educational opportunities with easily implementable take aways for BSSO members.”

Brock and his colleagues at Safety Solutions Plus and Fortress Consulting led educational programs for the BSSO on topics ranging from suspicious packages; conflict resolution; de-escalation and preparing for civil unrest; recognizing and responding to suspicious activity; and more.

“Brock’s leadership has been crucial to the successful launch of the BSSO, and I’ve seen firsthand through Cousins Properties’ BSSO members the profoundly positive impact he is making on the careers of many people and on the safety and security of the assets and customers they serve,” said 2023-2024 BOMA Georgia President Laurie Harper.

At the time he received the award, Brock was also a nationally recognized high-rise life safety consultant to prominent Fortune 500 and real estate companies including the AT&T Campus in Atlanta and a large soft drink bottling company based in Atlanta. He also partnered with Paul Merritt to form Fortress Consulting to address the safety needs that the real estate and business community face today.

Brock’s passion for safety preparedness grew from his role as a Lieutenant for the Atlanta Fire Department, where he inspected high-rise buildings for code compliance and disaster preparedness.

“It’s so important that our clients take the plan that has been sitting on the shelf in a binder and actually put it into practice,” Brock said. “The confidence gained from seeing their plan being practiced cannot be undervalued.”

After the World Trade Center attacks in 2001, Brock became passionate about making sure building management had a plan for a potential tragedy for Class A structures. He retired from the Fire Marshall’s Office and quickly became the resident expert on preparedness and training for the high-rise buildings in the Southeastern United States.

Throughout his career, Brock also provided emergency planning and crises management for major events. He was the Emergency Medical Services Operations Director for the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay and served as the medical director for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation cycling events.