The body guard: 'kidnapping of executives for profit is an industry in some countries'--Sunil Ram.

• Author: Wareing, Andrew
• Position: Special Report on Sudbury--Section Two - Cover Story

The world is a dangerous place and people doing business abroad often feel it necessary to take extraordinary precautions to protect themselves. Perhaps this reality is the reason why Sunil Ram's Executive Security Services International (ESSI), based in Huntsville, is enjoying such success.

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It is easy to imagine an interview with Ram as something out of a Tom Clancy novel.

Ram, an imposing figure at nearly six feet, dark complexion, business suit and long coat, arrives to a pre-arranged meeting place a little earlier than expected. Ram and interviewer meet in a mall abuzz with Christmas shoppers to discuss issues of security where, in some parts of the world, kidnapping for profit is an industry.

Ram's voice occasionally drops to a near conspiratorial level when broaching some subjects such as international terrorism, security and some of the jobs he has worked.

Ram is director of operations for ESSI, an agency that provides security and protection for executives and celebrities, as well as training programs, safety and security seminars for non-profit agencies and even escort and anti-theft services for retail stores.

ESSI also provides private investigation services and security for construction sites and security consultations for everyone from private citizens to corporate executives.

"We pretty much do everything from A to Z," says Ram, 38, who, initially had considered a career in policing, and has been training and gaining experience in the security business for about 20 years. "We do all kinds of work from security for celebrities to escorts into court for abused women. We're not just working for the wealthy."

"The nice thing about this job is that every day's different. You just never know what to expect."

If it should seem unusual that he would be in Huntsville, given the business he is in, Ram says the quality of life in Muskoka drew him to the community.

"I lived 27 or 28 years in Toronto and I decided it was enough of that," he says.

"Coming up here, for the first seven or eight years, it was a rough start," says Ram. "Down in Toronto and other major cities, companies understand security. In the many years I've been up here, the major businesses have begun to understand the role security plays. They are starting to understand they're not safe from the criminal element. Hey, a lot of criminals come up here to rip off vehicles and rob our banks. They're thinking that a rural area, because of its seclusion...