Vol. 4, No. 2, February 2007
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Man on the Move
Security guard rides for safety
When Frank McKay starts peddling, someone receives help. Through snow, sleet, wind, rain and hail, the Showboat’s bike officer seeks distressed patrons. The company’s 2005 Employee of the Year is part manager, part delivery specialist and full-time customer service representative.
McKay covers a one-mile loop about 15 times in his daily 8-4 shift. His circuit encompasses the Boardwalk, States, Maryland, Artic and Delaware Avenues, and spans a nine-floor parking garage and a number of employee parking lots.
The sight of his yellow security jacket soothes either customers or employees who have encountered problems. Dead batteries, lost cars, flat tires and sudden sickness all fall into his realm.
“You get to meet a lot of people on this job and solve problems for them," McKay says. “Most of the people are nice. Usually they can’t find their car in the garage. Sometimes they will jump up and down and swear it’s stolen. That’s a time to tell them you have 20 bucks that says it is not. Nine times out of 10, one of their friends moved the car. Whatever floor they say, you go one floor above or one floor below and it’s always there.”
Well, almost always. He laughs recalling instances of vague information.
“One time this lady could not remember the color of the car or what state the plates were from, in addition to forgetting the floor it was parked on,” he says. “Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack. But she said there was a little stuffed animal in the back seat. So we looked on that basis and eventually we found it.”
Bike officers also contribute during a medical crisis. They know CPR and have assisted by bringing medics to the aid of someone experiencing a heart attack. On other occasions, when traffic gets backed up, they will direct it.
“The day goes by quickly,” McKay says. “There is a lot you end up doing. You are not confined to one area and it’s also easy to make nice connections with people. You ask them to let you know how they made out if they had to go to the hospital or have something done with their car. People come in and I might not remember them, but they see the jacket and will come up to say thank you for something that had been done for them.”
McKay sports a career in customer service. He worked in restaurants before opening Showboat in 1987. After leaving for a couple years, he returned to work as beverage supervisor, hotel supervisor and then in the slot area. Cycling followed, and fit his profile. Long-distance cycling comes easily for the Ventnor resident, who often pedals a Philadelphia-to-Atlantic City route each summer to benefit cancer research. McKay likes the unofficial workout that comes with the job, not to mention the mobility.
“One thing we love is that by having the bicycle, we don’t have any restrictions,” McKay says. “You don’t have to fight through traffic. If we had a vehicle, we could not go up and down the garage so quickly. We can get anywhere in a matter of minutes and if there is something medical, we are usually there within three minutes.”
Showboat honored McKay at a special banquet early in 2006. It commemorated a man who likes riding to the rescue.
