Biographies Team Leaders

Rolando E. Palma

President

A native of Miami, Florida, Rolando E. Palma has worked in the security and investigations industry for over 20 years.  Rolando received his Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Miami Dade Community College and has served in the United States Marine Corps.  Rolando is a licensed private investigator and holds three board certifications, specializing in cargo theft.  He is considered an expert in safety and the prevention of cargo theft.  As President of S1 Security Group®, Rolando plays a critical role in the company, building a cohesive workforce and optimizing the client’s experience and satisfaction.

Joseph Mendez

Assistant Director

Joe Mendez spent 15 years working as a local and a federal officer in law enforcement. Joe is currently on his 13th year in the security industry with 9 of those years in security operations.. During his service, Joe received numerous awards to include: The Officer of The Year award, 8-time Officer of the Month Award, 3-time LEO Investigator of the Year runner-up award, Meritorious Service Award, 3 MADD Awards, 2 Kiwanis Awards, 2 DEA Task Force Officer Awards, 20 Department Honorable Mention Letters, and a HIDTA Certificate of Achievement.

Graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice, with a secondary vocational degree in Law Enforcement.

 

Haim. Geri

Director IMI Division Aventura

Geri has dedicated his life to the field of counter-terrorism and Home Land Security (HLS) for his native country of Israel. He is a combat veteran of the Golani Infantry Reconnaissance Unit of Israel’s Defense Force (IDF). Geri is a retired Captain that served as a Company Commander and Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, as well as G3 in charge of securing the northern border of Israel. He participated in numerous counter-terror operations behind enemy lines, and the Lebanon War.

After his service in the Army, he was recruited by the General Security Services (GSS) of the State of Israel and held many positions with HLS, including Chief of Security at the Israeli embassies in Venezuela Mexico, Quito, Lima and Switzerland.

Later Geri would join the GSS Counter-Terror Academy, where he trained generations of security personnel in the fields of Embassy Security, Aviation and Air Marshals Security, Maritime Security, VIP Security, and Critical Infrastructure Security. During this time, he also worked for the Security Analysis Unit of Israeli Embassies, where he was charged with the detection and analysis of the threats, risks, and determining the required security levels at Israeli Embassies worldwide. He accomplished all of this while serving an Air Marshal for El Al Airlines.

Geri is currently a student at the American Public University, where he is majoring in HLS and a Senior Instructor at the IMI Counter-Terror Academy, which is certified by the Israeli Police and minister of Internal Security. It is at IMI, where he uses his life experience to educate and train new generations of professionals in counter-terrorism tactics, security, and HLS.

Under his leadership, the IMI has certified countless cadets in tactical response and firearms based on standards mandated by the Israeli Government. He is an expert in the field of the tactical response to active shooters and the Israeli shooting and fighting technique (Krav Maga). Geri also holds instructor certifications from both the NRA and the USCCA.

William Manzanares

Account Manager

William (Bill)  Manzanares born and raised in New Jersey where he worked in the security industry supervising a team of 7 guards. Bill moved to Miami in 2015. He continued his career in working as Director of security for a 5 star high end condominium resort. With over 6 years of experience and over 10 years in customer service, Bill now manages over 20 accounts for S1 Security ranging from Miami Dade to Broward county.

 

Roberto Copin

Account Manager

Roberto Copin spent 10 years in the United States Army of which 5 were spent as part of a Special Forces team. During his service, Roberto received numerous awards including: Soldier of the month for 2 years, 5 Army Commendation Medals, 7 Army Achievement Medals, 1 Army Distinguished Service, 1 Department of Defense Distinguished Services, 1 Silver Lifesaving and a Good conduct Medal.

Roberto has worked in the security industry for over 2 years as the Director of security for a large Residential/Commercial property. Now he is an account manager with over 20 accounts in his portfolio.

Roberto is a graduated of FNU, with a degree in Criminal Justice and certified as a Sniper, combat lifesaving procedures, certified as an Armorer, in Digital Training Management System and certified as a Ranger.

Neyber Ruiz

Director of Security

Neyber Ruiz has been in the Security industry for 9 years. He began his career at Maxima Security as a security officer, eventually working his way up to being a Manager with as few as 10 Security Guards under his supervision. He is currently the Director of Security at S1 Security Group where he is responsible for 50 customers ranging from commercial properties, HOA’s and private security; and a workforce of over 300 security officers. His success stems from his hands-on management style. Neyber believes building a solid foundation with his associates as well as his clients, is the key to success in delivering customer delight and long-lasting relationships.

Ernesto Fesser

Human Resources/Payroll Manager

Ernesto is a native of Florida; born and raised in Miami. He oversees the human resources department and payroll at S1 Security. Ernesto brings over 25 years of experience in human resources and payroll management. Ernesto’s overall business acumen includes management positions with American Express and Bank of America. He earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Miami, majoring in management and organization, and his master’s degree from The University of Miami in management and finance. He is proficient in the EEOC guidelines and US Labor Laws.

Itamar C

Director of Civilian Training Division

Itamar is head of Civilian Training; he is an expert in physical security.

Itamar is an IDF  combat Veteran; his experience includes but is not limited to Military infantry warfare, reconnaissance, Counter-Terrorism, Combat Driving, Special recon equipment operator, Strategic & tactics of guerilla warfare, CQB for counter-terror, Krav Maga training, Israeli critical infrastructure  Security, NRA Firearm instructor.

As part of his service, Itamar served as a team member of a special reconnaissance unit.

A veteran of behind enemy lines operations, Itamar served as a Private security contractor to secure critical infrastructure and VIP/close protection for the Ministry of Defense and other Ministries in Israel. This job required high-security clearance and involved undercover work.

Chris Soldo

Private Investigator

A California native, Chris Soldo is an experienced professional in the security and investigations industry. He was a police officer for both the Suisun City and Los Angeles, California police departments where he served 18 years, collectively. While with the Suisun City Police Department, he served as a shift supervisor, field training officer, and tactical officer-special enforcement detail (SED-SWAT). Chris is skilled in negotiations, law enforcement, physical security, team building, and management. Chris obtained his Bachelor’s in industrial technology and aviation administration from Cal State, Los Angeles CA.

He is an NRA-certified law enforcement firearms/shotgun instructor and certified in CPR/First Aid/AED and holds security licenses in both California and Florida. He has also, worked special security details and is a certified Private Investigator. Chris serves as the lead Private Investigator for S1 Security Group®.

 

Domingo Gallardo

Firearms Instructor

Domingo Gallardo is an accomplished military and civilian law enforcement professional. He was a supervising officer with the Department of Defense for the U.S. Southern Command, a police officer, as well as a correctional officer in Miami, Florida and Kearny, New Jersey where he served for over 20 years, collectively.  He provides knowledge and expertise in situation analytics, critical thinking, and security procedures and techniques.
Domingo is an NRA-Certified law enforcement firearms/shotgun/pistol/revolver training specialist and holds security officer and manager licenses in the State of Florida.  He has also, worked on special security details, contracted under the Federal government as a Protective Security Officer.
Domingo serves as the in-house Firearms Instructor for S1 Security Group®.

Jennifer L. Rodriguez

LEAD investigator

Jennifer L. Rodriguez was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She graduated from Miami-Dade College with an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice. Upon graduation, she transferred to the University of South Florida located in Tampa, Florida, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Jennifer worked at the Arizona School for Deaf and Blind for over a year before attending and graduating from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where she earned the title of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer.
Jennifer returned to Miami after she departed from the U.S. government. She attended and graduated from the Miami Police Training Center to become a police officer. Jennifer has attained several years of experience in the field of law enforcement; from immigration to investigations; searches and seizures. She is well versed in serving the public and defending the law and brings these skills to our private investigations team.