Lisa Buckley never had a desire to be an entrepreneur, especially since she saw firsthand from her entrepreneur parents what hard work it took. After a career as the vice president and general manager of the Maytag Corporation Laundry Division before serving as the chief marketing officer of Western Union, her husband, Ishmail Nassardeen-Buckley had a dream to start his own technology company – American Automation Services – and Buckley found herself joining him two years later in the role of an entrepreneur.
American Automation Services Inc. has a mission to provide security and services to its clients through customer solutions to meet their specific needs while maximizing customer satisfaction. The company intends to have 500 teammates focusing on this, which will lead to the ultimate safety and security of the client’s staff, premises, assets and the general public.
In the beginning, the founders focused on top secret/TSSCI work with the Department of Defense but once changes to small business procurement policies made it nearly impossible to continue in the federal sector, Buckley decided to focus on the commercial sector that was previously 5% of the company’s business. The model change has resulted in 95% of revenues coming from the commercial sector and a contract at DEN. Under Buckley’s leadership, the firm has maintained clients such as Kiewit Construction, Enterprise Car Rental, and Denver International Airport with a goal to enter the aviation sector by 2026.
Buckley believes in approaching her role as CEO as a servant leader. “Being a servant leader transcends across different cultures and genders and focuses on helping the employee be the best they can be,” she said. “Resiliency is important in order to know how to navigate within the multitude of challenges that come our way as business leaders, and we must be able to turn on a dime to deliver what may need to be done at any time under any circumstance.”
She uses this resiliency to serve as an influencer throughout the community. Buckley has served on many boards and organizations, including the Society of American Military Engineers, the Aurora Chamber of Commerce Defense Committee, the Airport Minority Advisory Council, and the ASIS International. The company has also been recognized as a Top Minority and Woman-Owned Company by the Denver Business Journal and ColoradoBiz Magazine.
“It is hard-pressed for me not to achieve a goal if I set my mind to it,” said Buckley.
