IPS had the opportunity to work at the Aftershock 2022 festival in Sacramento, California Thursday, October 6th through Sunday, October 9th. The music festival included headliners Slipknot, who played Thursday, followed by Kiss who played Friday, then My Chemical Romance who performed Saturday, while Muse played on Sunday. Of course, each headliner had about 21 other bands sharing a stage with them. Overall, the event called for 94 bands and artists, who brought in tens of thousands of guests, demanding IPS bring in 150 staff reporting for duty. IPS had quite the venue to secure.

For the guards in the field, the supervisors, and the managers, this was just another day in the life of committed professionals whose teamwork and focus carried them all through. Sure, walking through the crowd of guests one could notice plenty of people in fishnets, leather, straps, boots and lots of eyeliner and makeup on many faces. And, with its rock ‘n’ roll energy, the crowd who showed up to experience the festival had the opportunity to have a good time and even receive help from the IPS team while they received compassionate attention.

Guests enjoy the show as IPS works, and some of the staff can be found away from the stages under white pop-up canopies. Here, IPS staff help guards check-in and get supplies they may need. It’s away from the crowd, where Khan, the IPS puppy can be found sitting on laps, keeping spirits up, while staff operate radios, take phone calls, and pass out meals and snacks to other staff who need nutrients and hydration. Here also, Aleah Lauti, the IPS NorCal office manager, can be found.

IPS always provides guards with water, food, and jackets, Lauti says, which is part of what makes IPS stand out.

“We’re always keeping them (IPS guards) in mind,” says Lauti, as the sun goes down and later in the evening when the vibe gets “intense, but it’s fun.”

As time goes by, IPS staff (in red and blue shirts with khakis or black pants) talk on radios, dispatching information to staff about what might be needed on the field. Sometimes more staff are needed, sometimes more equipment is needed, other times it’s meals that need to be delivered to everyone working; coordination and communication are key.

For Kapali Keulua, who works logistics and in the field, she takes care of the guards to make sure everything is on order; getting uniforms, radios, and flashlights, providing relief for a break, feeding and hydrating staff, and taking care of the guards is vital.

“It’s not easy there standing four to 12 hours straight,” says Keulua, but “it’s really a family here. That’s what I like and why I haven’t left this…it’s hard to find jobs that care for you as a person.”

When it comes to caring, IPS delivers. Miuler Reyes, IPS supervisor, says “the meals we provide” set IPS apart.

“You’ll never find another company like this, (that provides) freshly cooked meals,” Reyes says.

Care is not just physical for IPS. For IPS guard Magnus Santos, “something about them took me off from being on the streets.”

After refueling, IPS guards feel ready to go back into the field. Even if the crowd can be challenging. Flying objects appear; beach ball balloons, water bottles, even bloodied bodies come towards the guards, for this assignment stationed at the front of the stage, facing the crowd.

After getting hit in the head in the mosh pit, Emily Place, came to IPS guards at the front of the stage before receiving medical attention. Here, she was able to rest, talk, and recollect.

The guards’ presence for Place was “amazing. I love it. They are really sweet.”

Branch Manager Fili Gaoteote, a cheif in his Samoan culture, who came in to work for IPS after being retired says “at its core, IPS stands for an amazing opportunity for a lot of people.” Gaoteote says the company unites people.

As people come to IPS, staff are ready for anything.

Gaoteote, who has worked with IPS for over a year now, says working with IPS is a chance to grow.

“Being a chief in my culture, a lot of things lined up,” says Gaoteote as he discusses his values.

Early in the morning, see our briefing, you can see the unity in what we do,” says Gaoteote.

Staff circle around him before he speaks. Hands clap, chants are heard, and like a leader preparing soldiers into battle, Gaoteote speaks calmly but focused.

Gaoteote recollects that all the faces of this company work together. For him, that was a start of growth. There was a chance to get closer to nieces and nephews, he says.

And growth parallels experience in IPS. Reyes, IPS logistics supervisor, recalls that to become a supervisor he had to work hard, treat everyone with respect, show up on time, show up for events, and be there for the company. For him it was being there for his family, never calling in, never backing down.

As Reyes would advise, come into work ready to be a part of a family.