PREPAREDNESS IS NO LONGER OPTIONAL. IT IS CRITICAL.
Sorensen, Wilder & Associates (SWA) is a nationally recognized leader in safety and security, emergency preparedness/disaster management, and public safety consulting. Serving clients nationwide, we specialize in healthcare, education, churches/houses of worship, government, and manufacturing, and have proudly provided realistic, affordable solutions since 2001.
Steve Wilder
Steve Wilder, President and founder of Sorensen, Wilder & Associates (SWA), has built a career as a trusted expert in safety, security, emergency preparedness, and risk management. He has provided consultation services to hundreds of clients across multiple industries, including government, education, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and industry. An experienced trial expert, Wilder regularly consults for law firms and insurance companies and has become a nationally recognized subject matter expert in security vulnerability assessments, active shooter preparedness and response, emergency preparedness, workplace safety, and risk management.
Steve also brings 35 years of fire service experience to his consulting work, including service as a Fire Chief. His background in both public safety and private-sector risk management and regulatory compliance gives him a perspective uncommon in the safety and security field. These two distinct careers allow him to evaluate and develop emergency preparedness, safety, and security programs through a unified approach that considers both the realities of emergency response and the operational, regulatory, and liability concerns of private business.
That combination enables Steve to look beyond whether a program simply meets a regulatory requirement. He evaluates whether people, policies, training, emergency procedures, and security measures will actually function when an organization faces a real emergency, critical incident, regulatory challenge, or litigation.
Since starting SWA in 2001, Steve and his team have worked with more than 500 clients in 49 states. He proudly served on the Illinois School Security and Standards Task Force as the only professional security consultant appointed by the Governor of Illinois.
In 2019, Steve and his business partner, Chris Sorensen, received the Excellence in Emergency Management Leadership Award presented by the Illinois Security Professionals Association.
Chris Sorensen
Chris Sorensen has spent over 40 years in safety and security management, including administrative positions in some of the largest, most prestigious organizations in the country. A recognized expert in system design-build, Mr. Sorensen has worked with some of the largest and most respected schools and hospitals in the Midwest, designing access control, CCTV, infant/child protection, and resident elopement prevention systems. In addition, he has consulted to hospitals, nursing homes, government agencies, schools, law enforcement, fire service, EMS, retailing, and industry in areas of safety and security management. Chris serves as Chief Operating Officer of SWA’s sister company, Midwest Integrated Solutions (midwestintegrated.com).
Dan WIlder
Dan Wilder has built a career that combines more than 20 years of professional safety and security consulting with 24 years of fire service experience. A graduate with a degree in Law Enforcement, Dan joined Sorensen, Wilder & Associates (SWA) in 2006 and spent his first nine years as a staff consultant conducting security vulnerability and threat assessments for healthcare, educational, manufacturing, and other organizations. In 2016, he was promoted to Director of Professional Services, followed by his promotion to Vice President of Operations in 2017.
Dan's dual background in consulting and emergency services gives him a distinctive perspective on safety, security, and emergency preparedness. His experience allows him to evaluate programs from both sides of an emergency: how an organization prepares, trains, and manages risk before an incident occurs, and how those plans, systems, and procedures will function when emergency responders are called upon. This combination of public safety experience and private-sector consulting allows Dan to help clients develop programs that address regulatory and organizational requirements while remaining practical and effective under real-world conditions.
Throughout his consulting career, Dan has performed more than 100 security vulnerability assessments and has provided specialized services involving integrated security systems, access and egress control, CCTV system design and layout, physical security, workplace violence prevention, and emergency preparedness. He works closely with clients across the country to identify vulnerabilities, strengthen existing programs, and improve the effectiveness of their safety and security efforts.
Dan also provides extensive employee safety and security training nationwide. His programs have covered workplace violence prevention, personal safety and security, back safety, lifting and transferring residents, needlestick prevention and bloodborne pathogens, fire safety, evacuation, and emergency response. He is also the product line leader and a Master Instructor for SWA's nationally recognized Essentials of Aggression Management in Healthcare: From Talkdown to Takedown program and has trained thousands of professionals to recognize, prevent, and defuse aggressive behavior.
Dan holds a professional designation in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and applies these principles when conducting security vulnerability assessments across all industry lines.
In addition to his leadership role with Sorensen, Wilder & Associates, Dan served 24 years in the fire service as a firefighter/EMT and is a certified Fire Service Instructor through the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office. His combination of emergency-response experience and two decades of consulting provides clients with a practical, unified approach to emergency preparedness, safety, security, and organizational risk management.
Jocko Vermillion
Jocko Vermillion serves as Director of Safety Management Services for SWA. He is a nationally recognized expert in construction safety and compliance, and has extensive safety management expertise in healthcare, manufacturing, and more. Vermillion served for 10 years as a Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO) with the US Department of Labor – Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). He has investigated over 100 fatal construction accidents, served as a subject matter expert in countless hearings, and provided testimony on construction safety issues to the United States Congress.
Nick Trudeau
Nick Trudeau has been a Police Officer with the Arlington Heights (IL) Police Department since 2006. He is currently assigned to the Patrol Bureau as a Forensic Technician and arson investigator. He is an Illinois State Certified Arson Investigator with the Office of the State Fire Marshal and a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators. Trudeau previously worked at the Bradley (IL) Fire Department for 13 years before resigning as a Lieutenant to become a Police Officer. He was also licensed through the State of Illinois as a Paramedic for 15 years. Trudeau is trained in Active Shooter and Rapid Deployment. He assists as a Defensive Tactics Instructor and trains in the martial arts of Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Trudeau is one of the Arlington Heights Police Department’s lead instructors for other topics including Bloodborne Pathogens, Hazardous Materials safety and information, and Terrorism/Violent Criminal Extremist and Sovereign Citizens. He co-authored a Crime Scene Awareness course for the Arlington Heights Fire Department. Trudeau also trained at the National Fire Academy with the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bureau (ATF) in fire and arson investigations.
Stan Szpytek
Stan Szpytek is President and CEO of Fire & Life Safety, Inc. in Mesa, AZ and is a member of the Sorensen, Wilder & Associates network of public safety professionals. In addition, Szpytek joined Steve Wilder and several other industry professionals in forming the Emergence Management Alliance.
Tim Render
Tim Render serves as a senior safety consultant with SWA. With 10 years in construction safety management experience, Tim works with SWA clients on all areas of safety compliance.
In the spring of 2006, Tim became a Foreman in the painting department of a large Ohio construction company and was promoted to Assistant Production Manager in the fall of that year. In 2007, Mr. Render became a Service Manager for the roofing department, and in 2010, he was promoted to Safety Director.
In 2007, Mr. Render was the safety director overseeing a major painting project of a one-million-square-foot section of the International Exposition Center in Cleveland. The last time the I-X Center was painted was in 1984, and the previous paint jobs used lead-based paint. After lab testing confirmed the presence of lead, the job scope changed. Mr. Render was appointed to train all workers and oversee the entire project to ensure worker safety. He was involved in designing and staging the dirty rooms, decontamination rooms, and clean rooms. Mr. Render completed air sampling throughout all 4 phases of the project. He also completed all respirator fit tests prior to the start of the 3-month job. The job required 8-10 aerial lifts, so Mr. Render completed additional fall protection training and assisted with aerial lift refresher/practical training for all workers. For his leadership, Tim received the prestigious Diamond Safety Award.
Mr. Render attended Ohio State University and is an Authorized OSHA 10/30 Hour Trainer for the construction industry. He is also a Red Cross Instructor (Adult First Aid/CPR/AED).
Brad Campbell
Brad Campbell served in the U.S. Army and worked as a correctional officer for 8 years. Brad has more than 17 years of experience as a proven leader in Healthcare Safety and Security. He serves as a Security Manager, Environment of Care Committee Chairperson, Hospital Safety Officer, and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. He graduated from Indiana State University in 2020 with a Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management.
Brad has developed ongoing front-line staff and leadership training programs to effectively respond to and manage all-hazards events. He has served in various command and general staff positions during more than twenty exercises and real-world events. He works closely with local, state,= and federal agencies and other community partners to conduct planning and emergency response activities.
Brad is certified in security management, environment of care/life safety, and emergency preparedness, and is a Master Instructor for SWA’s “The Essentials of Aggression Management in Healthcare: From Talkdown to Takedown”. He specializes in policy development, risk assessments, security vulnerability analysis, and hazard vulnerability analysis. He leads the implementation of healthcare safety programs, including workplace violence prevention, active shooter response, and verbal de-escalation training.
Joe Ewers
Joe Ewers is a professional security consultant with Sorensen, Wilder & Associates, bringing more than 35 years of experience in criminal justice, public safety, offender supervision, specialty court operations, and law enforcement-related program administration. His extensive background provides SWA clients with a unique perspective on human behavior, threat recognition, workplace violence, personal safety, and the practical realities of managing individuals who may present behavioral or security concerns.
Mr. Ewers began his career with the Probation Division of the Kankakee County Sheriff's Department in 1991 after earning a bachelor's degree from Olivet Nazarene University, double-majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Throughout his career, he worked extensively with courts, law enforcement agencies, treatment providers, hospitals, community organizations, and other public safety partners. This multidisciplinary experience gives him an exceptional understanding of how behavioral, environmental, organizational, and security factors can intersect to create risk.
In 1995, Mr. Ewers founded Illinois's first Drug Court program and served as its Program Director for 19 years. He later became Administrator of Kankakee County Specialty Courts, where he managed program operations, personnel supervision, budgets, grant funding, interagency coordination, and complex offender populations. His work routinely required balancing public safety, accountability, behavioral intervention, regulatory requirements, and the safety of employees and community partners.
Mr. Ewers also brings substantial experience in staff safety and defensive tactics. He has served as a certified instructor in handcuffing techniques, assisted with training in Natural Reflex Control Techniques, mentored field personnel, and provided statewide training and technical assistance to criminal justice professionals.
As a member of the SWA consulting team, Mr. Ewers applies this experience to security vulnerability assessments, workplace violence prevention, threat identification, staff safety, and organizational security evaluations. His background enables him to look beyond doors, cameras, locks, and policies to evaluate the human behaviors, operational practices, communication gaps, and environmental conditions that often determine whether a security program performs when it is needed most.
OUR MISSION
Sorensen, Wilder & Associates is a for-profit corporation that helps organizations solve their safety and security management challenges.
Modern times require modern solutions to security and safety situations.
Unfortunately, employees, visitors, customers, vendors and intruders regularly create havoc and disruptions to our business. SWA has the experienced operational experts to help you prevent, prepare, mitigate, and recover from dangerous situations and deadly disasters.