Greg Kuhn, President & CEO, Omega Protective Services
Gregory Kuhn was born and raised in Lehigh Valley, attended high school at Northwestern Lehigh and got into working security for bars, nightclubs and events. As many people tend to feel about the area where they grew up – the grass often looks greener elsewhere when you’re in your teens and the desire to “get out” and venture to new areas is appealing. However, after looking around and considering his options, he chose to stay here, start a business, and raise a family.
“In my teens and twenties I wanted to get out, but I quickly realized as an adult that when it came down to building my family, my life, and making good money, there was great work to be had here in Lehigh Valley. My family and I live here now, and we love it,” he said. “The local economy continues to thrive and I’m taking my bite out of it and growing my business for myself and my family.”
Greg is the owner of Omega Protective Services, a security company providing services to businesses, organizations and individuals throughout Eastern Pennsylvania. Omega’s main office is in Bethlehem and serves clients in the eastern third of Pennsylvania, ranging from the Poconos to Philadelphia with most of their clients in Lehigh Valley.
“From my point of view, the greenest grass for my business is in the Lehigh Valley.”
Greg Kuhn, Omega Protective Services
The idea for Omega Protective Services began to take shape while Greg was working contract security at local bars, and he officially formed the company in 2010 and started hiring employees to help keep up with demand. Omega now has about 85 employees on its payroll as of July 2020.
Clients range from event security for sporting events, nightclubs and bars, private security, and crowd control at local festivals including being contracted for businesses during Musikfest and other regional events. His staff often serves as the first impression at a business and they take that role very seriously, knowing how important that first impression is – whether it’s a doorman at the bar, the greeter at a Wegman’s or CVS, or someone working front-desk duty at a nursing home.
“We see ourselves as being in the customer-service industry. Safety is the number one priority, followed closely by customer service as “1a.”
Omega Protective Services has been a Lehigh Valley Chamber member for the past six years, and Greg serves as Vice President on the Greater Bath Area Chamber board. He’s been honored as a 2017 recipient of Lehigh Valley Business’s 40-under-40 Awards and the 2018 Small Business of the Year.
Live like a local:
Advice for newcomers to the region: Get into the outdoors and experiencing the natural beauty of the Lehigh Valley: Leaser Lake, Trexler Nature Preserve, the Lehigh Valley Zoo, the State Game lands or tubing down the Lehigh River. It’s also very scenic. Fall foliage in the Lehigh Valley is comparable to any place in the northeast and sometimes we take the long way home just to explore and find new things.
Favorite attraction: I remember driving over the ford in the Trexler Nature Preserve as a kid and now I enjoy doing that with my family.
Favorite restaurant: The BeanBath Café in for breakfast or the Chicken Lounge for dinner. They have incredible nachos – they use Doritos as the base.