In 1999, Boston native Jackie Bassett left a lucrative career in investment banking and moved to Great Falls to work as one of the first 100 employees for the start-up company Netscreen Security.
“I flew into D.C. and they said ‘here’s your quota, now run,’” said Bassett, 46. “I went from having a $2.5 billion portfolio as an established trader, to OK, here’s a quota. I remember putting a notebook in the passenger seat of my car and driving up and down the Toll Road writing down the names of all the big buildings.”
Bassett went well over her quota that year.
“So I repeated that model because it worked and then we went public in 2001 — which was not a great year to go public, but our company was so good, and our team was so good, and our product was so good,” she said.
In 2004, Netscreen Security was acquired by Juniper Networks for $4 billion, and Bassett was ready to take on a new challenge.
“I rode the whole train, and when I got out of that I looked around for the next great story and that was it — there was no product that could compete in that space,” said Bassett.
UNDAUNTED, she started her own company BT Industrials, Inc., which helps chief executive officers (CEO’s) and chief security officers (CSO’s) of global 500 companies integrate security into their business strategies and processes. Bassett said security is a major issue for large companies in today’s global marketplace.
“Most new companies, all they’re doing is buying and selling information,” she said. “And what most CEO’s dread most is being on the front page of the Wall Street Journal for not good reasons.”
Bassett enjoys making the best out of what might initially be perceived as a major company setback. In one case, a company that was threatened with litigation purchased an $80,000 product to locate the e-mail that contained information pertinent to the case. Bassett told her client to stop focusing on what they had not gotten for $80,000, and instead focus on what they had gained. She pointed out that the new e-mail tracking product was the perfect way to keep tabs on customer feedback, since most sales people communicated with company clients via e-mail.
“So I was looking for something negative, but then flipped it around and found out it was very positive,” she said.
In 2006, Bassett wrote “So You Built It and They Didn’t Come,” which guides entrepreneurs and modern business executives on how to make the most out of their early mistakes. Her second book “A Seat at the Table for CEO’s and CSO’s: Driving Profits, Corporate Performance and Business Agility,” was published in May. The book, which Bassett co-wrote with Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) employee and IT expert Daniel Rothman, advises CEO’s and CSO’s on how to integrate security programs into their innovative business models.
"Bassett and Rothman are ‘on target’ with this book,” wrote retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier Gen. Bob Edmonds, a consultant with Heidrick & Struggles International. “A must read for CEO’s who want to grow and expand in this globally interconnected and rapidly evolving technological business environment. ‘A Seat at the Table’ provides a recipe for that successful CSO—CEO team.”
BASSETT PLANS to continue running BT Industrials, but she said she always keeps a watchful eye on the horizon for the next great product.
“There’s no shortage of talent out there, there’s just a shortage of people who can find a home for it,” she said. “Working as an investment banker, I learned to spot opportunity very early.”
In addition to having a passion for entrepreneurs and innovators, Bassett is a strong believer in taking risks. One of her favorite quotes is “the biggest risk you can take is not to take risks.”
“When I came down from Boston, that was a risk for me,” she said. “But I think the universe takes care of those who take risks — we have our wits.”
Bassett said she has never regretted the move and loves living in the Washington D.C. area. She landed in Great Falls after accidentally finding herself driving on Georgetown Pike one day.
“I was driving along and looking at all the rolling green hills, and I thought, I’m back in Massachusetts — I’m home,” she said. “The very first day I moved into my house a neighbor pulled up to say hi, and in the winter, I came outside and discovered that one of my neighbors had shoveled my driveway for me.”