Protection Bureau funds higher ed

EXTON, Pa.--The Protection Bureau, an integrator operating throughout the mid-Atlantic, has established a scholarship fund for the children of employees heading off to higher education. Going forward, four students will receive $1,000 awards for the purchase of books, supplies, or to be put toward tuition costs. However, this year saw six awards granted. "The impetus," said Matthew Ladd, Protection Bureau president, "was a supportive way for Keith and Mary [his parents and Protection Bureau founders] to provide for the employees and their families. We're very family oriented." The fund is administered by a three-judge panel of independent arbiters, who consider applications and make the awards independent of the company. "It's a blind fund," Ladd emphasized, "so it's based on the student. It's not a decision made by somebody's boss." This kind of thinking has led to a high retention rate of the company's 74 current employees, Ladd said. "We're always there to be supportive."