Force for Good 2026: Investing in People Through Cobalt Academy

Cobalt Service Partners (Cobalt) is a national platform of access control and commercial security service providers that supports critical infrastructure through security gates, access control, and integrated security systems.

The Cobalt team routinely hears the same concerns raised by business founders who are interested in selling their business. These discussions begin with a conversation about the business’s long-term priorities. Cobalt has consistently heard that founders’ #1 priority and constraint for growth is the company’s ongoing ability to hire, train, and retain skilled talent.

Likewise, at many PeopleFirst Vision and Strategy sessions held with newly acquired partner businesses, training was identified as a top-three priority across almost all partner companies. “Our technicians perform highly skilled, specialized work, and they need proper training to feel confident in the field,” explains Chief People Officer, Ginna Doyle.

The Cobalt team saw an opportunity to differentiate itself as a long-term partner of choice for founders and owners. Following the acquisition of Digi Security Systems in June 2024, former Digi Chief People Officer Brooke Lade joined Cobalt to lead culture and development initiatives across the platform. Under Lade, Cobalt launched Cobalt Academy at the beginning of 2025. Over its first 12 months, Cobalt Academy has become a centralized learning and development (L&D) engine that is already proving to be a strategic differentiator for the Cobalt brand.

Cobalt Academy at a Glance

• Cobalt Academy is the internal training and development center for technicians, managers, sales associates, and leaders across Cobalt’s platform.
• Onboarding to Cobalt Academy occurs through the Cornerstone Program, a multi-day, in-person, function-specific training that is designed to establish a foundation for ongoing training.
• Courses span Leadership, Technician, Sales, CEO, and more.
• 100+ graduates of Cobalt Academy courses since launch in 2025.¹

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead, Cobalt plans to tailor the Cobalt Academy platform to each partner brand, ensuring the learning experience feels native to the businesses it serves. The team will build branded learning hubs led by functional experts who can translate technical knowledge into practical instruction.

“My long-term vision is to create career pathways for young people who may not pursue college, enabling them to build durable, high-earning careers in skilled trades that continue to face structural labor shortages.”                 —Brooke Lade, VP of People Operations, Cobalt

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Endnotes

1. As of September 2025.

Disclosures

Case studies presented contain the opinions of past and present Alpine portfolio company executives. Alpine makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information presented here. It should not be assumed that the portfolio companies discussed in these case studies were profitable or that future portfolio companies or experiences will be comparable. Past performance is not necessarily indicative, or a guarantee, of future results. Under no circumstances should these case studies be construed as an offer to sell, or a solicitation to buy, any security or as opinions regarding the provision of investment advisory services by Alpine. Please see Alpine’s Terms of Use on Alpine’s website for disclosures.