Shea Degan has been involved in law enforcement for over 20 years, and has devoted his entire career to keeping people safe.
It isn’t surprising that Degan owns a vehicle designed for the same mission: A 2001 Hummer H1 Alpha.
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An ocean-blue, wagonback H1 to be exact, with 1,392 miles on it when he acquired it. It’s a rare vehicle; there were only 869 H1s made in 2001. Degan acquired the H1 in 2012 after seeing it on Autotrader. It wasn’t an impulse buy; the vehicle represented an arrival insofar as his careerrwas concerned.
Degan wasn’t always in a position to own an H1. When he was a deputy officer in Douglas County working on the K9 unit, he would drive by car lots, look at Hummers, and imagine.
“At that point, I could only dream about owning something like that.” Degan explained. “I figured there’s no way I’d own one of those. It was a dream car.”
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That was in the 1990s. Over the next decade, Degan leaned in to the idea of improving the security industry. In 2003, he started Signal 88 Security, an entity that connected clients with security officers, including off-duty police officers. He worked hard. He maintained a vision. Eventually, he franchised the Signal 88 security platform. Franchising, by the way, hadn’t ever been done in that industry. Until Degan came along. Degan’s hard work and creativity allowed him to eventually sell Signal 88. Now, he is the CEO of 88 Tactical Group, an organization dedicated to helping “individuals, families, emergency workers, and military members develop the skills they need to handle any situation or crisis.” He has lead the charge in Nebraska in developing the official curriculum for conceal and carry permit classes, among other things.
Degan is an innovator in the security industry, and what better vehicle for an innovator like Degan than one of the most prominent off-road vehicles ever designed? The 2001 H1 gained notoriety as the Humvee, a staple vehicle for the U.S. military during Desert Storm. The civilian model sports a 6.5L turbo-diesel V8 engine that powers a Torqtrac4 four-wheel drive system. What the monster lacks in gas mileage (13 mpg in the city, 17 mpg on the highway), it makes up for in power, providing 430 torque at 1800 rpm, and 195 bhp at 3400 rpm.
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But Degan’s favorite feature isn’t the muscle.
“Has to be the self-inflating tires,” he says.
The driver has control of tire pressure from the driver’s seat using a central tire inflation system. It’s a feature that allows the vehicle to adapt, enabling it to navigate any terrain.
While the Hummer is impressive, Degan isn’t a stranger to incredible cars. His wife, Janet, bought him a 2002 Porsche GT 2, and he owns a Porsche GT 3 as well. But the Hummer owns a special place in his heart. He only drives it a couple of times a year, but when he does, he remembers his own journey.
“It’s great just knowing what the thing can endure,” he said.
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Visit 88tactical.com for more information about Degan’s business.
rThis article was printed in the October 2019 edition of B2B. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
