BEYEL BROTHERS
Information Security Training
MODULE 0 / 6
BEYEL BROTHERS
Required Employee Training • All Locations
Your role in safeguarding the confidential information our customers trust us with — including what you share online.
Completion is recorded. A certificate is generated upon passing the quiz.
Understanding what counts as confidential — and why it matters to Beyel Brothers.
When customers hire Beyel Brothers — whether for crane work at a Florida theme park, a power plant, a port, or a marine operation — they often share information they would not want a competitor to see. That information has real commercial value, and protecting it is both a legal obligation and a matter of professional trust.
A trade secret is any business information that gives its owner a competitive edge and is kept confidential. It does not need to be stamped “SECRET” to be legally protected.
If a customer shared it with us to do our job — assume it’s confidential, even if they didn’t say so explicitly.
A theme park shares its new ride installation schedule and equipment specs for your lift plan — before the attraction is announced.
A power plant tells you the capacity and configuration of the generator being installed at their facility.
Saying “we do crane work for theme parks in Florida” — a general description with no operational detail.
Information the customer has already published publicly in press releases or on their own website.
What the law requires — and the consequences of getting it wrong.
Protecting customer trade secrets is not just company policy — it’s the law. As a Beyel Brothers employee, you are personally bound by these obligations whenever you handle customer information.
Florida has adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (FUTSA — Florida Statutes §§ 688.001–688.009), providing strong state-level protections on top of federal law. Because Beyel Brothers is headquartered in Cocoa, Florida with operations across the state, FUTSA frequently applies. Florida courts actively enforce trade secret protections — customers can pursue claims under both federal and Florida law simultaneously.
Leaking a customer’s trade secret — even accidentally — can expose Beyel Brothers to lawsuits worth millions of dollars, loss of the customer relationship, and termination of the employee involved. Intentional disclosure is a criminal act under both federal and Florida law.
Most leaks aren’t malicious — they’re careless. Know the risk points.
The majority of trade secret breaches in the crane and heavy lift industry don’t come from hacking — they come from everyday carelessness. Understanding where risks occur is your first line of defense.
Talking about a customer’s project in a public place — a restaurant, trade show, job site break area, or on a phone call where others can hear. Competitors, vendors, and media may be listening.
Posting job site photos on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok without customer approval. Images reveal proprietary equipment, facility layouts, schedules, and project details. Covered in depth in Module 4.
Sending documents to the wrong recipient, cc’ing personal email accounts, or forwarding project files to a subcontractor who doesn’t need them. One wrong click can constitute a breach.
Leaving printed lift plans, contracts, or specs in a truck cab, on a job site table, or in a trailer where unauthorized people could see them. Paper documents are just as sensitive as digital ones.
Passing project details to vendors, subcontractors, or colleagues who don’t need the information. Information should travel on a strict need-to-know basis only.
Saving customer documents to personal Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud. Use only company-approved systems to store or transmit customer information.
Competitors sometimes gather intelligence by asking innocent-sounding questions to field crews: “Heard you’re working at [facility] — what are you moving over there?” If someone unfamiliar is asking detailed questions about a job, decline to answer and report it to your supervisor.
One post can undo a customer’s competitive advantage — and Beyel Brothers’ reputation. Here’s everything you need to know.
Beyel Brothers is proud of the extraordinary work we do across Florida and beyond — and so are our employees. It’s completely natural to want to share an impressive lift, a dramatic marine operation, or a complex heavy haul on social media. But job site photos and videos are one of the most common — and most damaging — ways customer trade secrets get leaked, almost always unintentionally.
A single Instagram post from a Cocoa crane operator, a Facebook video from a Tampa job site, or a TikTok filmed on a barge in Fort Pierce can expose a customer’s unreleased project, proprietary equipment, or facility layout to their entire industry — including competitors — within minutes.
Do I have written approval from the customer? Verbal OK is not enough. No documented approval = don’t post.
Does this image show facility layout, equipment, or project details? Look carefully at backgrounds — not just the main subject of the photo.
Is location tagging turned off? Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok auto-tag by default. Check your phone settings before posting any work-related content.
Has this project been publicly announced by the customer? Just because the work is done doesn’t mean the customer has gone public.
Is this an aerospace, government, or theme park site? If yes — do not post without explicit supervisor and customer authorization. These carry the highest risk.
| Platform | General Company Pride Posts | Job Site Photos / Videos | Tagging Customer Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram / Facebook | ASK supervisor first | NO — written approval required | NEVER |
| TikTok / YouTube | ASK supervisor first | NO — written approval required | NEVER |
| ASK supervisor first | NO — written approval required | NEVER | |
| Snapchat / Stories | ASK supervisor first | NO — “disappearing” still counts as disclosure | NEVER |
| Group Texts / WhatsApp | Generally OK | NO — treat as public even in a group | NEVER |
⚠ Disappearing content on Snapchat or Stories can be screenshotted instantly. There is no truly private social media post once it is shared.
If you realize you’ve posted something that may reveal customer information, take it down immediately and notify your supervisor the same day. Early action limits the damage significantly. Trying to hide it or hoping no one noticed makes the situation far worse — legally and professionally.
Beyel Brothers maintains active social media accounts and a marketing team. If you’re proud of a project and want to share it, submit your photos to your supervisor or to marketing. We regularly feature our crews, equipment, and jobs — through the right channels, with customer approval in place.
Concrete actions every Beyel Brothers employee must take to protect customer information.
1 | Does this person need to know? Share only with people directly involved in the work. Never share cross-customer — what Customer A tells us stays within Customer A’s project team only. |
2 | Is this the right channel? Use company email and approved systems — not personal Gmail, text messages, or messaging apps like WhatsApp. |
3 | Has the customer approved this sharing? When in doubt, check with your supervisor before sharing any customer information externally. |
If you become aware that customer information may have been improperly disclosed, report it to your supervisor immediately. Early reporting limits damage and demonstrates good faith. Florida law protects employees who report compliance concerns in good faith.
Confidentiality doesn’t stop when the project does — or when your employment does.
One of the most misunderstood aspects of trade secret protection is that obligations don’t end when the project wraps up — or even when your employment with Beyel Brothers ends.
If you leave Beyel Brothers, your obligation to protect customer trade secrets does not end on your last day. You may not take, copy, or retain customer documents. You may not use what you learned here to benefit a new employer. Under Florida’s FUTSA and the federal DTSA, these are enforceable legal obligations — not just company policy. Florida courts regularly grant injunctions against former employees who misuse trade secrets.
Customer trust is the foundation of Beyel Brothers’ reputation across Florida, Georgia, and beyond. Every contract we win is partly because customers know we handle their information with integrity. That trust is yours to protect — every day, on every job.