Page 65 - Security Today, September 2018

Standing Guard
Iowa family company keeps Midwest homes and businesses safe and secure
BFy Ralph C. Jensen
amily owned businesses are few and far between, but that is just not the case for Per Mar Secu- rity Services. The company was founded in 1953 by John and
Eleanor Duffy in Davenport, Iowa. The busi- ness began out of their home and has now grown to become the largest family owned, full-service security provider in the Midwest with more than 2,500 employees across 22 branch locations and 19 satellite locations.
Per Mar Security Services offers security solutions such as alarm monitoring, smart home security solutions, security guard ser- vices, investigative services and pre-employ- ment and tenant screening.
Most intriguing is the offering of secu- rity guard services. Randy Mulder has been with Per Mar for 26 years and is the general manager of the Des Moines security officer division. The majority of the company’s em- ployees are involved with physical security services, although they do monitor upwards of 40,000 clients.
“This is a great industry for someone to get involved as a long-term career. Our employees are able to work on their own,” Mulder said. “The majority of our security officers do not carry weapons, but they are required to ful- fill state-mandated training programs. Once completed, they are licensed officers in the state they have taken the training.”
While officers are assigned to specific locations, they also have a field supervisor, who will ensure the job is done right, and can back up officers assigned to that area. While many of the security positions are full time, there are numerous opportunities for a part- time security officer.
That is a bonus for someone who wants a part-time job for a little extra money, and can work in the evening or on weekends. For instance, Per Mar is highly involved in event security, which often times is an evening or weekend need.
“Our people work when others have finished for the day, or the week,” Mulder said. “It is a perfect scenario for part-time employment, working on campuses, inside a mall or an apartment facility.”
During last year’s Solheim Cup, Aug. 14 through 20, Per Mar security officers helped secure the best of the best in women’s golf from the United States and Europe as golf- ers converged on Des Moines for not only championship golf but two evening concerts of Jake Owen and Rascal Flats.
On the peak tournament days, Per Mar provided more than 200 staff members. The Solheim Cup had record-setting ticket sales of just over 120,000 attendees, and close to 8,000 concert goers each night.
The Des Moines Golf and Country Club (DMGCC) has been a long-standing client. Per Mar took a community partnership ap- proach with the Solheim Cup, the DMGCC and the surrounding cities. It was a huge suc- cess. James Cutter, general manager/COO of DMGCC and host of the 2017 Solheim Cup said, “We found Per Mar to be excel- lent throughout the Solheim Cup. Their of- ficers were attentive, engaged and seemed pleased to be an important part of such a large event.”
The Per Mar Security Services residen- tial and commercial monitoring center was recently honored with the prestigious “Five Diamond Certification” from The Monitor- ing Association again this year. Five Dia- mond Certification is granted to monitoring centers that meet the five points of excellence.
The five points of excellence are:
• Commitment to random inspections and quality criteria standards by a nationally recognized testing laboratory such as FM Approvals, Intertek/ETL and UL.
• Commitment to the highest levels of cus- tomer service.
• Commitment to ongoing job-related edu- cation and testing by having 100 percent of its central station operators certified using TMA online training series.
• Commitment to raising the industry stan- dards through TMA membership and participation in its activities.
• Commitment to reducing false dispatches. “We consider it essential to earn the TMA Five Diamond Certified status,” President of the Electronic Security Division Brian Duffy said. “Operating our own monitoring center allows us to control the quality of this criti- cal life safety function, and we rely on bench- marking and certifications to be sure we are
delivering top quality service.”
Ralph C. Jensen is the editor in chief of Security Today magazine.
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