Security companies ready to protect clients’ sites, events

You never know, said Nick Weeks, Iowa City branch manager for Securitas, when you're going to get a call.

Temporary clients make up 20 percent of his business, he noted. These accounts include wedding receptions, restaurants doing overnight remodeling work and construction sites, which often require 12-hour overnight shifts seven days a week.

“It can make or break your year,” Weeks said of the temporary business. “If you don't have it, you're behind the pack.”

Whether serving temporary or permanent clients, security companies require a lot of feet on the ground. Weeks employs about 165 people.

“We are always hiring because you never know when you're going to ... have to staff something,” he said.

He also provides physical security, and he partners with Hawkeye Communication/Fandel Alarms in Hiawatha for electronic services.

At Per Mar Security Services in Cedar Rapids, Kevin Dill, general manager of physical security, oversees some 300 supervisors and officers.

His own background in law enforcement and the military - specifically in embassy security - has served Dill well, and his employees must complete a comprehensive security officer training program created by Per Mar.

Per Mar provides security officers for large and small businesses and events, such as fairs and concerts, as well as investigation services for background checks or internal theft. The company also sell many electronic security services for a variety of businesses.

The way Dill and Michael Kaplan of Per Mar see it, their job is to create “hard targets” to deter criminals and break-ins for their 2,300 clients. A darkened building with a fence but no signs of life or cameras, they noted, is a good example of a “soft target.”

A “hard target” is one with a guard manning the main entrance, cameras on every corner and motion-detecting lights mounted on the walls.

Kaplan, the general manager of electronic security, leads 16 salespeople and technicians. They provide alarm systems, cameras and motion detectors, among other electronic security devices.

What's the latest in security apparatus?

New technologies include combination motion detectors-cameras that provide 10-second video clip “loops” of whatever tripped the sensor - to determine if it's an intruder or something innocuous such as a pet cat or deer.

Also relatively new are some non-traditional ways to manage alarms and cameras: Clients can arm and disarm their systems through tablet computers, smartphones and email alerts.

Kaplan's security consultants are trained through a Per Mar program, and vendors also offer training on their equipment. His technicians have technological and electrical backgrounds, often studying electronic engineering at Kirkwood.

At Control Installations of Iowa Inc. in Hiawatha, it's less “feet on the ground” and more building automation, according to Operations Manager Brian Aller.

“We run your entire building from one computer,” he said.

The company's equipment incorporates security services such as card access, retinal and hand scanners, video surveillance and burglar alarms. His 25 to 30 employees include union electricians and programmers with factory certification.

The company is “steadily growing,” Aller said. It just added two employees and plans to hire two more.

It also recently acquired the Automated Door Group, which sells revolving and automatic sliding doors.

Securitas has increased its client base by 30 percent in the past year, Week said. He hopes to open a satellite office in or near downtown Cedar Rapids by April 1.

At Per Mar, Dill said his division handles 50 to 70 clients a month.

The cameras have other benefits, these security professionals said. They can show where customers or employees might have safety issues, or they can provide evidence for insurance issues such as slips and falls.

And whether a homeowner is going on vacation or a construction site foreman wants to make sure his tools are there in the morning, “the whole peace of mind concept is a valid one,” Kaplan added.