Secure Pacific focuses on different tactics to keep your home or workplace safe. They use video verification that sends direct feedback to their data center. From there, they can pinpoint the nature of the intrusion and notify the authorities. When we asked Jim about the two companies’ success rate, the data that came back was captivating. “Since 1978, [audio verification] has kept 178,000 criminals off the streets nationwide. No one else in the industry does that,” Jim explains. Secure Pacific’s success has been almost as impressive as Sonitrol’s. “In the past four years, Secure Pacific has caught 300 criminals,” Jim says. For an up-and-coming regional security firm, those results are hard to argue with. But what is now a crime-fighting resource for hundreds of clients across six branches in the Northwest started from very humble beginnings. Beau Bradley began Sonitrol in 1978 with just himself and his wife. The decision to move forward and take on your own business never comes easy. Beau wrestled with the idea for quite some time, until he decided to pull the trigger one day. “He did some selling and installing until he eventually invested in the company himself,” Jim explains. When Beau finally decided to start his franchise in Everett, Washington, there was no looking back. It was that commitment that made the initial stages of Sonitrol successful. “Beau never does anything halfway. He and his wife did it all for a while,” Jim says. Glitz and glamour aren’t the foundation of a great business, and Beau was no exception. “Beau would sell in the morning, and then install in the afternoon,” recalls Jim. “He tells stories of sleeping on a cot in the central station. He’d be woken up to answer some questions on what a specific sound was.” Ah, the luxurious life of an early entrepreneur.
ALL ABOARD!
And that’s just the beginning. “Beau was involved in the first apprehension the company made. There was a phone call about some kids breaking into a school. Beau chased them, crashed into one of them, and grabbed the other. The police showed up, and he made the company’s first arrest.” The hard work and passionate dedication of Sonitrol’s leader translated into steady growth over the next 40 years. “In 1982, [Beau] bought a franchise in Portland, Oregon. In ’99, he opened up in Boise. In 2001, he bought an operation in Seattle. Then in 2005 in Tacoma,” says Jim. If you know anything about Sandler, we’re all about incremental changes over time. Beau Bradley certainly encompassed this concept in his growth model, and their numbers back that decision up. Sonitrol is the 30th largest company in the security industry, and Secure Pacific is in the 80s.
You can have the passion, the skills, the mindset, and the knowledge to grow a business. But without the right people, you’re not going anywhere. Luckily for Beau, he found integrity and a die-hard work ethic in Jim. “I started with Beau in 1984. He needed a sales manager, so I came back home to Portland to run sales for him,” Jim explains. But growing with a company doesn’t happen without a few sacrifices. “[Beau] bought Tacoma, and my son graduated in 2006, so I moved back up to Seattle,” Jim says. It wasn’t easy for Jim as he commuted between Seattle and Portland. “My home away from home was the LaQuinta Inn in Kirkland.” Jim says, chuckling. Luckily for him, he loves both Portland and Seattle. He may even love Oregon a little too much for our local liking.
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