Securing Peace of Mind For Over 20 Years
Security First Alarm
From owning a sushi bar to starting a security company, Tami Twidwell is no stranger to trying new things. It’s something she’s done most of her professional life and she’s proud of her results.
“Thirty years ago, I owned a sushi bar in Beaverton, Oregon, which is just west of Portland,” says Twidwell, partner and residential sales manager of Portland-based Security First Alarm. “I was in business for 10 years and, during that time, I became friends with many of my customers. One day, a group of my customers suggested that I join them in starting a security company. They thought I could help with the sales side of the business since I knew so many customers from Portland’s westside. I decided to take the leap and, as a result, many of my customers from the restaurant became our first clients. How lucky am I to be able to say I have 30-year customers who are still my friends?”
While Twidwell’s career path has been circuitous, it hasn’t slowed her success. In May 2018, Security First Alarm celebrated 20 years of providing security and fire alarm systems.
“There’s something special about reaching this milestone,” Twidwell says. “We started out focusing on residential and small business clients in the Portland metropolitan area. Twenty years later, our customer base is predominantly commercial and industrial accounts throughout Oregon, Washington and Idaho—but we will never stop servicing our residential clients, as they helped get us where we are today.”
Changing with the Times
Like most industries, the security sector has dramatically changed over recent years, largely due to the impact of the internet. Twidwell reflects on how Security First Alarm relied on salespeople in their early days to build their clientele.
“The way we did our marketing in the late nineties is totally different from how we do it now,” she says. “Twenty years ago, we maintained a brick-and-mortar office with a showroom and a sales force that was twice the size of our installation crew. We had sales people knock on doors of businesses and homeowners, along with telemarketers contacting potential customers every day except on Sundays,” she recalls. “With the advent of the internet, all the marketing rules changed dramatically. It became a vital sales necessity to create a web presence since that’s where consumers shop and look for specific information.”
She adds, “We maintain pages of information on our websites that are tailored to the various systems, services and products that we provide. We went from being a company that initially employed more sales personnel than installers to a full-service installation company with certified technicians. With smartphones that are internet enabled, our security clients want real-time apps that give them immediate information and instant alerts. If they can’t live view their home or business or receive text alerts when an alarm triggers, they will not want their security system any more,” she notes. “In the nineties, we relied on home phone lines for signals, and today most everything we install is on a cellphone, radio or internet communicator. Most significantly, today, our entire residential sales force consists of a tech-savvy internet marketing department headed by our marketing director, Jordan Enciso.”
Unchartered Territory
In 2014, voters in the State of Oregon passed Ballot Measure 91 legalizing the sale, production and use of recreational marijuana in Oregon. This opened new business challenges for those in the security industry in the Northwest.
“After the 2014 election, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) mandated that every licensed recreational marijuana facility have a fully operational video surveillance system, including off-site video backup,” Twidwell says. “All of a sudden, we found ourselves immersed in a previously secretive and hidden industry that we knew very little about.”
“We had to learn so much in a short period of time, but we now have more than 100 clients involved in growing and distributing legalized cannabis, including a cannabis ice-cream producer and the classic cannabis brownie maker everyone has heard about,” Enciso adds. “We understand the importance of making sure our customers’ security systems are in compliance with ever-changing state laws, while also ensuring that their product is safe.”
Security First Alarm provides comprehensive services to its cannabis business customers, including a cloud storage solution, a video monitoring solution, complete installation and setup, as well as providing them with information about current and new security regulations by the OLCC.
There’s an App for That
“Security technology has evolved so much that now our clients have remote access systems they can turn on and off through their smartphones,” Twidwell says. “Customers can live view and off-site record. This allows owners to worry less about possible false alarms and only be notified if a real emergency is occurring.”
Although Security First Alarm’s geographical base traditionally has been the Northwestern U.S., the company is in the final stages of approval with Apple iTunes to launch a mobile app that will enable them to create a national presence.
“We have been working with a developer to create an app for off-site backup that will be available for both the Android and iPhone,” Twidwell says. “And combined with our cloud storage solution that enables owners to watch their security video feed from any device connected to the internet, we can be borderless in terms of where our clients are located.”
Enciso explains that the process is straightforward. “We provide our clients with a camera that they simply plug in. After setting up the app, customers can monitor their home or business 24/7 from any location. If they get an alert, they simply log on to their phone or tablet and see what’s happening. It’s great for people who own vacation homes or for businesses that want to keep an eye on their property or equipment.”
Off-site video storage is such a new part of the security industry that has evolved with the advent of the internet. “Not only are our cannabis clients in need of off-site video storage, but we also service local law enforcement and larger businesses that need off-site video storage, as well,” Encisco says. “Security First Alarm is proud to service local law enforcement as part of their commitment to be at the cutting-edge of new technology applications.”
“Unfortunately, property crime continues to exist across the country,” Twidwell says. “We’ve learned to constantly tweak our business so that we can meet the needs of the people we serve. From new ways to market our services to the installation of new products, we are continually adapting with the times, just like the face of the internet has changed in the last 20 years.”
The automation of today’s technology has gone a long way to giving control back to individuals. “Technology is amazing, but we still understand the importance of talking to our customers and making sure we always answer our phones first and foremost,” Twidwell says. “What I get most excited about is when a potential customer comes to us because they feel insecure in their home or business and we can give them a solution that makes them feel safe again.”