Perimeter Security Group LLC of Coeur d'Alene, Id., is no one-trick pony. They are back again in the Top 5 of the Fast 50. PSG has been growing at an amazing rate — with a nearly 260-percent three-year growth rate, including a 26 percent jump in 2014.
Handling that growth is a true challenge for the management team. It was ranked #22 in the Fast 50 two years ago, #2 last year, and #3 this year. In just three years, the company has jumped from 8 to 60 employees. “The biggest obstacle or challenge is the quick increase in number of employees and working in foreign countries and across the United States,” says managing member Brenda Blood.
That puts a great deal of pressure on human resources. Management spends almost as much time on recruiting, developing sales strategies and training the sales team as they do in on-the-job work.
That is not to say that staying on top of installer training and certification is not a big challenge, too, as the company’s service area expands.
Humble Beginnings
PSG started as a sister company to Northwest Fence Company. The parent firm started in 1997 as a gate automation company for upper-end homes in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington and has continued to branch out ever since. It provides turnkey installations of custom iron fabrication, security fencing, perimeter protection devices, access control, video surveillance, and automated entry systems for projects ranging from private residences to secure military facilities and correctional institutions.
Still, PSG remains true to its original core values and corporate culture. Keystones of the culture include the opportunity for active learning; working hard and being focused; having dedication to fellow employees; and having fun.
“Make sure your growth is controllable and manageable,” Blood says.
Markets and Service Offerings
The company serves some rather “touchy” business segments when it comes to security. Among them are clients in the aviation and transportation arena, government and homeland security, and critical infrastructure for corporations. It has provided work for several design-build contractors, the General Services Administration and The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects.
Complementing its residential gate and access control offering, PSG offers full-service steel fabrication, including design assistance and site surveys and reviews. Its fabrication team can produce anything from ornamental balcony rails, to entry gates, fire escapes and much more with a variety of color and texture options for powder coating for an artistic finish.
Additionally, PSG considers itself a turnkey parking systems integrator, enabling its customers to create everything from concrete islands and vehicle access lanes to barrier arms, rolling gates, attendant booths, paid parking solutions and vehicle tracking systems.
Completing its focus on the perimeter, PSG offers active and passive crash barriers — including fencing and bollards — to protect facilities from vehicular assault.
Finally, as the extreme temperature shifts in Idaho and the surrounding areas can certainly have a negative impact on outdoor security equipment, PSG offers a full preventative maintenance service program. The company recommends a maintenance service call at least twice a year — once in the fall to prepare the gate system for the winter weather and once in the spring to make sure the cold temperatures have not caused any damage.
Curt Harler is a technology writer and regular contributor to SD&I magazine. Email him at [email protected].
