To Serve AND Protect
Veteran-Owned Champion Builds Elite Security Force
As a military veteran with a decade of military service, Dan Keenan has gained a lifetime of experience in protection and security.
Now, he’s putting that experience, plus another 20 years in the public sector, to work through Champion Security Solutions (Champion). Together, Keenan and his highly experienced security team are building one of the northwest’s elite specialty site security businesses.
Keenan explains, “We’re the rare business that covers all aspects of a job site from sky-high cranes to complex interiors to vast perimeters.”
In fact, though its’s only newly formed, the company has already provided services to owners, developers and contractors—thanks in large part to its owner’s intense focus and vision.
Experienced & Disciplined
A quick glance over Keenan’s professional life draws a picture of a man born to protect communities. At the age of 18, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served in hot spots around the world.
Thinking back to his teenage mindset, he recalls, “I went into the Marines because that particular military group is widely recognized for its elite skill set. Every tour of duty required that we protect people and assets with all the tools and technologies available.”
When he left the military, Keenan sought to translate those experiences and the expertise he honed to provide security services to the commercial and construction sectors. He explains, “I knew I wanted to continue protecting communities. Security is a perfect fit because it requires experience, discipline and a strong awareness of surroundings.”
He spent the years following working for large home and business security companies in the Seattle area. In 1994, he joined a family-owned company and, with his knowledge and passion, helped it and a series of succeeding owners evolve and expand programs for a range of construction and business customers—but it wasn’t enough.
“I strongly believed that quality security services and products begin with customer care,” he emphasizes. “Security requires more than a camera, alarms and fast response. It’s about continual monitoring, verification and, especially, customer care.”
In July 2016, Keenan took over sole ownership of newly named Champion.
“Our security system is like having an entire battalion protecting your project.” Dan Keenan, Owner, Champion Security Solutions
Beyond the Alarm
While it is an aggregate of five different companies that Keenan has been part of over the last 20 years, Champion is now under the sole guidance of Keenan and his partners, Erik Skuja and Chuck Apperson.
Skuja, Keenan’s Vice President of Operations, is a master electrician, fire engineer and Champion’s fire systems expert. Chuck Apperson, who serves as Vice President of Security, is Keenan’s go-to sales and communications person.
Keenan confirms, “I couldn’t do this without my team. These guys are the core of our company—with their knowledge, communication skills and experience, we have all of the critical competencies necessary to deliver the right security solutions to our customers.”
Those competencies are built on today’s high-tech, advanced-response systems. Champion offers a full-spectrum of security services that includes fire, burglary and protection.
In particular, Keenan emphasizes the need for “verified” monitoring systems to go with alarm sensors. He says, “A fundamental problem in the security business is the lack of verification services—in essence, live video confirmation and corroboration of onsite activities. I don’t believe that a security company can truly ‘secure’ a structure or job site without visual verification.”
Verified monitoring capabilities include motion detection viewers embedded with small cameras. When an alarm triggers, the cameras record a 10-second clip that is sent to Champion’s monitoring source for verification of site activity.
Keenan compares his firm’s project security system to “having an entire battalion protecting your project.”
On the Job
Champion has successfully partnered with a number of Pacific Northwest construction companies and owners of office buildings, retail establishments and local businesses as well as residential customers. Its expert professionals have installed security solutions from major high-rise buildings in downtown Seattle to high-end homes on Puget Sound.
With an emphasis on construction site security, he and his team work with contractors and developers from the first shovel in dirt to handover, managing job site security and fire safety.
He adds, “We recognize that the last person a project manager or superintendent sees is the fire marshal, so we’re there to make that transition as smooth as possible. The goal is to protect a job site from curious intruders who might get hurt or attempt to steal valuable materials and equipment. We work directly with local law enforcement and have a high success rate of apprehending trespassers. Also, our verification system dramatically cuts down on false alarm rates.”
Champion’s executive team has also worked with insurance brokers, building the company’s reputation as the go-to job site security provider for developers and general contractors. One of the unique things about Champion is that it offers a 100% lifetime service guarantee as long the client is part of the Champion brand. As well, because of Keenan’s own military service, he actively seeks military veterans to join the company.
According to Keenan, Champion is the first Videofied® dealer approved by a major insurance company—a designation that, along with the company’s focus on verified services, lifetime guarantees and quality, is helping Champion quickly make a name for itself in the northwest. The company just won a major contract to provide perimeter protection for one of the region’s top contractors on a very large commercial building.
“I love the security business,” concludes Keenan. “Through it, I can provide professional services to fit virtually any business need and continue my lifelong quest to protect and serve communities.”