Per Mar Security Services
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikitia's general notability guideline. |
| Private | |
| Industry | Security |
| Founded | October 31, 1953 in Davenport, IA, US |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | Davenport, IA |
Number of locations | 27 branch locations |
Area served | Midwest |
Key people |
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| Services |
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Number of employees | 3,000 (2025) |
| Website | permarsecurity |
Per Mar Security Services is an American family-owned, full-service security company in the Midwest with 27 branch locations in 13 states.[1] The company's corporate office, Per Mar Centre, resides in Davenport, IA, where Per Mar was founded in 1953. Per Mar offers a security products and services for homeowners and businesses, such as Live Video Monitoring, Access Control, Fire Alarms, Burglar Alarms, Alarm Monitoring, Security Cameras, Medical Alert, Security Guards, and Employment Background Checks.
History
Per Mar Security Services was founded on October 31, 1953, by John and Eleanor Duffy as a security, investigative, and market research business[2] in Davenport, Iowa, part of the larger Quad Cities metropolitan area spanning Iowa and Illinois.
The name "Per Mar" is an abbreviation of the firm's original focus: "Personnel and Marketing."[3] The business operated from John and Eleanor Duffy's home until 1956, when the acquisition of a polygraph machine necessitated the move to a dedicated office space.
In 1968, Per Mar opened its first Central Alarm Monitoring Station.[4] By 1970, Per Mar consisted of five divisions: alarms, investigations, security and undercover work, uniformed security officers, and market research. Eleanor led the Market Research division, a department hiring mostly women and servicing clients including advertising agencies, publishers, chain stores, and broadcasting studios.[5] In 1978, Michael Duffy, son of John and Eleanor Duffy, became the President of Per Mar[6] and steered the company into electronic services, including home security systems and medical alert systems.[7]
Per Mar's corporate office separated from branch operations in 1998, moving support functions to the Per Mar Centre in Davenport, Iowa.[8] This move consolidated Per Mar's monitoring centers from across the Midwest to one central location.
In 2014, Per Mar transitioned its division leadership to the third generation of the Duffy family. Brad Duffy became President of the Security Officer Division after previously managing the Des Moines branch, while Brian Duffy took over the Electronic Security Division following his time as a manager in Cedar Rapids. Brian Duffy moved to the role of CEO in 2021.[9]
Acquisitions
Per Mar began acquiring security companies in 1975 with Alarms by PDA in Des Moines, Iowa. Since then, Per Mar and its subsidiaries have merged more than 100 companies' activities, customers, and employees into their operations which has helped it grow to the largest family-owned, full-service security company in the Midwest.
Acquisitions have been integrated into the Per Mar brand with the exception of two companies, which maintained their own identity due to brand recognition in local markets: Midwest Alarm Services and Floyd Lock & Safe, formerly known as Floyd Total Security.
References
- ↑ "Per Mar honored as 2023 Business of the Year". Quad Cities Chamber. August 10, 2023.
- ↑ Brake, Keith (July 25, 1970). "Per Mar A Spectacular Success Story". The Rock Island Dispatch Argus. p. A-2.
- ↑ Arpy, Jim (March 31, 1968). "Per Mar: Long Way From Front Porch". Quad-City Times. p. 53.
- ↑ "Protect Stores, Homes". The Rock Island Dispatch Argus. April 27, 1971. p. 16.
- ↑ Ryan, Elsie (August 2, 1970). "Market Research Another Side of Per Mar". Quad-City Times. p. 23.
- ↑ "New Officers Elected". The Rock Island Dispatch Argus. February 18, 1979. p. 33.
- ↑ Dahlen, Ann (July 15, 1984). "Illini Hospital, Per Mar Security Unveil 'Operation Feel Safe'". The Rock Island Argus. p. 10.
- ↑ "Per Mar will open new headquarters". Quad-City Times. April 28, 1998. p. 7A.
- ↑ Ragusa, Paul (January 18, 2021). "Brian Duffy becomes the third generation to lead Per Mar". Security System News.
External links
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