Signal 88 Security to open site in Northwest Arkansas

Omaha, Neb.-based security company Signal 88 Security looks to add a franchise in Northwest Arkansas this year. The company, which offers security guard services for businesses and homes, seeks military veterans and former law enforcement officers to operate its franchises, and based on the size of Northwest Arkansas, the franchise could employ as many as 40 to 60 people, said Kevin Jones, chief development officer for Signal 88.

“We can do any type of security,” Jones said. “Our bread and butter is multifamily housing units.”

Franchises operate with security personnel who conduct random patrols of businesses, such as storage units, and apartments or homes. When personnel arrive they make their presence known and use search lights.

“We’re a deterrent,” Jones said. “One of the reasons we exist is to provide peace of mind.”

One in five people move from an apartment because they don’t feel safe, said Jones, adding that police sometimes can’t respond to noise complaints but its security personnel can.

In 2003, an Omaha police officer founded Signal 88, which is a status officers declare when a situation is secure or safe. If the company were to establish a location here, it would be the first in Arkansas. It’s also looking at locations in Fort Smith and Little Rock.

Signal 88 has 120 franchise owners, covering 400 territories in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, and about 80% of its owners have a military or law enforcement background. Average franchises employ 20 people, and the company’s average territory has 350,000 people.

In 2016, the company had nearly $60 million in revenue, and it plans to increase revenue 30% and add 30 franchises nationwide this year. The timeline to start up a franchise would be between three and four months.