After 31 years in Discovery Bay, Security Services Northwest (SSNW) relocated its headquarters to Sequim.
SSNW moved from 3501 Old Gardiner Road in Discovery Bay to 250 Center Park Way in Sequim last month, company president Joe D’Amico said.
SSNW is separate from D’Amico’s firearm training company, Fort Discovery, at 3501 Old Gardiner Road. SSNW does not provide firearms training.
Its services include site security and patrol, alarms and cameras, a 24-hour answering service and a mobile app for security threats called “Shepherd Shield.”
A ribbon cutting takes place at noon, Thursday, Nov. 9.
SSNW purchased the 12,028-square-foot commercial building at 250 Center Park Way for $896,000 from wholesale jewelry retailer G Ju Hwa Bohemia on Aug. 21, according to the Clallam County Assessor.
Its security alarm installation team began working at the Sequim facility two weeks ago, and 24-hour answering and dispatch service personnel will begin soon, D’Amico said.
The Sequim location provided “a good fit for us,” D’Amico said, noting proximity to SSNW’s workforce between Clallam and Jefferson counties, cost of housing and ability to install a high-speed fiber optic network.
“We’re very excited. We think there’s a bright future there,” D’Amico said. “We hope we can contribute jobs — not just jobs, but family-wage jobs.”
Within a year, D’Amico said he hopes to hire 200 employees for dispatch services and development of Shepherd Shield, a mobile app that “barks” at its user to indicate danger from real-time data.
“We thought, ‘Why wouldn’t anyone want a German Shepherd?’ ” D’Amico said. “The German Shepherd is your phone.”
The intermittent barks are based on the level of danger: yellow, orange or red. A red zone prompts a K-9 bark alert, D’Amico said.
Users can choose to be alerted to an active shooting, amber alert, armed robbery, attack, barricaded suspect, bomb threat, bombing, burglary, California and Washington Most Wanted, earthquake, evacuation, fire danger, flooding, hazmat, high wind warning, hurricane, K9 search, lockdown, medical alert, neighborhood lock down, prison escape, protest activity, riot, robbery, state of emergency, school lock down, sex offender, stabbing, terrorist attack, terrorist threat, tornado, tsunami, vehicle accident, vehicle pursuit and kidnapping.
In the event of an active shooting, the app will place a blue dome over the region at risk so those traveling toward the direction know to turn around. It also will sound off a siren similar to a nuclear alarm, he said.
“It’s a pretty big thing the way the world is going,” D’Amico said.
Currently, SSNW employees are beta-testing the app, but D’Amico said he’s looking to hire individuals with law enforcement experience to act as advisers during active shootings.
If the app performs as well as hoped, it could mean many more jobs than 200, D’Amico said.
“We think the potential of our product worldwide — well, let’s put it this way: I can’t wrap my mind around it. It could be thousands of jobs if it takes off.”
Sarah Sharp is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. She can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at ssharp@peninsula dailynews.com.
