You could say locally-owned and operated KC Security Services, the newest company on the Sault’s private security scene, has its roots in an entirely different line of work.
“‘K’ and ‘C’ comes from my parents names, Kim and Claude, they’re the founders of KC Roofing, Siding and Renovations, another local company that’s been around for 18 years, so when I started the security company I branched off with their brand, we have the same company colours, and we’re 100 per cent Canadian owned and specific to northern Ontario” said Daniel Laprade, KC Security Services president and company owner, speaking to SooToday.
Laprade and employee Kaija Kokkinen accepted a pair of complimentary SooToday coffee mugs, KC Security the subject of this week’s SooToday Midweek Mugging.
“We’re a full service security company with guards for events, construction sites, mobile patrols, responses to alarms and incidents, vacation patrols, loss prevention, we cover pretty much everything with the exception of installing alarms. We have a partner we use for that,” Daniel explained.
In tense moments, Daniel said KC will concentrate on de-escalating situations before they have to resort to use of force and/or calling police.
KC covers the Sault and surrounding communities, such as Root River, Havilland, Echo Bay and St. Joseph Island, and has also recently opened a branch in Elliot Lake.
The company started up Jan. 1, 2015, and now has several clients, including the City of Sault Ste. Marie, with multiple city buildings and parks to keep an eye on.
“I’ve been doing security since I was 19,” said Daniel (now 29).
“I started out with a security company in BC and worked my way up, but when that company sold I decided I wanted to start my own company with a different way of doing things.”
That ‘different way,’ Daniel said, includes a more hands-on, customer service approach, striving to be visible at as many community events as possible.
“For me, I work in the field, every day, and at night...not too many business owners work overnight and I’ve responded to customer emails at two in the morning. I’ve worked a lot of night shifts and somehow still managed to get things done in the day, but I’m fully involved and like to work alongside my employees. That’s a plus. I love what I do. It’s fun. To me it’s only work when I’m in the office doing paperwork,” Daniel said enthusiastically.
KC recently provided security for Relay For Life (a KC customer for the past three years) and the 3rd Annual Queen Street Cruise.
“We have a few more weekends coming up that are going to be busy with lots of events. Events are one of our prime things we do, a niche along with our mobile patrols.”
“Doing this job is rewarding in a lot of ways. You have your moments when it’s frustrating, but you keep people safe, giving them peace of mind by keeping an eye on their businesses, on their homes when they’re away...if we can make a difference in people’s lives and keep the community safe, that’s what matters to me,” Daniel said.
KC owns three vehicles (two marked, one unmarked) and employs 20.
Meanwhile, security guard Kaija Kokkinen values her employment with KC (along with her being a Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Auxiliary Unit officer) as valuable experience, pursuing her dream of being a police officer.
Born and raised in Echo Bay, Kaija has relocated to the Sault and has already graduated from Sault College’s Police Foundations program, with plans to return to the college in the fall in September for Protection, Security and Investigations.
"It feels good...I like being in uniform," smiled Kaija, speaking of her work with KC and the Auxiliary.
“It’s great experience. You get to work with the public and protect them...I get to attend events, patrol places like the boardwalk and interact with people,” Kaija said, a believer in the community policing model becoming more common in today’s police services.
KC, Kaija added, “is a great company to work for. That’s for sure.”
More information on KC Security Services can be found on Facebook and online