After only a year of operations, a Chatham-Kent business is ready for expansion.
JM Security Canada started in Chatham in 2018 and will soon be launching their business in Windsor as well. The founders describe the business as a "local, smart home and commercial security company" that provide a wide range of various security hardware and monitoring systems.
One of the co-founders, Eric Janssen, said he got the idea to start up a security company after his Windsor home was broken into. He said he found a gap in the market while looking for a modernized and locally based security company. He was inspired to fill that gap and partnered up with a few Chatham entrepreneurs to start up the company.
“We met with community stakeholders, local police, and Neighbourhood Watch to understand the safety and security challenges faced by local residents, conducted extensive product development research and launched a company that customers have been hugely supportive of,” said Janssen.
Janssen said although Chatham-Kent may not be the first place you think of for a technology start-up company, the support from the community has been incredible. In turn, Janssen said one of their main priorities is to always be a company that remains true to its local roots.
“When I moved back to Essex-County five years ago I wanted to create local businesses that would keep young, talented people in the area," said Janssen. "We’re very much looking forward to continuing our hiring as we ramp-up our new operations. Above all else, we’re proud that we have a successful, local company that’s able to leverage highly-talented Chatham professionals.”
Besides providing residential security systems, they've also been able to get commercial contracts with some big names including Enbridge Gas and Desjardins Insurance.
As business continues to grow, Jansen said they have hopes to be the leader in security systems in the area.
"The goal is to be the leading security provider in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent. We've got some specific numbers in mind and I think we're well on our way to achieving those," he said.