This article originally appeared in the April 2023 issue of Security Business magazine. When sharing, don’t forget to mention Security Business magazine on LinkedIn and @SecBusinessMag on Twitter.
It began 100 years ago in New England with the purchase of a single armored truck. That modest, albeit prescient start, birthed what is today a two-entity company: Dunbar Security Solutions and Dunbar Security Products – with more than 425 employees serving clients nationwide and more growth in the forecast.
From the beginning, the company’s trajectory has been one of ascendence and development. Bobby Dunbar, current EVP of Dunbar Security, says that single armored truck enabled the founding of Mercer & Dunbar by his great-grandfather, George W. Dunbar. In 1956, James L. Dunbar, Bobby’s grandfather, expanded the company, launching Federal Armored Express in Baltimore. Both brands later merged to become Dunbar Armored. In 1960, the family business added a manned-guarding service branch, and in 1983, security systems joined its roster of offerings. Combined, these comprise today’s Dunbar Security Solutions.
“In 1987 we started designing and manufacturing our currency management products as EZ Audit BankPak, including the new clear plastic bank deposit bags that became the industry standard,” Bobby Dunbar explains. “By 1996, we consolidated our products into Dunbar BankPak, or as we know it today, Dunbar Security Products.”
Now headquartered in Hunt Valley, Md., and helmed by his father, Kevin Dunbar, who serves as president and CEO of Dunbar Security Products (named and
Dunbar Security Solutions was officially established and formalized in 2015; however, Dunbar says both companies have been functioning in various forms and capacities since the 1960s. Each is independently operated but shares support services like accounting, human resources and marketing, with ownership and executive teams having full leadership responsibilities for both.
Letting Go, Reinvesting
Throughout its history the company has exhibited an understanding of the need to evolve as well as the importance of letting go of what no longer fits. As such, in 2018, after careful review, the decision was made to step away from the armored industry and sell the fleet to Brinks in order to hone their focus, Dunbar says.
“[That] could quite possibly be the most critical moment in the company’s history,” he says. “Since the widespread introduction and ease of digital payment methods resulting in the decreasing reliance on physical currency, we didn’t have the brightest outlook on the future of the CIT (cash-in-transit) industry. Although physical currency isn’t going away anytime soon, we were confident that we saw where the industry was headed. We saw an opportunity to exit the industry and to reinvest ourselves in other fields of security.”
It was not a sudden change, Dunbar adds. Instead, he likens it to more of an evolution, brought about by the awareness of how far and fast technology advancements were altering the security landscape. It wasn’t like COVID, which was an entirely more abrupt reckoning, but like businesses across the board, the company faced challenges such as supply chain and labor shortages. Although Dunbar says they are not where they were pre-pandemic, the picture is improving.
“Having strong leadership and vision in that time allowed us to maintain direction and confidence,” he recalls. “And we have come out since then with even greater confidence in knowing that security is imperative in a post-COVID world.”
Keeping it in the Family
Being a multi-generational, family-owned business has helped shape the company, fostering a consistency of vision and philosophy that has enabled it to move
Dunbar recalls learning about the business when he was a child, accompanying his grandfather and father to the office and observing how they treated their employees, customers, and others. In 2006, he “officially joined” the company, working first in the RFP department, affording him a broad view of company operations and its inner workings. From there, he moved on to several other positions, gaining experience and a deeper knowledge in specific business areas.
Before assuming his current position as executive vice president, he served as a senior project manager, overseeing some of the company’s existing services as well as its developing projects.
“Leading the teams in our innovative efforts gave me incredible insight into how the security industry has been unfolding to meet evolving threats,” Dunbar says. “There are so many creative solutions and product out in the market and it’s part of our mission to research and provide the best to protect our customers and clients.”
Dunbar says they have seen “significant recent growth” in both entities – in the triple-digits for the security solutions side and double-digits for security products – activity he attributes to new acquisitions, cultivating new markets and 2018’s refocusing.
The company is continuing to build on this momentum. “We are planning and currently implementing investments in our salesforce and anticipate additional
Staying Ahead of a Rapidly Changing Technology Landscape
Dunbar says they pay vigilant attention to the security industry, identifying new opportunities for expansion and development, as well as new technologies and solutions. They are also attuned to the ways in which the security arena is changing, propelled by the “massive uptick in technological advancements,” that are available to the general public (criminals included), and the implications of these innovations.
But the security industry has responded in kind, Dunbar says, with exponential growth in solutions like monitoring, access control systems and intrusion detection, all of which have become smarter as well.
“The introduction of artificial intelligence has supplemented equipment like cameras with the ability to detect and respond without the input of an agent tasked with monitoring,” he explains. “It’s an incredibly viable solution that we’ve integrated into our offerings already.”
An issue Dunbar says security companies should be paying attention to is what he describes as a “customer service gap,” affecting the domestic security industry. He contends that as security companies have grown ever larger and more reliant on sophisticated technology, they are losing the personal, face-to-face relationships that would allow them to offer tailored, customized solutions to their customers. Given the complexity of threats businesses face today, security companies need to recognize there is no single answer for any organization’s needs, he cautions.
“Developing an all-encompassing solution that protects a business from physical, cyber and logistical threats now and in the future should be the standard and expectation of service a security company provides,” Dunbar says. “We have structured our company to provide customers with consultation that is in tune, knowledgeable and experienced with their organization and industry.”
Theirs is an extremely people-focused company, says Dunbar. Whether customers, clients, employees or others, people are their first priority. Holding fast to this value has allowed them to create a strong, high-performing team that consistently delivers quality service. This has not only helped customer retention but has led to new business and partnerships as the word gets out about how the company conducts itself, which in turn is fueling growth. But that’s only part of the story.
“I’d reiterate that our second priority is sourcing the best technology and innovative solutions for our customers,” he says. “We are always researching, field-testing and investing in new solutions to make sure our customers and clients have the best solutions. Research and development are incredibly important to our
“I can’t speak specifically on our currently developing security solutions and products, but we are investing our interests in technology that provides futuristic security, ease of convenience and the ability to save our customers’ money compared to the industry’s current offerings,” Dunbar concludes. “I am incredibly excited to share more in the future when we can confirm their impact on threats through field testing and small-level implementation. Always looking at the future of security is imperative to keeping up with today’s constantly evolving reality.”
Pamela Mills-Senn is a freelance writer based in California. Learn more about her at www.pamelamills-senn.com.
