Concierge Home and Business Watch

Grants Pass & Josephine County Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Winner

Following careers with the U.S. Department of Justice in Kosovo, helping the country develop police services, Julie and Jeff Thomas started a private security company in Grants Pass.

Concierge Home and Business Watch, which launched in 2009, employs more than 30 people, all with police, military or security backgrounds. The company serves more than 500 residential customers and more than 100 commercial clients throughout Josephine and Jackson counties.

Before launching the security service, Julie and Jeff took the SBDC’s Small Business Management class. The class allowed them to do a financial analysis of their business and establish guidelines for service expansion.

“In the course we gained a wealth of information about human resource management, customer service, marketing, technology and much more,” Julie said.

SBDC advisers helped Julie and Jeff write a business plan and develop a marketing strategy. They also assisted the entrepreneurs in obtaining a $25,000 stimulus funds grant from Josephine County.

Concierge Home and Business Watch has received the Small Business of the Year Award from the Grants Pass & Josephine County Chamber of Commerce and a Patriot Award from the Oregon National Guard.