Buckeye Protective Services creates new division

CANTON, Ohio—Buckeye Protective Services, a monitoring, investigative and employment screening company based here, is creating a new division, under the name THE-Central Station, that will exclusively handle Buckeye's wholesale monitoring.

Buckeye has hired a previous competitor and industry veteran, Jim Osborne, and his wife, Carrie Osborne, to spearhead THE-Central Station's dealer program.  Osborne told Security Systems News that THE-Central Station should be fully up and running by mid-January.

THE-Central Station offers alarm monitoring, two-way PERS, GPS services, video verification, Remote Video Patrol, access control and video guard support its 10,000 accounts and 125 dealers.

Asked about the name “THE-Central Station,” Osborne and Ray Jones, Buckeye president and CEO, both said they wanted the name to tell dealers exactly what they offer.

Jim Osborne brings extensive experience to THE-Central Station. He was previously VP and general manager of Emergency Response Center, then managing partner for American Response Center, both of which specialized in wholesale monitoring. American Response Center was sold to Quick Response in 2009.

“My strong point with the dealers was that the dealers could call anytime—24/7—and get a hold of me and discuss whatever they want to discuss,” Jim Osborne said.

American Response Center's sale started a five-year non-compete for Jim Osborne, which ended on Dec. 7, opening Osborne up to this chance to reenter the industry.

SSN asked Osborne if coming back to the security business was always the plan: “No, I didn't think I would, I thought I would sort of take it easy. [But,] I'm not thrilled with retirement.”

“I'm glad to bring Jim in with us. We've known him for many years,” Jones said. “He's been a good guy. I think it was a good idea.”

Buckeye Protective Services, started in 1944, has been a family-owned business since 1970. Most of THE-Central Station's accounts are located in Ohio, but it has accounts in 32 states.