Vista Security goes to Florida

INDIAN SHORES, Fla.—Vista Security & Investigations, a Toronto-based firm, is opening a new office here on the Gulf Coast this month.

The business will help support Vista Security's regional and national account customers, but the new office is mainly focused on finding new business and building its own client base in the area, according to Doug Benaman, a limited partner in the new Florida-based business.

Vista Security was established in 1999 and is co-owned by Rob McKnight and Domenic Todaro. Benaman is an industry veteran who has worked in the security industry for 30 years. He joined Vista in January.

The Florida office will specialize in commercial security with a “main focus on large commercial,” Benaman said. Vista Security in Toronto has 550 employees, 500 of whom are security guard personnel. Down the road, the Florida office will probably add security guard personnel services to its offerings, but not in the first year.

Benaman believes there's “a lot of growth potential” for a systems integration company on Florida's Gulf Coast because there are fewer competitors in the area. The potential customer base includes “the industrial presence in the Tampa/St. Pete area and in the Miami area there is a wide array of business, there's a lot of commercial possibilities there,” he said.

Benaman has hired an operations manager, Bill Lyons. He plans to hire sales people, initially in Tampa, Orlando and Fort Myers.

Benaman said the company is in discussions to acquire a bank of 100 to 200 commercial accounts in Florida, so that the company will have an immediate customer base to begin working with.

Manufacturers Benaman has worked with in the past and expects to continue working with include Panasonic, Kantecg, Axis, Exacq, FLIR Systems and Honeywell.