From lie detectors to modern security, Schmidt marks 50 years in the community

MANSFIELD — The security business looked very different in 1976.

Schmidt Total Protection, formerly known as Schmidt Security Pro, relied on lie detectors and investigations at that time. Now, 50 years later, the company has evolved their security and safety to include technology solutions.

Brian Schmidt, president and owner, will mark 30 years with the company this December. His father, Bill, started the business in 1976.

“None of the things we did 50 years ago, we do today,” Brian Schmidt said, “and none of the things we do today, we did 50 years ago.”

_{A security business that had to evolve}

When the company started, it provided polygraph testing and conducted investigations into crimes. Local manufacturers such as Tappan and Westinghouse used pre-employment screening that sometimes included lie-detector tests.

“It would be an investigation that involved maybe interviewing a lot of people that if there was a suspect, people they worked with might rat them out, or tell them what happened, because again, there were no cameras,” Schmidt said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh yeah, we saw them on the camera.'”

Schmidt said the company worked closely with local law enforcement. His father served as a Mansfield Police Officer for about seven or eight years before starting the business.

The company later entered the security guard business and had more than 150 guards at its peak in the mid- to late-1980s. Guards protected factories and other locations during nights, weekends and holidays, while burglar-alarm systems were just beginning to emerge.

The company eventually shifted toward technology as demand for security guard services declined. Schmidt said some local factories reduced their operations or closed, while demand for the technology side of the business increased.

“Businesses have to evolve,” Schmidt said. “I feel like they have to keep evolving in order to stay relevant.”

His father responded to that change by adding to the company’s building in 2000, a move Schmidt said helped the business continue growing and providing more technology solutions.

He said working closely with his father was especially meaningful. His father taught him to focus on taking care of customers and employees, lessons that have stayed with him.

“There’s a saying, if you take care of your employees, they’ll take care of your customers,” Schmidt said. “I think there’s a lot of truth to that.”

Today, Schmidt Total Protection provides security and fire protection solutions for homes, businesses, industrial operations and community institutions. Its services include video surveillance, access and entry systems, intrusion detection, fire safety, personal safety, background checks and ongoing support.

_{Relationships drive the company’s growth}

The company’s work has also expanded its reach beyond Mansfield.

Schmidt said the company primarily serves areas within about a 75-minute drive of Mansfield, including Columbus, Akron-Canton and Cleveland, while also working with customers across the country.

Christen Dingess, director of sales and marketing, said some customers have expanded into other states and asked Schmidt to continue supporting them at their new facilities.

Schmidt said those long-standing relationships have helped guide the company’s growth.

Customers will sometimes ask the company to provide a service it has not offered before, prompting Schmidt to determine whether it fits within the company’s capabilities, he said.

“Many times it’s those great customers that we have great relationships with that have kind of pulled us in that direction and said, ‘hey, we really need this, can you do this for me?'” Schmidt said.

The company also maintains ties to the local community through organizations such as the United Way and the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as schools and non-profit organizations. Dingess said the company works with operations and other agencies focused on improving the community.

“Then we can be a part of that as well,” Dingess said. “It just kind of helps loop it all together.

“We’re all here to support all those organizations, support our residents and public service.”

Schmidt said the company’s mission to “positively impact our customers, co-workers and community” makes that involvement an important part of its work.

One of Schmidt’s most memorable moments came through his work with the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce, where he served on the board for nearly 10 years and as chairman for several years.

“It was just a really great time. That involvement put me in touch with a lot of people in the community, you know, just great relationships that I still have,” he said.

Dingess pointed to the company’s Small Business of the Year Award from the Chamber as another memorable moment.

“That was kind of one of those moments that just solidified that we have brought those relationships and those solutions and really made an impact on the community,” Dingess said.

_{The future of Schmidt Total Protection}

Looking ahead, Schmidt said the company expects its services to continue evolving as customer needs change.

He said the business must pay attention to new solutions and listen to customers to determine how it can continue protecting people and property.

Dingess said that means understanding the different needs of hospitals, schools, manufacturers, residential customers and people seeking help for aging family members rather than focusing only on individual products.

“Focusing on the customer versus focusing on us — what do we want to sell? It doesn’t really necessarily matter what do we want to sell,” Dingess said. “It’s going to be more what does our customer dictate is important to them, and then we can evolve and meet those needs.”

For Schmidt, the company’s future also depends on the people behind it. He said employees have repeatedly stepped up during difficult situations, including times when customers needed help outside normal business hours.

“As a business, you need that because you’re going to have those challenging situations. Especially in a security business, because it is not an 8-to-5 job,” he said.

He recalled a doctor’s office that suffered a break-in on a Thursday night. Schmidt and several employees worked until after midnight Friday to install an alarm system so the doctor could leave and go home knowing the system worked.

“I think just we’ve always kind of operated with the whatever-it-takes attitude,” Schmidt said. “We’ll find a solution, we’ll figure it out, we’ll get it done.”