Apollo International Security Revenue and Competitors

Apollo Security, Inc. was founded in 1990 by the Crowley Family (Dennis, Peg and Dennis, III) and they were joined by another founding partner, Richard Ryer, a retired Air Force Colonel. Dennis Crowley, Apollo's Founder and President had an extensive background as a law enforcement and security executive. Immediately before founding Apollo, he had been a Vice President and Executive Committee Member of First Security Services Corporation, a major independently-owned regional security firm. Dennis and Dick Ryer had served together in DaNang, Vietnam in 1966. When Dennis was heading home to his family from Vietnam in late 1966 after finishing his one year tour, he and Dick pledged to "do something together again in the future". Twenty-five years later, they did. Dick Ryer finished his one year tour in Vietnam in 1967 and made the decision to continue his military career. A West Point graduate, Dick went on to a distinguished 27 year career which included a return to Vietnam as an A-37 pilot flying close support missions. He left his second tour in Vietnam with 333 missions and three Distinguished Flying Crosses. The first Apollo office was in the Crowley's house. An extra bedroom was converted into an office for Dennis and Dick. Peg, the Corporate Treasurer, had her office in the kitchen. Uniforms were stored in the basement and the family room was used for interviews. Dick Ryer moved into the Crowley's house so that the three could be immediately available when needed at a client facility. Peg Crowley answered phones, did the payroll, typed proposals, and maintained schedules. The house was not only the office, but also the Communications Center, so phones had to be answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. One of the three was always present in the house, ready to take calls and dispatch one of the others. Dennis and Dick spent their time visiting with prospects; interviewing, selecting and training employees; filling shifts; inspecting at accounts at all hours; and working posts when necessary. Dennis Crowley, III, known as Denny, worked weekends and during school vacations while attending college, and then joined the company full time upon graduation as the Boston Area Manager, relieving Dick and Dennis of some of their responsibilities. He also attended Harvard University evenings for graduate studies in business administration, and Suffolk University Law School nights for a law degree. General Motors was Apollo's first client and Data General followed shortly thereafter. To conduct interviews and train personnel for those accounts, Apollo rented meeting rooms and halls in the communities where the services were to be delivered. Using nearby locations allowed Apollo to quickly fill personnel needs with associates who lived in the communities where the clients were located. The company's reputation for personalized attention and quality service resulted in steady growth. By 1995, Apollo had outgrown the Crowley home and moved to its present location on Route One in Walpole, just north of Gillette Stadium, also a client. The Walpole location, close to Routes 95, 93 and 495 gave Apollo rapid access to its clients, as well as to two major airports. In 1998, Apollo began providing services in Connecticut. That same year, several large, well-known Massachusetts companies became Apollo clients. With the growth, the company assigned managers to geographic areas. Apollo opened an account in New York City in December, 2001 with George Butson, an experienced security professional, as President of Apollo, New York. George, like Dick Ryer, a member of the West Point Society, had worked in the security industry in New York for many years. In addition to New York, Apollo is also licensed in New Jersey. The expansion of the company has remained constant and controlled. The executive team was strengthened by the addition of Robert Devane, formerly with First Security, as Vice President of Operations, in 2002. In April, 2003, the company opened an office in Rhode Island and began servicing its first account in that state in July, 2003. In August 2003, Kenneth D. Jenkins, formerly the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of First Security, joined Apollo as President and COO of the parent corporation. By 2003, Apollo Security had grown to become the largest security services firm based in Massachusetts, which is privately-owned by American security professionals.