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As Tamar Security celebrates its 40th birthday this year, we thought we’d look back at its history.
Keith Southwell founded Tamar Security as a sole trader in 1984 when he was in his early twenties.
Keith started his professional career as a maintenance electrician for a local manufacturing firm in Exmouth, East Devon. After some time, he decided on a career change and moved into the jewellery sector, training with another local company based in Exmouth town centre.
In this customer-facing role, he noticed how frequently customers came into the shop commenting that they’d been burgled and had lost jewellery items. The entrepreneur in him saw an opportunity, and he decided to return to his electrician days, diversifying into the electronic security sector.
A job opportunity presented itself via the local job centre, so Keith joined a national intruder alarm company as a regional installer. He worked across the South West and soon realised there was a gap in the market for a local company to provide the region with a more personal service. Keith quit his job, and Tamar Security was born.
He chose the name Tamar Security as most of his work was in the Tamar region of the South West. However, the business actually established its roots in Exmouth and grew from there. It began with a shop and was followed by an office on Exmouth seafront, where several small acquisitions were made. The business eventually moved in 2012 to new offices in Exeter after acquiring Venture Security.
Forty years later, Tamar Security continues to thrive and has come a long way from its initial sole trader status, now employing 22 people. One of Keith’s early apprentices, Martin Shearer, has been with the business for 23 years and is now Tamar’s Managing Director
Over the years, the company has adapted many times to meet the changing nature of the security industry. We’ve expanded beyond Intruder alarms into fire safety and CCTV, constantly embracing new technology to meet the needs of our customers. However, throughout our history, one thing has remained constant – we’re a local provider delivering personal service.
Here’s to the next 40 years of Tamar Security!
To book a free intruder alarm consultation and quote, please call us on 01392 368830 or complete our contact form.
