Spokane security company Kodiak Security Services Inc. emphasizes continued training in an effort to set itself apart from other security firms, says Michael Novak, the company's sales account manager.

Kodiak's services range from event ushers to patrol officers to armed bodyguards, and it has more than 75 regular clients, including Kiemle & Hagood Co., Red Lion Hotel Corp., and the Spokane County Fair & Expo Center.

The company has a core of 45 to 60 year-round employees, Novak says. Some demand for Kodiak's services peaks seasonally, though. In the summer, its staff swells to about 200 when it provides security for the Spokane County Interstate Fair and other events, he says.

The core group of employees, most of whom have military or law-enforcement backgrounds or are students in the criminal-justice field, has a lower turnover than industry averages for security services, Novak says.

"Guys come and stay five to 10 years," he says. "This is a career for them. We only lose one or two a year due to other jobs."

The company offers advancement with a pay scale based in part on the amount of training the employee undergoes. Kodiak offers training programs totaling more than 300 hours—far more than the industry standard, Novak claims.

Washington state only requires security officers to take an eight-hour training course, which can be satisfied by watching videos on how to be a security guard, he asserts.

Novak, who had prior experience in security, including in the military, says he was attracted to Kodiak because of its academy-style training programs.

"I thought I would come in for one year to help shape up sales," he says. "That was seven years ago."

Kodiak owner Nancy Connors founded the company in 1996, while her husband Neil was a sergeant with the Spokane International Airport police department. Neil Connors now is an executive with the company and leads some of the training courses, Novak says.

"Nancy Connors started it in the basement of her house, trying to help out a friend with security issues," Novak says.

The company has taken off from there, although the market is highly competitive, he says, adding, "We're one of very few that's actually based in Spokane."

Some competitors are based out of state or out of the country, he says.

Kodiak occupies 4,000 square feet of leased space at 104 N. Lee, in East Spokane, that's staffed around the clock. A night dispatcher comes on at 5 p.m., and three patrol officers work through the night, communicating via two-way radio.

Year-round demand for security services dipped with the recession. When construction was booming prior to the recession, Kodiak provided security services for up to nine construction sites, Novak says. Since the construction slowdown, it's down to three or four sites.

He's starting to see an uptick in some sectors of the market, however.

Recently, Kodiak has been seeing growing demand for its executive protection, or bodyguard, services. Earlier this month, it even landed a Tri-Cities-area client for that protection.

Some executive-protection assignments call for bodyguards to be inconspicuous.

"We've gone as far as posing as a pharmaceutical rep in a medical lobby while protecting someone," Novak says.

About 10 to 20 Kodiak personnel carry firearms at any given time, he says. Kodiak has its own firearms training system called FATS, which is a computer-controlled, large-screen video system connected to sophisticated mock firearms. FATS simulates situations in which an armed person would be required to make split-second decisions in whether deadly force is warranted.

"Firearms training is huge, because firearms add liabilities and insurance costs," Novak says.

Kodiak's armed personnel must qualify regularly with live weapons at area gun ranges, he adds.

The company also offers training in nonlethal weapons, such as pepper spray and batons, as well as job skills such as communications, recognizing behavior patterns, report writing, patrols, and use of handcuffs, among other skills.

Most of the job is observation, Novak says.

"We're not cops," he says. "We report and observe—and act if the client chooses."

Kodiak does work closely, though, with law enforcement agencies in some circumstances, including the Spokane County Sheriff's Office in certain event and crowd-control situations.

The company also bids for contract work with the U.S. Marshals Service to handle some prisoner activities, such as when a prisoner needs hospitalization.

"We sit with them 24/7, even in the operating room," Novak says. "I've seen three surgeries."

For special cases, such as loss prevention, Kodiak has surveillance equipment, including a telephoto video camera system Novak calls Bertha.

"With Bertha, I can watch you from 500 yards without you knowing it," he says.

The company also can monitor clients' security cameras and alarm systems, although it doesn't install them, Novak says.