Audio clip
Mike Walden
About 18 years ago, Mike Walden’s office was the vinyl seat of a Chattanooga police cruiser.
He and his wife, Amy, didn’t have much money, but they were determined to launch their own security company.
From the seat of his police cruiser, Mr. Walden earned his first security contract — Mountain View Ford.
“Back then, I was cashing my check on Thursday to make payroll on Friday,” said Mr. Walden, president of Walden Security.
But the security company has come a long way since Mr. Walden would personally ask business people he knew, “Give me a chance.”
Walden Security now guards facilities all across the United States, including some of the country’s most sensitive installations such as the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta; Fort Hood in Texas; Fort Sill in Oklahoma; and Red Stone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., just to name a few.
Walden has about 100 managers and about 2,700 security officers and will earn an estimated $92 million in revenue this year.
“It’s been amazing how fast we have grown, but it is because we provide quality service,” Mr. Walden said.
The growth, which amounted to a 77 percent increase last year and 60 percent increase each of the three preceding years, led Mr. Walden, who owns 49 percent of the company, and his wife, who owns 51 percent and is the company’s chief executive officer, to seek additional office space.
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Staff Photo by Brian Lazenby Mike Walden, president of Walden Security, works in his office in the company's new headquarters located in the Times Building on East 10th Street. Walden Security recently purchased the building for more than $3 million.
They were looking to lease some space in the Chattanooga Times Building at 100 East 10th St., but instead of renting they decided to buy the building for more than $3 million.
The company headquarters occupies the fourth and second floors. The Waldens decided that buying the building made better financial sense than renting.
“We spent millions on top of that price renovating,” Mr. Walden said.
Mr. Walden upgraded the more than 30,000-square-foot building with security cameras, plasma televisions and access control points for some of Walden Security’s sensitive areas.
In 2005, Walden officials set new goals for the company, and it appears they will have no trouble meeting them, Mr. Walden said.
“We set a goal to be a $100 million company in five years,” Mr. Walden said. “We are at $92 million in three years. We are way ahead of our goals.”
Mrs. Walden said setting goals allows company officials to direct the course of the business.
“We are a goal oriented company,” she said. “It gives us something to strive for.”
Mr. Walden attributes the company’s success to its employees.
“We are a better company today because of all the great people we have working for us,” he said. “They want to work for a company that appreciates them and feels obligated to take care of them, and that’s what we do. The more I give to my employees, the more I empower them, the better we become.”
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