Happy Thanksgiving from Guardian Security

By Matt Smith | November 22, 2023

We at Guardian Security wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving this year! It may surprise you to learn that our company actually came to be because of an annual Thanksgiving turkey tradition. We hope you enjoy our own Guardian Security Thanksgiving origin story.

Our Thanksgiving Origin Story

The 1930s and 40s were a challenging time for our company founder, Donald Wyman Close. Despite earning an electrical engineering degree from the University of Washington, Donald started out in 1937 as a warehouse runner at City Electric. He worked his way up the ladder and was eventually promoted to engineer in charge of operations, design and estimating. One of Donald’s favorite things about working at City Electric was a generous gift at Thanksgiving: a free turkey for every employee’s family.

Guardian Security Thanksgiving Story

Putting People Over Profits

The company distributed the Thanksgiving turkeys for many years — until 1947, when the company stopped the tradition as a cost-cutting measure. Employees were gravely disappointed — and as the story goes, Donald made the firm decision that he did not want to work for an employer that put profits ahead of the people who made the company run. With the understanding that City Electric did not share his community values or a long-term commitment to its staff, he left the company in 1947 and founded the Donald W. Close Company. Donald built a thriving electrical contracting firm based in the Pacific Northwest that operated intentionally. It was built on the principle that he would share his success with everyone who worked there: people over profits. As part of that commitment, Donald made sure the D.W. Close Company gave every employee a Thanksgiving turkey, year after year.

The Turkey Tradition Continues

Donald’s granddaughter, Ainsley Close, is now our President; she is proud to carry on this important tradition established by her grandfather. Our values of family and community have never changed, and Thanksgiving is a time for us to reflect on that.

Thanksgiving Holiday Hours

At the start of the holiday season, we want to notify you that our normal business hours of Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM through 4:30 PM will be slightly adjusted the week of Thanksgiving.

  • Thanksgiving (November 22), we will close our offices 30 minutes early (4:00 PM).
  • Thanksgiving Day (November 23), we will be closed. 
  • Black Friday (November 24), we will be closed. 

Please note, our central station is always open. If there is an emergency at your location, our central station has people working 24/7 to help you.

We want you to know that the holidays are a notoriously busy season for maintenance; if any part of your system requires maintenance now, please contact us right away so we can schedule your service visit as soon as possible.

Happy Thanksgiving from Guardian Security! We are grateful for every customer who entrusts us with helping to protect their people and property.

About Guardian Security Systems, Inc.

For over 45 years, Guardian Security has been at the forefront of custom commercial security, fire, and communication systems integration in Washington State. Today, we proudly serve more than 15,000 customers throughout the Pacific Northwest. Contact us today to learn more.

Matt Smith
Latest posts by Matt Smith (see all)
Posted in Holidays, News