United Data Security: Commitment to Customer Service, Excellence Spurs Rapid Growth

by Robert J. Rua

Paul Gauron is known throughout parts of the Pacific Northwest as, “The Pulverizer”.

That's right . . . “The Pulverizer”. No – he's not some professional wrestler working the lumberjack circuit. He's a former mortgage broker (and contrary to his nickname, a genuinely affable guy) turned proprietor of United Data Security (UDS), a document destruction and storage company based in Spokane , Washington . During its brief ten-month history, UDS has experienced remarkable growth in a competitive market. Starting with one shred truck, a trusted staff, plenty of sales savvy, and a wholesale commitment to excellence, Gauron has generated an impressive amount of forward momentum for his company in the time it takes many businesses to get their feet set under them. How UDS came to grow so quickly is a story worth telling.

It begins less than a year ago, when Gauron decided to make the transition from the high pressure, high stress mortgage industry, where he worked for twelve years, to the uncharted world of document destruction. In the shred world, business proprietors often hail from the waste management and recycling industries. Thus, it seems reasonable to ask: how does a mortgage broker get mixed up in the shred business?

Well, the answer to the “how” part of the story is a bit serendipitous. Prior to establishing UDS, Gauron had been searching around for the right entrepreneurial opportunity, one in which he could accomplish three things: retain the employees from his mortgage business whom he trusted and considered family, make some profit, and make a difference in his community. During a casual conversation, a friend turned him on to the document destruction game. Something clicked. A light bulb went on. Gauron felt such an operation had the potential to meet all his entrepreneurial criteria, and he knew he could make it work.

He also knew it would be an uphill battle. United Data Security would not be the only game in town. Spokane , Washington (pop. approximately 500,000) was already home to several other established document destruction outfits. Thus the advantages of novelty and monopoly would not be available to UDS.

Gauron says knowing there would be established competition didn't rattle him, “I knew nobody would work harder than me to provide the best service and highest level of security possible.” Is this mere hubris? Hot air? Coming from Gauron it sounds like a simple statement of fact – not boasting, just healthy confidence.

True to his word, Gauron (and by extension UDS) regularly goes the extra mile for his customers, paying attention to the smallest detail. But hard work is only one of many reasons UDS has found success. What are some of the others, you might ask?

Well, starting in no particular order, there is the company's strong sales mentality. If Gauron began with an advantage over his competition, it was in sales experience. With his mortgage industry background, Gauron entered the shred business as a seasoned veteran at prospecting potential customers and selling service. “We have a proactive sales mentality at UDS,” he explains, adding that his staff works very hard to meet sales objectives. Gauron uses sales contests to help motivate his salespeople, and rewards top sellers for their efforts. The bar is set high, but the UDS team gets results. In just ten short months they have rapidly grown their customer base, going from a one truck operation to a two truck operation with a 25,000 square foot document storage and destruction facility in the works.

Gauron says another reason for his company's success is Pulverizer I and II, a pair of state-of-the-art document shredding trucks. The Pulverizer twins allow UDS to destroy clients' sensitive documentation on-site. This enables UDS to provide the highest level of security possible. The company's clients get the piece of mind of knowing that their sensitive items are destroyed beyond recognition before the UDS shred truck even leaves their parking lot. The Pulverizers shred paper nearly to dust, and they have a high load capacity.

Recently, UDS organized a charitable community “Shred Day” in which citizens were encouraged to bring their sensitive documents to be destroyed free of charge. With help from a local NBC network affiliate, the event was a great success. In a single day, the UDS trucks chewed through roughly 70,000 pounds of paper.

The Pulverizer twins also helped get UDS some TV exposure. The trucks feature interior cameras that are linked to a custom-installed twenty inch monitor so spectators can watch the shred action as it takes place. Gauron says people seem to really enjoy watching the shredding process, adding that the monitors add an element of fun and entertainment.

Originally the trucks were equipped with small monitors that made it difficult to see what was happening inside. Gauron installed the larger monitors, he explains, to make the internal workings much easier to see. The large monitors also enabled the NBC affiliate's cameramen to film the shred process for the nightly news. The trucks quickly became overnight celebrities. Now, Gauron says, he gets recognized in public as “The Pulverizer”.

The “Shred Day” event was just one of many charitable contributions UDS has made to Spokane and neighboring communities. Naturally, charitable events have presented UDS with great opportunities to increase the public's awareness of its services. But Gauron says that publicity is not the driving factor behind all the freebies. He says, “Too often it's all about the bottom line. At UDS, we're trying to protect the community and make businesses as secure as possible.”

Gauron walks it like he talks it. UDS does a tremendous amount of pro bono work for non-profit organizations (ex. “Meals on Wheels,” local Chambers of Commerce, the Drug-Free Youth of Idaho organization) which have to manage their small budgets frugally. Gauron explains, “We want (community service providers) to spend their money helping the community. We keep their sensitive information safe so they can focus on making a difference.”

In the past, UDS has also provided free shredding services for companies with a desperate need for service but reluctance to pay. Gauron says if he meets resistance from a company that needs shredding services badly he will do the work for free. “If it needs to be done, we'll do it,” he says.

UDS also arranges free educational services for area businesses. Experts are brought in to teach business employees the complexities of the new privacy laws and the importance of proper document destruction. “Many businesses and individuals don't know they can be liable for compromising sensitive information,” says Gauron. “We try to get across the importance of information security.”

UDS consults with businesses to determine their shred and storage needs. Recommendations are made regarding the way each business disposes of its documentation, how often they should shred their materials, where they should place secure document storage containers, etc. Gauron says if a business seems to have its documentation situation under control he simply says “Nice job,” and leaves it at that. “We don't try and force a sale,” he explains. “If they are doing a good job and don't need us, so be it.” In addition, UDS does not require businesses to make a contractual obligation. Gauron says, “If we aren't doing our job they should have the right to go elsewhere.”

Gauron's confidence in the quality of his company's service reveals a high level of integrity. He conducts himself and his business with a genuine sense of duty to the public and responsibility to protect sensitive information. UDS operates on the principle that if you put quality service first, profits won't be far behind. As Gauron puts it, “We work for our customers and the community. The rest falls into place.”

This attitude, and plenty of hard work, has earned UDS tons of positive word of mouth and an excellent reputation. “It's all about the right attitude,” Gauron explains.

To illustrate his point, he tells the story of middle-aged woman who walked into UDS one day with a box load of papers under each arm. It was almost quitting time, the end of another long work day, and the folks at UDS were ready to make for home. Though it was late, and the amount of documentation the woman needed destroyed wouldn't even cover the cost of firing up one of the Pulverizer trucks, UDS did the job anyway – free of charge. Not long after, the company received a call from the facilities manager of a local cancer care center. UDS had just landed a new account. The facilities manager was the daughter of the woman who came to have her boxes shredded just a few days earlier. The woman had been so impressed she recommended UDS to her daughter.

Gauron understands that reputations are not built solely on grand gestures, sales pitches, or high tech equipment, but through small gestures as well. UDS does the little things other shredders won't do, and services remote places other shredders won't go. “We're building for the long run,” Gauron explains, adding “In this business it boils down to service, and we strive to have the best service around.” When it comes to the long run, UDS is off to a great start.