Begun in 2002 by a guy with a vision — and not much else — Safety Services Company has grown into one of INC Magazine’s Top 5,000 Companies for the sixth year in a row. “I knew that we could quickly become a major player in the untapped safety training and compliance market, if we could just reach businesses desperate for our services,” explained Devon Dickinson, founder and current board member.

“We looked at India, the Philippines and elsewhere, but the costs to start up a call center operation were prohibitive,” he continued. “I was familiar with the correctional industry in Ohio, so I looked to see if Arizona had a similar program we might work with to launch our business. I discovered ACI and the rest, as they say, is history.” Safety Services Company

Starting with a small inmate work team of four in the Cheyenne Unit at Yuma Prison, “the results, as predicted, were outstanding,” continued Brian Goheen, Safety Services Vice President of Operations. “We quickly went to eight stations, then 12 and before we knew it we’d maxed out the capacity of the unit and expanded out into a larger space within the prison.”

Today Safety Services runs nearly 30 call center offices, including six prison offices, employing 500 people. “We’ve got some real ‘prima donna’ offices now, so it’s especially gratifying that our original center in Yuma is still performing so well,” Devon commented. “Very well indeed,” added General Manager Michael Merryman as he announced that the La Paz 1 Call Center had won the Safety Services Company's President Cup for June 2013.

“The office hit or exceeded goal 17 days out of the 20 dialing days of June 2013,” continued Michael. “La Paz 1 is the first prison office to win the award since its inception in January 2013. It takes great persistence, diligence and consistency in order to win this award and be recognized by the entire company.”

According to Brian, “These offices make the engine go, they’re the power behind our entire organization. And the prison labor forces helped get us started and continue to provide , well, award-winning service.”

In its second decade, Safety Services’ partnership with ACI continues to bring real value to the business as well as to the inmates, who are gaining invaluable experience. In fact, “we’ve hired hundreds of inmates after their release,” Devon reflected. “One former inmate is currently running one of my companies in Texas and another is an executive in our Tempe offices.”

“I can’t say enough about how valuable these inmates, and our partnership with ACI, has been to the success of Safety Services,” Devon summarized. “It has been a great experience for everyone involved.” 

Mario Diaz – Yuma, AZ – July 26, 2013