How Per Mar Security Succeeded With an End-to-End ERP Solution

By Sarah Stryker March 12, 2026 Category: Customer Success Story

Running a security business in the Midwest comes with a specific set of hurdles. From tight profit margins to the constant churn of employees, maintaining operational stability can feel like a balancing act. For Per Mar Security & Research Corp — the largest family-owned security company in the Midwest — the key to navigating these challenges lay in finding a technology partner that understood their industry inside and out.

With over 3,100 employees providing physical security, electronic security, and fire alarm safety services, Per Mar needed more than just software. They needed a comprehensive ecosystem to connect their back office to the field.

We sat down with Tracy VerMulm, Controller at Per Mar, to discuss how an integrated ERP solution transformed their operations, improved visibility, and prepared them for the future of mobile workforce management.

Addressing the Core Challenges of the Security Industry

Like many manned guarding firms, Per Mar faces the industry-wide dual pressures of critical 24/7 scheduling and managing a large workforce with high turnover.

“We work on tight margins,” VerMulm explained. “We have critical 24/7 scheduling and hiring of employees with large turnover.”

To manage this complexity, Per Mar utilizes WinTeam, a holistic financial, operations, and workforce management solution designed specifically for the security industry, and Hire by WorkWave, an applicant tracking and onboarding solution. By pairing the two, PerMar gained the ability to see the full picture of their business — from recruitment to payroll.

“We utilize WinTeam to help with seeing the visibility within our schedules, timekeeping, and payroll,” VerMulm noted. “And then utilizing Hire [by WorkWave] to help us recruit and onboard all of our employees.”

The Power of Connectivity

For VerMulm, the biggest success hasn’t been a single feature, but rather the connectivity between the field and the office. In a fragmented tech stack, data often gets lost between the time an officer is hired and when they clock into their first shift.

PerMar uses their ERP to bridge that gap. The solution connects the entire employee life cycle:

  • Hiring and Onboarding: Seamlessly moving candidates from applicant tracking to active employee status.
  • Field Operations: Ensuring employees are working the correct sites and shifts.
  • Financials: Paying employees accurately and billing customers efficiently.

“To me, our biggest success has been being able to connect our field service with our back office,” said VerMulm. “At the end of the day, it’s being able to report on all of that activity… that gives us valuable insight into not only our job-level margins but also what the company is doing and how they’re performing as a whole.”

Why Industry-Specific Software Matters

Generic software often struggles to handle the nuances of security contracts, such as split shifts, overtime rules, and specific post orders. VerMulm highlighted that using software purpose-built for the security industry was a “huge game changer” for PerMar.

The benefits of an industry-specific solution included:

  • Precise Scheduling: Matching specific employees to jobs based on qualifications and availability.
  • Geofencing: Ensuring staff are physically present at the correct location when clocking in.
  • Post Watch: Verifying that contracted hours are being fulfilled to meet customer expectations.

“We are able to fulfill the contracted hours that we need to do,” VerMulm affirmed, emphasizing how this reliability builds trust with their clients.

Delivering Value Through Data and KPIs

Ultimately, the value of an integrated system trickles down to the customer. By having accurate data flowing from the field to the back office, Per Mar can track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that matter most to their clients.

VerMulm pointed to metrics like overtime hours and fulfillment rates as critical data points. “Those are important to not only us but to our customers,” she stated.

By monitoring these KPIs, Per Mar offers transparency and accountability, ensuring they deliver on their promises while maintaining the tight margins required for profitability.

Transform Your Security Operations

Are you ready to unite your back office and field operations like Per Mar? Discover how an integrated ERP solution can help you reduce turnover, protect your margins, and deliver better service to your clients.