Taking the 'shutter' out of storms

"I heard their stories. I saw what a Category 4 storm can do," Brad Beshears says of the six months he spent in Port Charlotte after Hurricane Charley. "I could tell attitudes would change." It changed him, too. After 12 years working for someone else in the hurricane shutter business, Beshears decided the time was right to go out on his own.

"People back in the '90s weren't convinced they needed to have shutters on their homes for protection," said Beshears, owner of Storm Secure Shutters. "Now, it's a whole different story." His idea for the new business was simple: Keep overhead costs low and pass the savings on to his customers.

Photo by DONN BROWN, Collier Citizen

Brad Beshears, owner of Storm Secure Shutters, Inc., recently moved into his new warehouse at 6563 Taylor Road. He carries roll-ups, accordion, and storm panels.

"I don't want to be the biggest company in town," he explains. "I just want to provide a reasonably priced product and personalized service you can count on." To that end, Beshears works mostly from home while wife Clara doubles as bookkeeper in the evenings.

"You'll always get a call back and customers will never have to go through a salesman to get to a secretary so they can get to talk to the manager," he assures.

Unlike some of the bigger shutter companies in the area, Storm Secure is able to install shutters in about 10-12 weeks, and can provide an estimate within a couple days.

Beshears, who came to Southwest Florida in 1985 when he opened the Sanibel Harbour Resort and Spa, has always wanted to be an entrepreneur.

"But, I'll always maintain control in order to provide the best value," he insists.

The plan seems to be working for him; a glance at his appointment book reveals about 80 percent of all his jobs are referral-based.

Storm Secure specializes in storm panels from the basic galvanized steel to see-through Lexan, but does a lot of accordion-style and electric roll-up shutters as well, using all the same materials as the larger companies.

"The accordions are not only permanent and more aesthetically appealing, but aren't as costly as the roll-ups," he explained. "The roll-ups are top-of-the-line, though, and easy to use." The newest and best thing going in the industry, according to Beshears, is an end-retention system that allows roll-down shutters to span lanai openings up to 18 feet in width without the use of unsightly storm bars.

And while Storm Secure's business volume has necessitated leasing a warehouse for storage and a small showroom off Pine Ridge Road, Beshears has no immediate plans for a sales staff.