Bodyguard venture perfect fit for former WilTel employee
Tulsa World, Sunday,
July 20, 2003
LAURIE WINSLOW World Staff Writer
07/20/2003
Tulsa World (Final Home Edition),
Page E1 of Business
Jamie Morton, who once served in the Marines, was looking for work after
being laid off last year at WilTel Communications Group, Inc. He decided to
open up his own business, Personal Security Services.
Starting a bodyguard service seemed a natural fit for Jamie Morton.
The broad-shouldered Morton, who once served in the Marines, was looking for work following his layoff from WilTel Communications Group Inc. when he thought of combining brains with brawn to create a business.
His one-man company, Personal Security Services, is still in the beginning stages as Morton tries to get the word out.
He has turned to a couple of other laid-off colleagues, Maryann Lamer and Dana Gray, who have started a marketing and public relations firm, to help him market his business.
Morton said he has pitched his service to several groups of people and agencies, including lawyers, Domestic Violence Intervention Services Inc. and entertainment promoters.
Response has been favorable, although no one has needed his service yet. The entrepreneur hopes that will change.
Morton, who started working at Williams Communications Group Inc. in March 1999, knew that his chances of being laid off "were just as good as anybody" when the cutbacks started. He lost his job last Oct. 28, just days after the company emerged from bankruptcy as WilTel.
Being laid off has been financially traumatic but also enlightening, Morton said.
"It's made me think of exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life," he said. "Do I want to do something I enjoy and make it work, or do I want to sit in a job?"
Leaving Tulsa really wasn't an option because both Morton and his wife have family here. In the meantime, he has dabbled in some part-time construction work and lawn mowing.
The job hunt quickly revealed to the former manager of data pricing that he was overqualified for many of the entry-level positions out there. Morton has an undergraduate degree in political science and a master's degree in business administration.
At more than 6 feet tall and 205 pounds, the Tulsan turned to his military background for career clues.
Morton, who was in the Marine Corps in the 1980s and early 1990s, said his demeanor and size made bodyguard work a natural fit.
He describes himself as "very patient" and nonconfrontational -- someone who tries to avoid bad situations. His purpose is not to inflict harm or cause a fight, he said, but to be there for the client's safety.
"My first goal is not to confront a possible situation, but to remove my clients from any kind of situation that might occur."
Morton said he is licensed to carry a pistol, but would do so only if the situation warranted, such as escorting someone who needed to make a night bank deposit.
His protection service, available 24 hours a day, will not be limited to Tulsa. Morton is willing to accompany travelers who don't feel safe driving by themselves to and from Tulsa, especially at night.
Morton also would like to provide personal safety consulting to people who might need tips on how to protect themselves at home.
More information is available at 261-1410.