Greenwich Business Spotlight: Greenwich Dark House

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this new, exciting series we’re kicking off at Patch — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

Business: Greenwich Dark House
Owners: Tim and Anlyn Hilderbrand
Website: www.greenwichdarkhouse.com
Address: PO Box 513, Greenwich, CT 06836

How did you come up with the name?
Local police departments establish a “Dark House” list for residents away on vacation for a lengthy period, so that Officers in that area know the house will be empty. This name and our logo says what we do...manage your ‘Dark House’.

Why choose that location? Why start a business in this town?
Greenwich is a diverse town filled with people that enjoy traveling and spending a large part of the year outside of town at summer homes. Frequently their burglar or fire alarms activate for a variety of reasons and the homeowners do not have anyone that can get to the house with a key to go inside to investigate the problem. We also perform routine property inspections to ensure the house is secure and the property is being serviced appropriately.

Briefly, what business are you in?
Property Management

What’s the most difficult moment or challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?
Controlling explosive growth. Being that our services are performed by off duty Police Officers who pay specific attention to the small details, word of mouth advertising has established our customer base faster than expected. Our superior service has led to growth that requires us to focus on quality, not quantity.

Were there any challenges that made you second guess your decision to be an entrepreneur?
Never. A true entrepreneur never hits a wall or lets an obstacle slow them down...they tackle challenges right away and find ways around them.

What’s been your favorite moment or proudest achievement since opening?
The sense of comfort and peace of mind our clients feel knowing that we are caring for what is their biggest and most valuable possession: their home.

What’s the most innovative idea your employees or customers have had that you put into practice?
Our KeyHolder service. We hold your keys and have a code to the home so we can respond for any alarm activations and make sure that any problems in the house are corrected. Heat, cold, water leaks, and small animals can be a common issue vacant homes experience causing alarms to activate. We respond and correct the problem right away.

How do you deal with difficult customers?
Frequently, we are called upon to solve problems. And that is what we do: solve problems and ensure no other problems occur in the future. We offer a superior service that no other company can provide. As a result, our customers are never difficult, just faced with difficult situations which we handle for them.

How does your business give back or get involved in the community?
Historically, we have donated our services to a variety of charities and organizations including Fallen Patriots, Temple Shalom, Puttin’ On The Dog and others.

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