Watch Guard Opens 3rd Queens Office

BY EVAN TRIANTAFILIDIS

A security firm in Queens is expanding, opening its third office in the borough last month. The new location is at the corner of 34th Street and 37th Avenue in Astoria. Retired NYPD lieutenant John Rafferty formed Watch Guard 24/7 in 2009. The business offers concierge services and security guards for commercial, retail and residential properties throughout New York and New Jersey.

“We’re trying to be the best security provider out there,” said Rafferty. “From the very first job I got, I always tried to make sure I did the right thing for the clients, and I never stopped taking that approach.”

Rafferty credits a top-to-bottom team effort for the firm’s success and growth over the past 18 months. After looking for additional office space in both Manhattan and Queens, he decided to stay in the borough where the company originally started.

“We wanted to reinvest in Queens, a lot of our team and employees are from Queens,” said Rafferty. “We just decided this was a great place. We put a lot of money into renovating the entire building.”

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the company was praised by longtime clients, NYPD officers, elected officials and the Queens Chamber of Commerce. Councilman Robert Holden presented Rafferty with a proclamation, calling the company a Queens success story.

“This is one of the greatest pleasures I have on the City Council, honoring a small business that is getting larger,” said Holden. “Hopefully, you’ll take over the whole block eventually.”