IT STARTED AT
2:00 A.M.
A security officer on a late-night patrol. A property owner sitting in a white Cadillac. An encounter neither man would ever forget.
THE MAN IN THE
WHITE CADILLAC.
It was approximately 2:00 in the morning at Barcelona II Apartments, along Austin’s East Riverside Drive corridor.
Brian Kelley was working for another private security company and conducting one of his scheduled patrols through the community. Near the end of his shift, he noticed a brand-new white Cadillac sitting in a dark corner of the property.
The location was known for recurring criminal activity, including drug dealing and prostitution. Concerned about why the vehicle was parked there at that hour, Brian approached the driver.
The conversation became confrontational. Brian believed the driver was involved in activity that did not belong on the property. The driver repeatedly attempted to explain his presence, but Brian was convinced he understood the situation.
Eventually, the man started his Cadillac and drove away.
Brian finished his shift and went home, with no idea who he had just encountered.
The man behind the wheel wasn’t a trespasser. He was David B. Jarrett — the owner of the apartment community.
A PHONE CALL.
AN UNEXPECTED THANK-YOU.
Brian finally made it home and crawled into bed around 7:30 that morning.
At approximately 9:00 a.m., his telephone started ringing.
On the other end was the owner of the security company Brian worked for — and he was furious.
Brian was ordered to come to the office immediately.
When he arrived, he discovered the driver of the white Cadillac waiting for him.
David stood up and explained that he had been trying to tell Brian the night before that he owned the property.
Convinced he was about to lose his job, Brian offered to collect his uniforms and equipment and return them.
But David hadn’t come to complain.
He had come to personally thank him.
David explained that for months he had visited his communities at all hours, watching security officers drive through without stopping or taking much notice of what was happening around them.
Although Brian had mistaken his identity, David had witnessed something he had desperately wanted from the security companies he hired: an officer who was engaged with what was happening on the property.
David gave Brian his personal telephone number and asked him to call whenever something important occurred on his properties — regardless of the hour.
They shook hands.
Neither could have known what that meeting would eventually mean to both of them.
“Nobody has ever taken an interest in my property the way that you did.”— David B. Jarrett, as recalled by Brian Kelley
SEVEN YEARS
LOOKING FOR ANSWERS.
Real Estate Experience
David and his family owned or controlled approximately $60 million in real estate, primarily commercial properties and office buildings.
Long before meeting Brian, David and his family had established a substantial commercial real estate portfolio.
David believed that owning and managing multifamily housing would be much like managing office buildings and other commercial properties.
He purchased six apartment complexes.
It didn’t take long for him to discover just how different the two businesses could be.
Residents were moving away because of ongoing disturbances and criminal activity. Vacant apartments were broken into, vandalized, and stripped of air-conditioning equipment and appliances.
Drug dealing, gang activity, prostitution, trespassing, and unauthorized occupants created serious problems for residents and management alike.
The consequences went far beyond repairs. They affected occupancy, operating costs, resident confidence, and the overall condition of the communities.
Over approximately seven years, David hired different security companies, sought assistance from police departments, provided courtesy apartments, and tried numerous approaches to protect his properties.
Despite those efforts, the recurring problems continued.
David didn’t need another report describing what had gone wrong. He needed a better way to address the problems themselves.
Apartment communities David acquired when he expanded into multifamily housing.
Approximate years spent searching for effective ways to address security problems.
The year Brian and David founded Ranger Protection Agency.
FROM STRANGERS
TO BROTHERS.
The encounter at Barcelona II didn’t immediately lead to a business partnership.
It led to something more personal.
Brian and David began speaking regularly. There were random telephone calls, property updates, and conversations about the ongoing problems at David’s apartment communities.
They attended meetings with local police departments, looking for ways to improve conditions and obtain additional help.
Along the way, they discovered they shared the same unusual sense of humor, a similar outlook on life, and an ability to make each other laugh even during difficult situations.
At the time, Brian already had approximately ten years of experience in private security. David brought decades of experience in business and property ownership.
Their backgrounds were different, but their perspectives complemented each other.
More importantly, they developed a genuine friendship that grew far beyond their professional relationship.
David became Brian’s brother. Brian became David’s.
WHATEVER.
WHENEVER.
For Brian and David, those two words weren’t a company motto or a slogan created for advertising.
They were a promise.
Over the years, their friendship was tested in dangerous and life-threatening situations. There were times each man made it home because the other was standing beside him.
That kind of trust cannot be manufactured. It is earned through experience, sacrifice, and the knowledge that someone will stand beside you when it matters.
If Ranger accepted an especially troubled property, Brian and David were willing to work it themselves.
Whatever needed to be done, they faced it together.
They weren’t simply business partners who became friends.
They were brothers who built a company together.
A DIFFERENT KIND
OF SECURITY COMPANY.
Eventually, Brian approached David with an idea.
After approximately a decade in the private security industry, Brian believed security services could be delivered differently.
David knew firsthand what property owners were experiencing. Brian understood the security business from the inside.
Together, they envisioned a company that would understand the realities of property management while holding its officers to meaningful standards of professionalism and accountability.
The goal wasn’t simply to patrol properties and document problems. It was to take appropriate action, address recurring issues, and help clients achieve better outcomes.
In 2007, Ranger Protection Agency was born.
RESOLVE AND REPORT.
NOT OBSERVE AND REPORT.
BUILT ON TRUST.
CARRIED FORWARD.
Although David is no longer with us, his influence remains an important part of Ranger Protection Agency.
Today, Brian Kelley and Jean Jarrett continue the company that Brian and David founded.
Ranger has grown far beyond its beginnings, but the commitment to accountability, direct involvement, and meaningful service remains.
Behind the Ranger name is more than a company history. There is a friendship, a brotherhood, and a shared belief that promises mean something.
WAS FOUNDED.
Founded by Brian Kelley and David B. Jarrett.
A partnership built on experience, trust, friendship, and a commitment to doing things differently.
“What started as a desperate need quickly became our calling.”— David B. Jarrett
THAT WAS OUR BEGINNING.
IT REMAINS OUR PURPOSE.