If there’s one thing that Dave Foglio is an expert at, it’s hard work. Dave is the founder of the successful Oregon staple, First Response Security, the premiere security firm in Beaverton. But this isn’t Dave’s only success. Back in the 1980’s Dave also had the very successful Foglio Maintenance, servicing some of the biggest companies from Portland, all the way to Seattle. Dave has been creating and running successful companies for the last 40 years. But how did Dave become such an entrepreneurial genius? What does Dave know that the rest of us don’t? Well, according to him, nothing. “It’s all by the grace of God. There’s nothing that makes me special. I have a desire to succeed and help people along the way. That’s it! That’s all it is.”

Like a lot of us, after high school, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He attended junior college for a bit, but was more just doing it to do it. No real direction. He received his draft notice in 1967, and around that same time, he thought he found his true calling: law enforcement.

He started his military career in administration, and by sheer determination, transferred to become a  Military Policeman, and then was promoted to Sergeant E-5, all in two years’ time.  This was virtually unheard of.  He even surprised himself.  Dave’s military experience really reinforced just how far grit and consistency could take him. “I loved every minute of it. The military is where I became a man.”

“There’s nothing that makes me special. I have a desire to succeed and help people along the way. That’s it! That’s all it is.”

After the military, Dave came back home and worked for PGE for about 9 years before starting his first business, Foglio Maintenance, a 300-person janitorial business, which he ran from 1980-1985. His hard work and thoroughness was known throughout Oregon, and he even had Nike offices knocking on his door. One day, Dave’s favorite client came asking him to do security. Dave was very confused. Why would his client trust him, the owner of a maintenance company, with security? “Listen Dave, if you do security the way you do maintenance, there’s no one else I’d trust more to protect my business.”

After mulling it over a bit, Dave partnered with John Budke, and thus, First Response was born. But starting a security firm from scratch was no easy task. They worked 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week for 2 months before they got their first account in May of 1989. On top of all that, Dave was still working other jobs in different fields to be able to fund this newfound venture. Fast-forward to 2004, Dave ran into a hiccup when his Central Station was not taking him very seriously. “You’re a small company and we would rather focus on larger dealers. If you don’t like it, start your own station!” This guy clearly didn’t know Dave very well. And he did just that, by founding his third company, iWatch Communications. Sixteen years later, the brand of First Response and iWatch Communications have become absolutely synonymous with “Peace of Mind,” for Beaverton and the greater Northwest area. 

Dave has done nothing but grow successful businesses for the last 40 years. He’s a real man-of-the-people, spending all of his free time tackling some of Oregon’s biggest social issues such as homelessness, troubled youth, and substance addiction, just to name a few. Well, in 2021, he’s finally going to cut back. Dave has more than earned his well-deserved “retirement,” handing off the First Response brand to his son Jesse, who is just as committed as his father is, working at the company for the last 20 years.

“I just can’t imagine not being in a 24-hour business. It’s a part of me.
It has become who I am.”

Dave will be working with Samaritan’s Purse, volunteering his time to help with disaster relief efforts across the country. But in typical Dave fashion, he will still be working at First Response, but part time. “It’s still my baby. I can’t imagine not being in a 24-hour business. It has become who I am.”

Ladies and gentleman: Dave Foglio, the hardest working man in Oregon!