Black owned security business in Metro Detroit thrives off protecting people

Business focuses on high profile people including celebrities, athletes and politicians

DETROIT – “We’re all about security. Everything that involves security, everything that involves protecting people, we’re all about it,” said Daniel Claxton owner of the Detroit Bodyguard Protection Unit.

Protecting people is what the Detroit Bodyguard Protection Unit on West 8 Mile Road is all about.

“We have about 130 employees, security officers. We work all around the State of Michigan,” said Claxton.

The company is in the security business with a twist.

“We like to focus on high profiles, a lot of celebrities, a lot of athletes, politicians,” said Claxton.

Claxton was born and raised on the east side of Detroit. He said the idea started with him working security for other companies. Then in 2018 he decided to become his own boss.

When you see the building and the name, you automatically think security, but the owner tells says his business does a lot more than that.

It’s here in this neighborhood on Detroit’s east side where Claxton grew up.

He bought and transformed several homes in this neighborhood. He said this is his way of giving back.

“Buying and renovating homes, turning them into homes for families in need. Rehabilitation homes, reentry homes. I’m putting together a community center, youth community center to be able to offer job training and offer activities and different things for the youth,” said Claxton.

But there’s more, he’s also providing jobs.

“I’ll hire anybody who wants to work, doing demolition, doing anything, even jobs that they don’t know. We’ll train them on how to do it. We’ll give them a job on doing something,” said Claxton.

READ MORE: Black Owned Business Month stories