New season for less layers and more boom times

Spring arrives this month, and it couldn’t have come sooner. The winter has been cold and long, and I can’t wait for the white stuff to melt away and the green grass to appear. It feels like the seasons and the economy make for a good analogy. The temperatures rise and fall, as does the stock market, and some times are better than others. If all goes as scheduled, spring will arrive on time and our summer plans will emerge without a hitch. This routine, as predictable as nature can be, doesn’t hold true as well to the financial climate. It feels like we’ve been in a winter-time frame of mind for years now. Ever since the rocking technology days required an alt-control-delete maneuver and our sense of career confidence went out the door with the many job cuts. Can it be that we’re entering a new era, when prosperity is once again within reach? I’m no fortune teller, so don’t bet the farm on my advice. But I’ve learned through the years that the more adept financial minds never predict where the market is headed. It’s impossible to say and irresponsible to act like you do. Outside of the security industry, things are shaking, however. In just the last few months, a number of high-profile acquisitions and departures have reshaped the corporate landscape. Just this year, Molson Inc. toasted Adolph Coors Co., SBC Communications Inc. called out to AT&T Corp., Proctor & Gamble bottled Gillette and Carly Fiorina crashed at Hewlett-Packard. How our industry is faring can be found within these pages. Our top story this month involves industry veteran Steve Roth, who has made a big splash in his return to the security market. Roth, no stranger to the distribution arena as he was a pioneer at ADI, led the acquisition of Tri-Ed. ADI has also made news by announcing a plan to tackle the European market by taking over existing Honeywell offices there and opening new ones when necessary. Adelphia’s fate also seems to have reached its destiny. The diversified communications company is being broken up, with its security services division being bought by Devcon Security.