Archive: July 2002
Kastle Systems' Chicago office increases sales force
July 1, 2002RoJean Tulk
CHICAGO-Kastle Systems' office here has increased its sales force to further develop relationships with tenants, builders and architects, according to the company's Chicago branch general manager, Marilyn Brooks. The additions take the office's employee roster to 22, nearly tripling its staff in the last four years. "Our growth is predicated on the health of the commercial real estate industry, and in Chicago, it's phenomenal," Brooks says.
Carolyn Chambless has been hired as a systems sales consultant...
MAS to hold
July 1, 2002SSN Staff
users conference
IRVINE, Calif.-Monitoring Automation Systems will host "Quest 2002," the annual conference for MAS users at the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, 2002.
The conference, which has been held for the past 15 years, brings together senior executives and managers for IT, marketing, operations and other responsibilities from companies such as monitoring centers, call centers,...
SimplexGrinnell to seek GSA Schedule for fire, security systems
July 1, 2002Chelsie Woods
WESTMINSTER, Mass.-SimplexGrinnell could be soon expanding the scope of its General Services Administration work, with an agreement now in the works for a GSA Schedule for fire and security systems.
If approved by the GSA, it would enable Simplex-Grinnell to become a turnkey provider of security and life safety services to government agencies that require GSA approved contractors. The firm already has a GSA agreement to service fire alarm systems.
"What we're trying to do is have our full...
Security Networks buys Proton Security
July 1, 2002RoJean Tulk
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.-Security Networks, a security company that began operations here in April, acquired Lantana, Fla.-based Proton Security in June. The purchase marks the first of several acquisition Security Networks intends to make as part of a strategic plan to expand throughout the Southeast.
"We intend to become a significant player in the region," says Richard Perry, Security Networks' president and founder. "We're looking at a number of opportunities to acquire quality (security) companies."
Proton...
Sonitrol opens in central Georgia
July 1, 2002Andrea Gura
MACON, Ga.-The operator of an installation company that has been installing Sonitrol systems for the past decade has opened his own Sonitrol franchise here.
The location, called Sonitrol of Middle Georgia, which will cover two counties in central and southern Georgia, opened June 1 and will primarily serve as a sales location, said owner Tim LeBlanc. The installation company, Time Out Systems, will continue to perform the system installations throughout the new sales territory, which encompasses...
Home networking company teams with Panasonic
July 1, 2002Andrea Gura
PALO ALTO, Calif.-A home management network company has announced a partnership with Panasonic to bring to market a home security and control system that the companies would sell through national broadband service providers.
The system, being developed by MyCasa Network, a hardware and software company based here, is a broadband-based home management  system that enables a homeowner or small business owner to remotely view and control devices within the home, said Mike Stocker, manager of...
Ortega sets the stage for rapid expansion
July 1, 2002Chelsie Woods
SANTA CLARA, Calif.-Ortega InfoSystems Inc., a company that makes software enabling disparate security systems to work together, has been quietly building up steam since coming into the U.S. security market a year and a half ago.
With a sales office in Boston that opened earlier this year and plans to add other locations in Chicago, Houston and Atlanta later this year, the software maker is now setting the stage to increase the number of systems integrators and manufacturers that use its product.
"Our...
The fall from glory
July 1, 2002SSN Staff
There's been a flurry of activity here at Security Systems News.
Though that's not an unusual pace for us with publication deadlines happening every three weeks or so, but the past two months have been particularly interesting. What am I talking about, you may wonder?
Here's a one word answer -- Tyco.
We, like so many of you in the security industry, have watched Tyco fall from its glory. Its plans to break up into four separate companies ended this spring after its stock price took a nose dive...
Convergint builds base with industry veterans
July 1, 2002Chelsie Woods
BUFFALO GROVE, Ill.-A year after opening up shop, systems integrator Convergint Technologies added an eighth office in Orange County, Calif. in June.
The new location is part of the company's strategy to open branches where it has hired people experienced in the security industry. The California location will be managed by Mike Mathes, who came to Convergint Technologies from Johnson Controls where he was an area sales manger.
"That's really what determines the locations we go to - the right people,"...
Vindicator ups staff, training at HQ
July 1, 2002Chelsie Woods
AUSTIN, Texas-Product manufacturer Vindicator Technologies moved to a new headquarters this spring, enabling the company to increase staffing by 20 percent and expand product training.
The new location comes at an ideal time for the growing company, said Rick Gross, president and chief executive officer of Vindicator, which has served the likes of the military, correction facilities and hospitals.
The company provides turnkey security systems by manufacturing hardware and software for the communication...