Archive: July 2015
How I Use My System: Eric Garner
July 30, 2015Spencer Ives
Eric Garner is the COO of family-operated Mountain Alarm, an installer based in Ogden, Utah. He has worked full time with the company for eight years, and manages the relationship between the company's offices in Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona and Montana. Security Systems News caught up with Eric and talked about his home system…What kind of system do you have at home?In my home that I built, we hardwired … a DMP XT50. We [also] have a family cabin [where] we actually have a 2GIG with Alarm.com....
Ohio-based firm expands
July 29, 2015Amy Canfield
CINCINNATI—Shiver Security Systems, with a 6,000-customer footprint in southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky, has moved into a new 14,000-square-foot facility from its previous 8,000-square-foot site, thanks in part to its recent move into the residential market.A family-owned business for more than 40 years, Shiver Security was strictly focused on commercial business until early this year, Alison Shiver, residential sales and marketing manager, told Security Systems News.Her father, Chip Shiver,...
Z-Tech ups marketing, sees growth
July 29, 2015Spencer Ives
MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Simple but aggressive marketing efforts helped Z-Tech Central increase its dealer base by 33 percent in the last six months, Jonathan Frase, company partner, told Security Systems News.“We're definitely more aggressive than we had been in the past, in terms of meeting people.” Frase said. “We'll meet with people at trade shows, or, if we're visiting a particular city, we will make efforts to reach out and actually meet some of the dealers in person.”Frase...
ADS expands farther into South Carolina
July 29, 2015Amy Canfield
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—ADS Security, the regional electronic security and automation company headquartered here, has made its second acquisition since June with the purchase of more than 1,000 customer accounts from ProTec Plus Inc. in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The purchase grows ADS' South Carolina market to approximately 4,000 accounts and marks the second deal for ADS in that state after it acquired American Burglar and Fire Alarms in Columbia. In all, ADS has more than 80,000 accounts with an...
Mission 500 nears fundraising goal for September event
July 29, 2015SSN Staff
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.—Mission 500's first Security Industry Softball game, featuring two teams of 15 security industry professionals, is approaching the three-quarters mark of its $100,000 fundraising goal.
“This softball game is a new and fun way for the security industry to come together and raise money for needy children in the U.S.,” George Fletcher, advisory council member/volunteer for Mission 500, said in a prepared statement. “We've already raised more than $72,000...
AvantGuard PERS Summit looks at fall detection, other trends
July 29, 2015Spencer Ives
AvantGuard's PERS Summit is coming up at the end of September in Park City, Utah, and the company recently released the event's itinerary. This event is held every two years now, with the last being in 2013.
While MAMA is also hosting its annual meeting this fall, the two cover different areas of PERS monitoring, even complementing each other. “We've created this conference for specific PERS dealers. It's apples and oranges different from MAMA, where they're more focused on the government aspect,”...
Will DIY, MIY impact you?
July 29, 2015Amy Canfield
What's the future normal for home security? According to an article from Business Insider, it's DIY and MIY, all from Silicon Valley giants Google and Apple along with telecom big names.
What do you think?
I speak to resi dealers five days a week. They tell me that DIY is often a selling point for them and that it works very well for some of their customers—especially in helping homeowners understand their systems better—but that MIY, on the other hand, is not beneficial. What happens...
De Fina: A forward-looking industry veteran
July 29, 2015Martha Entwistle
Like others here at Security Systems News and across the industry, I was saddened to learn of Frank De Fina's death.
Over the past 10 years I got to know Frank and I admired him a lot. He was a great businessman who knew his technology and the security industry inside and out, but one of the reasons I liked talking to him is because he knew as much about music and art as he did about IP video.
And more than just talk about music, he was a musician. If you've been to PSA-TEC, you've probably enjoyed...
Universal buys Guardsmark to form largest US-owned guard firm
July 29, 2015Martha Entwistle
SANTA ANA, Calif.—With the July 28 announcement of its acquisition of guard firm Guardsmark, Universal Protection Service is now the largest U.S.-owned guard firm.“We are excited about the position it puts us in to gain business with American companies,” Steve Jones, CEO of Universal Services of America, told Security Systems News. Universal Protection Service is a division of Universal Services of America.Jones believes being the largest American-owned guard firm will be a “real...
Frank De Fina, security industry veteran, dies
July 27, 2015Martha Entwistle
PLAINSBORO, N.J.—Security industry veteran Frank De Fina, 61, who served as a top executive for a number of video surveillance companies including Panasonic, Samsung, SightLogix and most recently Hikvision USA, died July 26 at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.Active in industry associations, De Fina was instrumental in putting together a security degree program at Mercer County Community College in New Jersey in collaboration with the Security Industry Association. That program will...