Tag: 2012

SILVER SPRING, Md.—Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Bob Woodward will be the keynote speaker at the Security Industry Association's Government Summit on June 4-5 in Washington, D.C., according to a SIA statement. Woodward and Carl Bernstein rose to national prominence for their coverage of the Watergate scandal for the Washington Post. In 2001, Woodward won the National Affairs Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He has written or co-written...

Imagine Scott Harkins, president of Honeywell Security Products, lumbering about in an inflatable sumo wrestler suit. Envision Stan Martin, executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition, stalking around in a long cape as Count Dracula, looking for blood as well as donations to SIAC. And then picture Patrick Egan, president of Select Security, scarily attractive in drag as a red-lipsticked brunette in an elegant gown. Those attending the Honeywell First Alert Professional Convention...

Here in Hollywood, Fla. on the first night of Honeywell's annual First Alert Professional Convention, the weather is balmy and we dined on shrimp and key lime pie—and felt lucky to be here. Not too many days ago Florida was being buffeted by the high winds generated by Hurricane Sandy, and of course other parts of the East Coast—particularly New Jersey, the state Honeywell calls home—took a beating from it early this week. And what with the damage, loss of power and thousands...

I caught the last two days of the PSA Security Convention which took place on Florida's panhandle in Destin, Fla., this week. About 30 of North America's top security integrators attended this annual event. On Monday morning PSA sponsored an educational session about time management. I know, it sounds dry, but it wasn't. The moderator, Paul Boucherle, asked attendees if they knew the dollar amount for hour's time for the following positions: a tech on the road; a salesperson;...

When I wrote about Richmond Alarm last summer, it was having a good year. The Richmond, Va.-based, family-owned, full-service security company had grown its footprint into Eastern Virginia with a new acquisition, making that company the largest locally-owned security provider in the state. But 2012 is turning out to be an even better year for Richmond Alarm. Not only did the company celebrate its 65th anniversary this year, but it also won Chesterfield County's business of the year award this...

BAY CITY, Mich.—Participants set the agenda at DICE Corp.'s annual Users Group Conference, so the topics can shift to reflect what is actually happening in the field. And a lot of the buzz at this year's event focused on what everyone in the industry has been talking about lately: adapting to keep up with the Web. The ninth annual DUG conference, held Aug. 6-8 in Frankenmuth, Mich., attracted nearly 80 participants from 75 companies, according to Melissa Courville, head of marketing...

Manufacturers: Do you have a new product that you'll be introducing at ASIS this year? Would you like to have it appear in the September issue of Security Systems News in the ASIS show products section? Just follow the simple instructions below, and get all the material to us before the August 10 deadline. Is the August 10 deadline firm? Yes. All companies exhibiting at the show can submit a product that is making its debut at ASIS 2012 in September. Companies that have more than one...

Donny Counts, 35 Director, installations, national accounts Interface Security Systems Earth City, Mo. How did you get into the security industry? By chance and from the outside. I grew up with a fascination of electronics and security. I was building door alarms on my room around age 10 and an access control system on my clubhouse at age 12. While attending the University of Central Arkansas (for electrical engineering), some family financial issues arose that required my exit from college....

Chris Vanderbles, 33 Manager of technical services Security Control Systems Houston, Texas How did you get into the security industry? I got into the industry through lateral movement. I was hired as a network administrator for one of our sister companies, an access-control system integration company in Colorado, back in 1997, and they determined that I had a penchant for more than just network administration. I joined Security Control Systems in 1999. There's lots of variety. I'm...

Bijal Thakkar, 38 Director, global product management Johnson Controls Milwaukee, Wis. How did you get into the security industry? I had come to the United States (from India) to do my MBA and after I finished, Ademco Pittway was looking for some talent that did not necessarily come from the industry but had the right analytical and thinking skills. They were really trying to infuse their marketing department with some graduates who had a new sense of energy and really none of the preconceived...