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24 Monitoring www.securitysystemsnews.com Dynamark expands dealer base With acquisition of Ohio central station, Dynamark adds 40 new dealers By Leif Kothe HAGERSTOWN, Md.—More than two years after re-entering the monitoring space, Dynamark's resurgence continues with the acquisition of Security Services Center, a central station based in Dayton, Ohio. The acquisition adds about 40 alarm companies in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky to Dynamark's dealer base, according to Tom Piston, vice president of sales & marketing at Dynamark. "It's a good acquisition because we've got a nice, significant number of accounts," Piston told Security Systems News. "Ohio is defnitely a deep market; there's a lot of business in the Midwest, and by doing this we get a better foothold there and a lot more dealers, as well as those paying for wholesale monitoring." The acquisition is part of a broader strategy of expansion beyond the company's mid-Atlan- UCC, CheckVideo form service partnership tic base. "We're spreading our wings a little bit," Piston said. "We're looking to expand and grow more dealers, and we're not just looking at our home base." While Piston declined to specify the exact number of added accounts, he said they comprised roughly a 60-40 split between residential and commercial. The new accounts will be monitored from Dynamark's central station here, Piston said. "Their central station itself doesn't compare to what we have," Piston said. "It didn't have UL approval or the accreditations, so it wasn't worth taking the steps to bring it up and operate there." Tony Shanks, previous owner of Security Services Center, will continue to own and operate Wilmington Security, also based in Dayton, Ohio, which will use Dynamark Monitoring as its central station. In a news release, dyNAMArk see page 25 CPI Security continues on road less traveled SAN ANTONIO—United Central Control, a leading wholesale monitoring provider based here, has entered into a partnership with CheckVideo to offer advanced video services and training for UCC's network of more than 500 dealers. The cloud-based services from CheckVideo include video detection and response, video alarm verifcation and virtual guard tours. Analytic capabilities allow the company's cameras to detect the presence of people and vehicles, not just motion, which "dramatically reduces nuisance alarms," the company said in a prepared statement. Mark Matlock, senior vice president of UCC, said analytics were a key selling point in the new partnership. "For outdoor video, that makes all the difference in the world," Matlock told Security Systems News. "For false-alarm reduction, Mark Matlock analytics are huge. They're able to flter out cars driving by and birds and squirrels and other things that can give other systems fts." Real-time alerts from CheckVideo are sent to United Central's CSAA Five Diamond-certifed central station for assessment and response. Alerts also can be used to trigger audio commands to help stop crimes in progress, and for operational issues such as tracking deliveries or a business's opening and closing times. "Customers across markets ranging from construction, automotive and utilities are benefting from CheckVideo and realizing a return on their investment in managed video services," recommends keeping customer CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Like many interaction to a minimum, reachmonitoring companies, CPI ing out less rather than more, Security Systems chalks up some since doing the latter only opens of its recent success to the boon up more opportunities for the of technological advances, from customer to cancel their account. smartphone apps to home auto"Now I'm sure that does hapmation capabilities. pen, but for the most part it keeps But the super-regional's strong us engaged with [our customretention rate may also be abet- ers]," Hurst says. ted by its willingness to break It's hard to argue with results— with orthodoxy or the accolades. when it comes to Attrition rates customer relations, "We don't necessarily are low, hoverGreg Hurst, central ing at around station manager at wait for an incident to 6 percent. The CPI, told Security company has happen." Systems News. about 110,000 —greg Hurst, CPI "We don't necesaccounts, with sarily wait for an a growth rate incident to happen," he said. "We near 25 percent. And in June, reach out to the customer and CPI was named Central Station initiate communication. Every of the Year by the Central Station 90 days, if an incident hasn't Alarm Association. The CSAA occurred, we schedule a call with Excellence Award was presented customers to test their system and to CPI at the Electronic Security go over account information." Expo in Nashville, Tenn. In the monitoring space, such A CSAA member since 2008, an approach is not universally CPI has long coveted the award advised. Conventional wisdom for central station of the year, UCC see page 25 CPI see page 25 By Rich Miller By Leif Kothe NationWide Digital opens North Carolina sales branch By Leif Kothe HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C.— NationWide Digital Monitoring Co., a Freeport, N.Y.-based central station monitoring service, just extended its reach in the Southeast with the opening of a regional sales offce here. The new branch will supplement the expansion of NationWide's dealer program, Security Doctors, which was launched in 2011 and continues to grow in the Southeast, making North Carolina a logical location choice. The sales offce will serve as a locus for dealers in several states in the region, fostering strong relationships with existing dealers, while encouraging the addition of new ones. "The Southeast has long been a hub for alarm dealers in general," Howard Avin, vice presi- For more detailed versions of stories in this section, go to: sECuRItYsYstEMsNEWs.CoM dent of sales and marketing at NationWide, told Security Systems News. "We have some really good dealers in the Southeast and we needed somebody down there to work with them and help them grow their businesses." Michael Davis, formerly the central station training manager, has been promoted from that position to lead the sales offce as its regional account manager. Davis' technical expertise, central station experience, and familiarity with NationWide's offerings all contributed to his appointment to the new position. "[Davis] has been with the company for a long time, and he has a lot of skills and NATIoNwIde see page 26 august 2013 sECuRItY sYstEMs NEWs briefs Acadian Monitoring Services launches smartphone app LAFAYETTE, La.—Acadian Monitoring Services, a provider of fre and security monitoring systems, is launching a smartphone app, the DICE Matrix app suite, for its dealers' clients, according to a company statement. On the day of its introduction, 100 dealers downloaded the free app, the company said. The app suite contains a video training session and embedded documentation for dealers. The DICE Matrix app suite is available for iPhone and Android platforms. CPI reels in pair of CSAA awards NASHVILLE, Tenn.—CPI Security Systems, based in Charlotte, N.C., won a pair of CSAA Excellence Awards at ESX in June, including the award for CSAA Central Station of the Year. In addition to that honor, CPI's Crystal McLemore was named Operator of the Year for her work, according to the CSAA. "To be named a winner in any category is to have reached the highest level of professionalism," Bob Bean, CSAA president, said in a prepared statement. In the statement, Bean added that with stiff competition and more entries, winning becomes more of an achievement each year. Other CSAA Excellence Awards were given to Angie Montgomery of ADS Security in Nashville, who was named Support Person of the Year. Ted Stoler of Vector Security East, based in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., who was named Manager of the Year. SecuraTrac, MAS form partnership LOS ANGELES—SecuraTrac, a provider of mobile health and safety solutions, recently announced an agreement to integrate its mobile health platform with the security platform of MAS, a provider of central station software. Under the agreement, SecuraTrac's ReliaTrac mobile health and safety platform will be integrated with MAS' MASterMind automation platform, delivering a comprehensive monitoring and tracking solution to the mobile safety and mobile health markets, SecuraTrac said in a prepared statement. "Advances in technology and agreements that bring two proven and powerful systems together will drive increased adoption for thousands of customers in a variety of security markets," Chris Holbert, CEO of SecuraTrac, said in a statement Shin Voeks, general manager of MAS, said in a statement that the deal allows "new and different markets to utilize personal emergency response system solutions."