Security Systems News is a monthly business newspaper that reaches 25,100 security installers, product distributors, central stations, engineers & architects, and security consultants. Our editorial coverage focuses on breaking news in all major se
Issue link: https://ssn.epubxp.com/i/620493
www.securitysystemsnews.com January 2016 SECurITy SySTEMS nEWS CommerCial & systems integrators 14 briefs SDI to install Avigilon end-to-end system at Chatanooga airport CHICAGO—SDI Solutions, the mis- sion-critical systems integrator, has been selected to upgrade the secu- rity technology environment at the Chattanooga Airport, to improve airport safety, accelerate incident response times and enhance custom- er experience. The contract expands an 8-year relationship between SDI and the Chattanooga Airport. SDI will migrate the airport to an end-to-end Avigilon security solu- tion, which integrates existing airport cameras and building/access control systems while adding high-definition and megapixel camera technology, advanced analytics and advanced storage infrastructure. SDI will deploy the contracted security upgrades in parallel with the airport's exist- ing systems to ensure uninterrupted surveillance coverage. SDI will fully integrate the new Avigilon system with Chattanooga's Airport Operation Center video wall and workstations, and provide on-going support follow- ing the installation. SDI will continue to provide tech- nology advisory services. Integrator Total Recall celebrates 30 years S U F F E R N , N . Y. — To t a l R e c a l l Corporation, an integrator that spe- cializes in vertical markets such as law enforcement, government agen- cies and corporations, and handles video surveillance for the Statue of Liberty is celebrating 30 years in busi- ness. "When we started in November 1985, the video surveillance industry consisted of black and white, low res- olution analog cameras with a camera count of six on the average job," Total Recall president Jordan Heilweil, said in a prepared statement. Total Recall developed CrimeEye tactical video units which enables law enforcement and municipalities to deploy video surveillance in a perma- nent setting. Total Recall has worked closely with other in the video surveillance industry including Dallmeier, Genetec, AXIS Communications and BriefCam. These partnerships allowed Total Recall to deliver large-scale projects including the updated surveillance system for the Statue of Liberty, Concert for Valor and many other pub- lic safety installations for government and commercial sectors, according to the company. New president, new ofce for Tech Systems SMS Integration launches, buys By Martha Entwistle ATLANTA—Tech Systems has completed its transition to an employee-owned company and has named Wayne Smith presi- dent. The systems integrator is also in the process of opening a FOCUS Fusion Center near its headquarters here. One year ago, Tech Systems CEO Darryl K e e l e r a n n o u n c e d that his privately held company would move to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Smith called the ESOP transi- tion another reason for Tech System employees "to amp up the customer service [even more]," Doyle acquires By Martha Entwistle F R A N K L I N , N . C . — A f t e r being in business for 32 years, Smoky Mountain Systems has changed its name to SMS Integration, and bought i t s f i r s t branch offce i n M y r t l e Beach, S.C. It's part of the compa- ny's new mis- s i o n , s a i d - Dom D'Ascoli, SMS Integration president. "What we're doing is expand- ing," D'Ascoli said. He's hired two industry veterans—Roger Parks and Don Childers—to help execute the plan. SMS Integration will con- tinue to do the high-end resi- dential and commercial work it is known for, but it will do more commercial work, and will open two or three more branch offces. S M S a c q u i r e d N e w t o n Communications Systems in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Former owner Scott Newton has joined SMS as head of the company's phone and data division. D'Ascoli said the deal brings with it a "who's who list of customers in the Grand Strand area." It current- ly does work i n N o r t h Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. S M S p l a n s t o e x p a n d within that footprint, "from the mountains to the sea," D'Ascoli said. Roger Parks has joined SMS as VP of sales and Don Childers has been named COO. Parks most recently worked for ASG. Parks is charged with oversee- ing SMS' expansion, acquisi- tions, rebranding, customer experience and sales efforts. He is also president of the NCESA and plans to get involved with SCESA as well. D'Ascoli said hiring Parks is a new step for his company which has "never been a sales driven organization." SSN he added. Smith said statistics show that employee-owned organizations such as [supermarket chain] Publix tend to have better custom- er service because employees are invested in the culture and philosophy. Keeler "built the c o m p a n y a r o u n d fanatical customer service. … The ESOP gives everyone a piece of the pie and a reason to continue to create that culture and elevate it," Smith said. Importantly, Tech Systems' customer satisfaction is measured in more ways than just fnancial metrics, he said. By Martha Entwistle ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Regional security company Doyle Security Systems acquired a local com- petitor, a d e a l t h a t brings in some tech- nical talent and several hundred mostly commercial accounts. Doyle acquired accounts from Alert Protective Systems, also based here. John Doyle, company CEO and president, said Doyle has provided monitoring for Alert for many years. "The previous owner is a great guy. He sold the accounts because he's retiring." The company typically does four or five tuck-in acquisi- tions annually. About half of those deals are with companies that Doyle provides third-party monitoring for. It makes for an easy account transition, he said. The family-owned business is celebrating another milestone: It is now offcially into its ffth generation. Jack Doyle—son of current owner John Doyle and namesake of his great- grandfather who founded Doyle Security Systems in 1919— recently joined the company. He is overseeing the company's mass marketing initiative. Doyle said his four children are welcome to join the family business, but there are ground rules. "They need to get a related degree and then they need to work somewhere else for a while. They need to get an independent start," he said. Doyle Security Systems had about $747,000 in RMR and $13.3 million in revenues at the end of 2014. He expects to have $800,000 in RMR and $13.7 million in revenues by the end of this year. In 2016, Doyle said he expects continued growth on the com- mercial side of the business, but he said there's dramatic growth poten- tial on the residential side. "That's driven by the costs of [residential] systems going down and the features of the system going up," he said. SSN Tech Systems' new FOCUS Fusion Center in Buford, Ga.,"is being ftted out for managed ser- vices, professional services and monitoring," Smith said. "We'll be enhancing our services and doing more of them." The company will be hiring more network engineers as part of this initiative. It expects to have the center up and running by February 2016. FOCUS is the name of Tech System's service program, which guarantees customers will have any problems resolved within four hours. The company misses that goal "less than 1 percent of the time," Smith said. As part of its strategic plan, Tech Systems is training and hir- ing more PMP-certifed project managers. It's a program that Smith describes as "the gold stan- dard for project managers. We're adding those guys and we use the PMP methodology to deliver more effcient services." Tech Systems, a PSA Security owner, had $49 million in revenue in 2014. Smith expects 2015 rev- enues to be $53 million. Before Tech Systems Smith held leadership roles with Synovus Financial Corporation and TSYS, and served as a military police offcer with the U.S. Army. He has a bachelor's degree from Columbus State University and an MBA from Kennesaw State University. He holds a number of physical security professional and technical certifcations. SSN Wayne Smith assumes a new role as part of TSI's Employee Stock Ownership Plan Wayne Smith John Doyle Jack Doyle Merlin Guilbeau, Roger Parks, Dom D'Ascoli at SMS Integration kick off