SecureNet's new digs

WICHITA, Kan.--SecureNet, a full-service alarm company with a central station, will pack up and move to a 22,000-square-foot facility in Maize, a suburb of Wichita, in September 2006. Owner Randy Rosiere had been shopping for a new spot after the company outgrew its first office several years ago. With the spurt, Rosiere moved its sales, installation and service operations to a second location in Wichita. Eventually that office felt a space crunch. Now, its 85 employees will be under one roof again. Construction began earlier this year at the 200-acre, $250 million commercial and residential development that will house SecureNet. "We finally got to the point where we decided to go out and build our own facility with a safe room [central station] that has concrete ceilings and walls," Rosiere said. The facility is large enough to meet the company's anticipated growth. Currently, it has 35,000 accounts, 70-percent residential and 30-percent commercial customers. The move will be made in stages for each department because "moving a central station is a nightmare," Rosiere said. "Basically, we will have to have two centrals up and running at the same time and when everything is running smoothly, shut down the first central." The company will keep its existing satellite offices in Kansas City; Springfield, Mo.; Dayton, Ohio; and Phoenix. The $2 million building will be paid for with the help of $1.5 million in industrial revenue bonds approved by the Maize City Council last December. Rosiere said it is too early to discuss the technology that will be implemented in the new facility. The facility will have a large reception and lobby area, a show room as well as a 25 foot-by-50 foot conference room that can be divided into smaller rooms if needed. By moving to a booming area, SecureNet plans to cultivate relationships with the community. Rosiere said the community has active homeowner associations. "We have a meeting room big enough that we can offer the associations a place to come in and have their annual meeting."