Slough installs Maine to Miami

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--Scott Slough, owner of fire and security installation firm Slough & Associates, expects to complete work on a sweet multi-family project here by the end of October: "It's an old candy factory that has been converted into loft apartments. I'm doing the telephone entry and access control on the project," Slough said. Slough, who is also president of the Tennessee Burglar & Fire Alarm Association, has a small company, "just me and a couple of technicians," he said. He does both security and fire installations. In some cases, like the candy-factory job, Slough is the sole security contractor, but his business model is one where he frequently works with other security companies, providing "labor, installation and, sometimes, the technical expertise." In the industry for 20 years, Slough started his own company seven years ago. At that time he recognized the lack of qualified installers. Many other alarm companies in the area, Slough noted, are his customers rather than his competitors. He saw a niche for qualified installers on a short-term basis, and Slough & Associates "has been rolling along ever since; we work from Maine to Miami." Discussing his travels, Slough recalled a job he did two years ago in the dead of winter in Bangor, Maine, where he was "colder than I've ever been in my life. It was like 30 below. I was so cold it felt like I was on fire." Usually Slough stays closer to home working in Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.The demand for highly qualified installers keeps him plenty busy. "I like the installation side," he said, noting that he's seen many poor installations in his travels. "I do it right or I don't do it," he said.