A-tronix grows with gov't work

FLORAL PARK, N.Y.--Capitalizing on the government vertical in New York City, Rafael Alfau, owner of A-tronix, a fire and security company, has grown his company from three employees in 2003 to 35 today. "The New York City Board of Education has learned to love us," Alfau said. One of Alfau's largest contracts is with the more than 1,800 New York City public schools, where his company does "repair, additions, extensions, modifications, total changeovers" of the schools' fire systems. "We respond to all the requests in all of the schools. We have qualified guys who can handle any panel," he said. In November, A-tronix began an expansion of its offices here just outside of the city, adding 9,000 square feet. The new 18,000-square-foot office will enable Alfau to expand his marketing and research efforts and also create a showroom. A-tronix does some security system installation, but 85 percent of its work is in fire. A GE Security and Seimens dealer, the company in October became a distributor for fire analytics company axonX. "The second half of the year we started to look for private distributors in major metropolitan areas. A-tronix found us, we interviewed them and negotiated terms and they [recently] became our first U.S. dealer," said axonX chief executive officer Mac Mottley. A-tronix employs 15 technicians, 10 mechanics and 10 administrative workers. Company founder Alfau has been in the fire alarm business since 1998, when he started out as a consultant and project manager. "There's a huge need for someone who has these skills in fire systems in New York City," Alfau said.