This is progress

Our 20 under 40 issue comes out in August, and it's going to be a hum-dinger (actually, it is a hum-dinger already, you just can't see it until it's printed). Working on it, there's been a lot of talk about how we bring not only young people into the industry, but also people from other walks of life (you know, not 55-year-old paunchy white guys).

Then I got the ESX photos in my email box.

I'm sorry, but something about this picture says that the security industry is moving in the right direction.



From left to right, that's Dean Seavers, CEO of GE Security; Cris Carter, Chairman of Carter Bros. (and he's done some other stuff, too); Bud Wulforst, president of the CSAA, and George Gunning, outgoing president of the NBFAA. Cool shot.

Now, if we could just get a woman into that picture...

ESX day 1 (with gory photo)

The first annual Electronic Security Expo got off to a rousing start yesterday, as the NBFAA and CSAA have collaborated on a first-rate event in a first-rate (if underappreciated) city.

First, the gory stuff. I, and my fellow editors Martha and Leischen, participated in the Tennessee BFAA-sponsored skeet shooting event yesterday, and it was (get ready for it) a blast! Having never shot a shotgun before, I have to say my performance of nailing 28 out of 50 clay pigeons is quite impressive, but I was also impressed with the way Kerry Egan, of Security Partners, handled a gun - her Pennsylvania roots clearly came to the front as she blasted orange discs out of the sky - and the way Dave Koenig, of Capital Fire, was the only other of our group of five to stick out the shooting to the bitter end.

Our guide Eddie was right: Never leave shells in the box.

Unfortunately, all that shooting left a mark (avert your eyes if pale white skin is abhorrent to you):



You should see the damage done to Leischen's shoulder, though. I'm guessing she won't post photos, but will at least post video of her shooting on her blog.

The shooting done, everyone headed over to the Country Music Hall of Fame for a reception that would honor the Sara Jackson and Morris Weinstock award winners. It was somewhat ironic that Frank Burke, of USA Alarm Systems, was cajoling us into attending on the bus ride back from the skeet shooting, telling us what high and illustrious awards they were, only to find him stepping up to receive the Jackson award with tear-filled eyes. He was also talking about how great it was to work with his sons, and then there they were to surprise him upon receiving the glass trophy. Great moment for him. Note also that Burke won the CAA's George Weinstock award in 2006. He's piling up the hardware.

Also a nice moment for Scott Colby, president of the Louisiana BFAA, who took home the Weinstock award. Unfortunately, his wife is ill and wasn't able to be with him, but you could tell he was extremely moved by the award.

The one thing I can unequivocally say for this industry is that it's a tight-knit one. In some ways, it can seem like a throwback to the 1950s, with so much grey-haired, white-male involvement, but you can't deny that people make you feel welcome here and know how to put on a great party. In the Hall of Fame, with the busts of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams and Dolly Parton surrounding us, there was a palpable feeling of good will and friendship that went beyond a business association. I think that's the kind of emotion that doesn't come through during an ISC West or ASIS show and what makes this new ESX event so important.

ESX unveils its "mystery keynote"

So, this new ESX show the NBFAA and CSAA are putting on in Nashville has been running with a "mystery keynote" promotion for the last month or so. Now, however, the cat (or should I say, Viking) is out of the bag: It's Cris Carter.

Good choice, I say. Not only is he one of the five best receivers to ever play professional football, but he's got experience speaking, thanks to his gigs on HBO and ESPN, and he should be pretty entertaining. Plus, oh yeah, he owns a big old security integration firm. That helps, too.

I blogged about him being the most famous guy in the security industry here, and interviewed his brother when they bought GE's fire installation business here.

Why ESX is dropping the "mystery" now, more than a month prior to the event, is an interesting question. With experience trying to land keynotes myself, I'm guessing the keynote was as much a mystery to ESX as it was to us until they landed Carter, probably about three days ago. Nothing wrong with that. I seem to remember ISC having some difficulty finding a keynote for last year's ISC East. It's ain't easy finding a keynoter who will draw attendees, have something interesting to say, and not cost you an arm and a leg.

As a Pats fan, I'm hoping Carter talks about the difficulties working with troublesome employees and mentions his dealings with Randy Moss. Something tells me Carter spent a lot of time wondering how he got stuck mentoring that dude.

Early ISC news

Already, the ISC news is streaming in. Today I got word that Stanley bought Bud Wolforst's company, A-1, which is located, appropriately, in Vegas. Below is the release, I'll have an interview with Stanley Convergent's head-man Tony Byerly tomorrow night/Thursday morning.

STANLEY CONVERGENT SECURITY SOLUTIONS, INC. PURCHASES THE BUSINESS OPERATIONS OF LAS VEGAS-BASED A-1 SECURITY LTD.

Stanley Convergent Security Solutions, Inc. (formerly HSM Electronic Protection Services, Inc.) has announced the purchase of A-1 Security Ltd, a premier security company headquartered in Las Vegas, NV. A-1 Security has expertise in installing, servicing, inspecting, maintaining and monitoring electronic intrusion alarms, fire alarms, access control systems and video surveillance systems in the Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada markets. The purchase of the business operations includes commercial, industrial and other business customers along with residential customers. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

“We are excited about the addition of A1 Security into our company portfolio,” stated Brett Bontrager, President Convergent Security Solutions. “Stanley remains committed to growing our electronic security division both domestically and abroad. Acquiring strong regional players, like A1, to fill-in our footprint in the U.S. is an important part of our growth plan, because it strengthens our domestic reach.”

The acquisition of A-1 Security expands the company’s national footprint and brings two additional top 100 metropolitan areas into its network of local branch offices. “A1 Security is a quality security provider and the leader in the Vegas and Reno markets. This addition to our portfolio continues our tradition of quality service and a company totally focused on our customers,” commented Tony Byerly, Chief Operating Officer, Stanley Convergent Security Solutions, Inc. “Additionally, this expands our national footprint into the country’s fastest growing commercial market; enabling us to grow our national account support structure.”

A-1 Security has an exemplary 25-year service history in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada. Last year, Security Dealer Magazine (SDM) ranked A-1 Security as the 45th largest security company in the U.S. based on total revenue and 69th in total recurring monthly revenue (RMR). “We are proud and eager to continue providing quality service to the over 8,000 A-1 Security customers doing business throughout the state of Nevada,” continued Byerly.

Commenting on the acquisition, Bud Wulforst, President of A-1 Security, stated “Building and operating successful businesses has always been my passion. As the new President of the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), I now have the opportunity to apply my passion to the alarm industry overall.”

“Having Stanley Convergent Security Solutions acquire A-1 Security gives me the peace of mind knowing that my customers and employees will be taken care of with the highest level of service and responsiveness,” continued Wulforst.

According to Howard Wulforst, Chief Operating Officer of A-1 Security, “Having grown up in the alarm business, I know the importance of responsive customer service and having local employees to deliver that service. I am very excited about becoming a Stanley team member because they have the personal touch of a local company and the significant resources of a global company to provide leading edge technology and outstanding service.” Howard Wulforst will be joining the Stanley team as District General Manager for Nevada including both A1 branch locations.

Stanley CSS will maintain the two local offices located in Las Vegas at 917 South 1st Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101 and in Reno at 734 Spice Islands Drive, Sparks, NV 89431). The phone numbers are (702) 474-6667 (Las Vegas Office) and (775) 828-5625 (Reno Office).

Ron Davis, Managing Partner of Davis Marketing Group, Inc., worked on behalf of A-1 Security as the facilitator during this transaction.

Tuesday at CSAA

Well, the party a Turtle Point last night was really boffo or groovy or some other '60s term for good. A 10-piece band entertained CSAA members and spouses while most people took the opportunity to avoid talking business for at least a few hours. Very few hijinks ensued. Sorry, no good gossip.

This morning was the real meat of the conference, with presenations that got to the heart of members' concerns. Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp's Alan Pepper gave a sobering presentation on privacy, which, when doubled with Michael Kelly's presentation on insuring against liability in the digital age, sure made me want to go buy a paper shredder. In fact, the day was full of scare tactics, as Gordon Hope from Honeywell presented a chilling picture of the rapid evolution of the communications devices that will be employed by the alarm industry going forward, and John Lombardi (CIA Security), Shane Clary (Bay Alarm), Lou Fiore (AAIC), and Bob Bonifas (Alarm Detection Systems) put forward a call to arms, trying to generate participation in the NFPA standards-creation process.

"Where will architects and engineers and code enforcement officers turn for security standards?" Lombardi asked. "To NFPA 731. The NFPA is simply where they go for standards."

Now is the time to pay attention. You can track the standard's progress, and that of others vital to the industry, like NFPA 72 and 720, here.

The rest of the day was spent golfing and sailing, though I, your dutiful scribe, spent the rest of the day working, of course. Tomorrow I get up on the dais. We'll see what happens.

CSAA gets down to business

Following soon after treasurer Daniel Demers' (Reliance Protectron) report that the CSAA now has a year's worth of dues in reserve, it was hardly a surprise to hear that next year's annual meeting will be at the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman, and that they'll travel to Athens, Greece, in 2009.

Still, the 150 members in attendance here were all business this morning, toiling through a business meeting run by CSAA outgoing president John Murphy (Vector Security) that also saw presentations from NBFAA president George Gunning (USA Alarm Systems) and newly elected SIA president Wendy Diddell (Richardson Electronics/ADI).

Some notable items:

• Everyone moved up one step on the chain of command: Bud Wulforst (A-1 Security) moved from vice president to president, Ed Bonifas (Alarm Detection Systems) from second VP to VP, Bob Bean (Alert Alarm) from secretary to second VP, John Lombardi (CIA Security) from assistant secretary to secretary, with Pam Petrow (Vector Security) stepping into the assistant secretary's role. Demers will continue as treasurer.

• Executive director Steve Doyle announced plans for a new web site to be launched this year, which will offer five languages of translation. This is partly due to an increased interest by foreign counties in the CSAA programs. Did you know Brazil alone has 2000 centrals? That was schocking to me.

• Stan Martin, executive director of SIAC, outlined a number of efforts for false alarm reduction, including www.pleaserespond.org, where you can download any number of tools for fighting verification efforts in your home town.

• There was discussion of the legal implications of the AMPS sunset. Specifically, could you be punished by the FCC for not notifying your customers of the sunset? Probably not, since centrals are commonly believed to exist as end users and not carriers, and the FCC only has jurisdiction over carriers, but it's better not to test it. If some event happens where the analog backup doesn't work following the sunset and you've neglected to alert your customers, however, it's likely you'd be liable for damages, so there's another good reason to get the word out.

• There are now more than 80 Five Diamond certified central stations, those that have lived up to a number of CSAA requirements and have had all of their operators trained.

Following the business meeting, Ed Turzanski, senior fellow, Center for Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security, at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, delivered a keynote address that outlined a plan for winning the war on Islamic extremists that resonated strongly with the members, even if it touched only slightly on the sort of security practiced by alarm dealers. If anything, the most relevant portion of the keynote dealt with encouraging energy independance and conservation and breaking our ties with Middle East oil supplies.

Then, with that presentation pushing the conference a half-hour behind schedule, the heads of AHJs APCO, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Sheriff's Association outlined their goals for the coming year, and how the CSAA might be able to collaborate in accomplishing some of those goals.

Finally, Chief Harlin McEwan, chair of the communication and technology committee for the IACP, spoke about the impending national wireless public safety broadband network and the very interesting Public Safety Spectrum Trust, a new non-profit organization that will hold the license to a very powerful piece of wireless real estate. How this will affect the security industry remains to be seen.

With that completed, attendess dispersed for lunch, next to meet at the Turtle Point Beach Party. I'll have a report of those activities anon.

Lovin' the Hawaii sun

If there's one thing the CSAA knows how to do, it's pick a spot for the annual meeting. Last year, I couldn't quite make it to Rome, but CSAA educational chair John Lombardi, who owns CIA Security in New York, invited me to speak on a panel focusing on the central station of the future, and it was mighty hard to turn down a trip to Hawaii (though I did grouse about the long plane ride quite a bit around the office).

Turns out, the plane ride was, indeed, terrible - 10 hours from Newark to Honolulu with an hour-long flight on the front and back end, from Portland and to Kona, respectively. But the reward sure is nice. The Fairmont Orchid is a first-class resort, where you can swim with the turtles and spend a seriously excellent afternoon watching the Red Sox win game 7 of the ALCS.

Monday, the events start and I'll give you a few more details. Aloha.