'20 under 40' 2014—Randall Tecza

Randall Tecza, 39
Vice president of operations, Guardian Protection Services, Warrendale, Pa.

What inspired you to get into the security industry?
My first taste of security was with Comcast, where I was vice president of operations. I helped them launch their security offering in my region, the Keystone Region, around 2012. When we launched that, I was really intrigued by the home automation aspect and the cameras. … Then I was recruited by Guardian. I was really happy with Comcast, but I had the opportunity to meet Joe Colosimo, he's the president of Guardian Protection, and we really clicked and from a gut level standpoint, … I saw this was a great opportunity.

What can be done to boost the ranks of young people in the industry?
We need to be more open about hiring people from other industries. … This gives a pool of more diverse talent that I think translates to more innovative contributions to our industry. … I hired a technician that was a Best Buy sales agent … and now he's a trainer for us. Also, I hired a young tech manager from the cable industry who's doing a great job for us managing our national accounts service group. Another way to really boost the ranks: Senior management has to get into the trenches to spot young talent and be willing to mentor the talent.

Where, in terms of technology and trends, do you see the security industry going next?
I see a trend toward our technicians being more than traditional technicians and taking a proactive role in enriching the customer's experience, from selling an add-on to developing an installation experience that would be worthy of a good rating on any social media scale. … And we'll work harder to come up with more back-end development that will allow us to have a higher level of customer service with more efficient use of the workforce. An example of that is a smartphone device with apps, with which our technicians can interface with systems to perform service and installation.