DITEK: a homegrown company with a legacy of excellence

LARGO, FL – Made in the USA as a phrase might not get the same mileage it used to, but one Florida-based manufacturer is making a difference where it counts.

DITEK designs and manufactures surge protection solutions for video surveillance, fire, networking, communications, access control, intrusion detection, and AC power systems. It’s not the most glamorous face in the security industry but it is a critically important one. “With our products its almost like, call me now or call me later,” DITEK Director of Sales Jason Klein told Security Systems News during ISC West 2023. “There’s a lot of people who say, ‘I don’t believe in surge protection, I don’t really need it,’ and they’re the same ones who call six months later and say they just lost a $6000 switch, and 14 or 15 cameras.”

Founded by Navy veteran Robert McIntyre, it started with a chance meeting at a Super Bowl party in the late 1970’s between McIntyre and an entrepreneur making surge protection in his garage. After 10 years of business together McIntyre’s partner tragically passed, and he would go on to make his own company in 1988, meeting his wife and forming a multigenerational family business.

McIntyre would serve as CEO of DITEK for 30 years before passing the reigns to his daughters Wendy Gattis (CEO) and Melissa Lostraglio (VP of Administration) to manage daily operations. Today the business operates with 107 employees and has been voted as one of the top employers in the Tampa Bay region for 14 years running. “The best part is that we’re the only manufacturer to make the list every year,” Robert McIntyre wrote. “…and I know every person's name and their kids because I care about each of them.”

It's also been a secure job for those employees thanks to DITEK’s homegrown manufacturing. During the pandemic years when other companies faced lean times due to the state of the global supply chain, DITEK was well prepared. “The orders just rolled in and rolled in,” Klein said. “We were very well prepared for that. We stocked up massive containers out back, so we’ve been doing great the last couple of years, it didn’t really hit us at all.”

Making an impact is part of DITEK’s operating ethos, which works on three guiding principles: 1. Treat employees with respect, 2. Offer quality products and service, and 3. Giving back. DITEK supports a number of charitable organizations including the Pinellas County Education Foundation, and the Gold Shield foundation that provides scholarships for the children and surviving spouses of police officers or fire fighters killed in the line of duty. “Giving back to deserving organizations in our local community is not only personally fulfilling, but also allows us to put company values into action,” CEO Wendy Gattis wrote in a blog for DITEK. “As my father once said, ‘Nothing is too small to make a difference. Do something, anything, and it will come back to you.’”

More information about DITEK products and services can be found online at www.diteksurgeprotection.com.