Dynamark hires Groff, seeks 'nationwide footprint'

HAGERSTOWN, Md.—Dynamark Security Centers has hired Hank Groff, formerly director of the dealer program at Guardian Protection Services, as SVP of sales. Groff will spearhead a newly created unit: Dynamark's partner program. 

While Dynamark's accounts are located primarily in the mid-Atlantic, the new partner program will quickly establish the company as more than a regional player. “For us it's an immediate nationwide footprint,” Groff told Security Systems News. “We're not hindering any dealer from partnering with us, so we're going to open up this relationship nationwide. There are no barriers to what we do.”

In addition to building a national presence, goals for the Dynamark program, which re-entered the monitoring space in 2011, include adding 100 partners to the program over the next five years, and fostering transparency for the benefit of dealers, Groff said.

The partner program, which will add its first member next week, is distinct from Dynamark's wholesale dealer program in that it offers partners revenue sharing opportunities and greater flexibility in terms of managing accounts, Groff said. Partners are also encouraged to brand themselves.

The exact percentages of the revenue sharing have not been finalized, Groff noted, but he said the program would pay partners a “whole lot more than most dealer programs,” because “we're expecting the partner to help us manage [the accounts] for years to come.”

The program also affords partners more latitude to do with their accounts as they see fit, Groff said. “Our attitude is, you're a partner, you're not just a dealer,” he said. “So you can get referrals on them, you can upsell them, and you get to share in the long-term profitability with us.”

As the leader of the program, Groff plans to put an emphasis on giving dealers access to vital information about their accounts. “Dealers want to be part of a dealer program but nobody really treats them like a partner,” Groff said. “This is going to be the antithesis of the typical dealer program.”

A 20-year industry veteran, with stops at ADT, Monitronics and Vector Security, Groff has a track record that makes him a logical fit to lead the program, Tom Piston, VP of sales and marketing at Dynamark, told Security Systems News. “[Groff] knows the market really well,” Piston said. “He brings an added knowledge base that's really going to help us grow even quicker.”