Five Questions: Dave Simon

YARMOUTH, Maine—H&S Protection Systems, based in Pewaukee, Wis., in August announced that it hired Dave Simon as the company's director of business development. Simon said that in his new role, “There's a shorter goal and a longer goal. The shorter goal is very sales oriented, digging up leads. … Longer term, it's taking that sales side and sharing some of the things that are learned, along with techniques, for developing the business in new areas.” Security Systems News asked Simon five questions.

What do you like about where you live?

The greenery, the hills. The people here have a zest for life; it's noticeable in the camping, canoeing, hiking, backpacking, fishing, swimming, bicycling, jogging, running. I'm a very outdoorsy person, as is my wife and our three kids, and it's the type of attitude that all of us enjoy. I've lived here in the past, in the early 1980s.

What is something that your coworkers might not know about you?

I'll list two things … one, that I refereed high school and college basketball for 18 years. Secondly, I rode my bicycle across North America in 1982. … Ironically, I was living in Milwaukee at the time and I returned to Milwaukee.

Do you have any pets?

Yes, we have two dogs—Thor, who is part black lab, part something else, and the happiest dog on the planet, and then Pepper, who is a herding dog who runs non stop—and three cats.

What was the best book you read recently?

I'll give you one that I've reread repeatedly and always stands out, and that's Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. It's one of those books that really captures the ups and downs of a well-lived life; the struggles and the problems mixed in with the joy and the happiness.

What do you like most about the security industry?

There's a high level of entrepreneurship and opportunity, which allows a lot of different kinds of people to step in and find a role, to do something productive—whether you're starting your own business or working for someone else.