NewsPoll: Recession abating, growth to come

YARMOUTH, Maine—The recession shows signs of letting up and there are better times to come in 2015, Security Systems News' readers said in response to this month's NewsPoll.

“We are still a very small company in the industry, however in our first full year we posted $180,000 in sales revenue and $50,000 in RMR. We accomplished this with three employees and no financial backing,” responded Nick McAmis, president and CEO of Texas-based Sentry Security Solutions.

Forty-five percent of respondents believe the recession is abating, but 35 percent said their companies are still recovering.

“The recession is over. Although [the date that the recession] arrived in any given geographical part of the country sometimes also determines when it exits as well. It came late in our part of the country and still is having [a] little effect,” said one reader.

Twenty percent said they were unaffected by the recession.

“We have just had our ninth straight year of double-digit growth. and we are in the process of expanding our business with our third acquisition in five years,” said Michael Major, owner of Cunningham Security Systems, also based here. “We are looking ahead with continued optimism for what we hope is a very successful and very prosperous 2015!” Major spoke more in-depth with SSN about Cunningham's growth and its 2015 outlook.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents called 2014 a good year for growth. One said, “Not great, but better—much better.” For some—27 percent—2014 was similar to 2013. Another 16 percent said that they hope for a better 2015.

“Business was only slightly better in 2014 from 2013 but [our company] has some contract [work] for 2015 so [I] expect 2015 to be better, but not to the levels of 2007,” said one respondent.

Many companies seem to have proactive plans for 2015. Thirty-nine percent indicated growth in the upcoming year, possibly through “expansions and acquisitions.” New hires are needed to help with their improved workload, according to 37 percent of respondents.

Maintaining the company's current size is the 2015 priority for 24 percent of readers responding to the poll.

“There should be a less-optimistic choice for the last question, e.g.: Just trying to survive!” said one reader.

Another simply replied that “2015 should be an interesting year.”