Surveillance Systems Inc. lands MGM, Wynn contracts

ROCKLIN, Calif.—Surveillance Systems Inc., a commercial integrator based here, recently announced its multi-million dollar contracts with Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts International, which are both currently preparing to set up shop in Boston and Springfield, Mass., respectively. The Wynn Boston Harbor and MGM Springfield are both scheduled to open within the next two years.

SSI president Todd Flowers said that SSI is excited to build on the relationship it has formed working with MGM and Wynn over the years. “To be pulled up to the big show once again, especially in such a thriving, competitive industry, is the kind of challenge SSI feeds on,” he said in the announcement. “We look forward to knocking these projects out of the park!”

Flowers told Security Systems News that SSI has built a reputation in the gaming industry over the past few years, one that has helped to put the company in a position to even qualify for these types of contracts.

“There is quite a qualification process that you have to go through to even be invited to the dance,” Flowers told SSN. “These huge projects really catapult the company into another realm when you are looking at over $18 million in revenue between these two projects—those are game changers. So suddenly you start to see these huge increases in growth year over year because now you can add these significant projects to the list.”

He noted that year-to-date SSI is seeing a 97 percent increase in revenue year over year, and he is projecting that the company will finish 2017 at more than 70 percent ahead of 2016.

“We are going to see record growth again this year and these massive projects aren't even hitting this year, so the bulk of that revenue is going to roll into 2018,” he said. “Based on the award of the Wynn and MGM projects, we expect to maintain the 70 percent growth momentum throughout 2018.”

Flowers noted that winning projects such as this is largely attributable to SSI's dedicated team of 75 employees, who are well versed in design, engineering, installation, and customer service. He pointed to two fairly recent hires—Daniel Jackson, director of technical sales, and Greg Stowers, director of engineering—who have a combined 45-plus years in the industry, bringing “pertinent and cutting-edge skillsets that transcend beyond cameras and CCTV knowledge, and well into IoT/digital security issues that are currently on the rise,” he said. “I want to continue to increase our capacity for large projects, and talent acquisition is a big priority for us.”

The key moving forward, Flowers said, is to “keep the momentum going. Our manufacturing partners are key for us, as we try to create the best possible vendor experience, too. We see this as a partnership between us and the manufacturers and the customers.”

He continued, “One thing that is unique about our company, and I consider us a hybrid company, is that we do a lot of product sales. For us, product sales lead to projects and projects lead to ongoing product sales, so we've got this hybrid model, which is unlike what you see from more traditional integrators, that is working well.”

Established in 2002, SSI provides surveillance integration expertise in four target markets: casino, government, retail and commercial. The company offers highly technical consultation, system design engineering, project management, and professional implementation to clients ranging from small commercial businesses to enterprise level corporations.