Security Dealer & Integrator

APR 2017

Find news and information for the executive corporate security director, CSO, facility manager and assets protection manager on issues of policy, products, incidents, risk management, threat assessments and preparedness.

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28 Security Dealer & Integrator / www.SecurityInfoWatch.com April 2017 America's Fastest Growing Security Dealers and Systems Integrators is year, 76 percent of respondents cited employee recruitment and reten- tion as a top threat/challenge to their business – far and away surpassing the second threat on the list, equipment commoditization and/or price wars (39 percent). Recruiting was also cited as a top business concern (52 percent) when it comes to growth. "Our industry has done a terrible job of attracting new people to our trade," says Robert Rossman, president of United Alarm Services (No. 44), Brookfield, Conn. "We have found that you really have to start with an appren- tice and teach them the right way to not only install the product but also service customers." When drilling down for best prac- tices and strategies for recruiting and retention among security deal- ers and integrators, here were the top responses (in order of popularity): • Word-of-mouth referrals • Online ads and social media • Employee referral programs • Outside recruiting firms • Strong compensation/bonus plans • Education/scholarship programs and partnerships • Internal recruiters "Our goal is to develop recruit- ing strategies that tie directly into our company goals and to establish a course of action that optimizes employee profitability and reduces cost per employee," explains Matthew Zucker, president of sales for New Jersey-based Beacon Protection (No. 4). "To attract talent to your organization, you must highlight your company brand, compensation, bene- fits, training, as well as present an ave- nue for continued career growth. It is important to show the sustainability of our industry through our cutting-edge technological products and the overall health of your company." "Be relentless in finding, attracting, motivating, rewarding and celebrating exceptional talent," adds John Cerasuolo, president and CEO of ADS Security (No. 49). "ere is nothing more important." Best Advice What advice do Fast50 business own- ers and managers have for their col- leagues hoping to duplicate the same kind of success they have enjoyed? Here are some of their most interest- ing responses: Mario Campos, President, QPCS LLC (No. 15): "Focus on IoT (Internet of ings)-related products, and develop new opportunities that involve IoT." Alan Kruglak, SVP, Genesis Security Systems (No. 23): "Standardize your product lines, and don't be a jack-of-all- trades and a master of none." Joseph Gallagher, VP, B Safe Security (No. 27): "Your staff has to provide better customer service through improved communication and faster response to customer issues – regardless of the issue or regardless of the customer. Our motto: 'Mrs. Jones is just as important as ABC liquors with five stores.'" Richard Stuart, VP, Vision Technologies Inc. (No. 31): "Promote a culture that encourages all team members to understand the role How the Fast50 is Calculated The companies ranked in the SD&I; Fast50 are recognized and ranked based on percentage growth and revenue growth — with their overall ranking balancing those two considerations using a simple but effec- tive algorithm. If we ranked companies purely on revenue growth, it would tend to favor larger companies — this way, the playing field is level for all entrants. We also balance the equation by studying three years of financial change to ensure that high-growth companies aren't just "flash in the pan" types of businesses, but are able to sustain themselves. It also balances ups and downs. For example, a company on our list could have had negative growth in its first year but then achieved such strong growth in year two that the average was powerfully in the positive. To enter, companies confidentially report to us their most recent fiscal years worth of gross revenues. Using those numbers, we com- pute the revenue growth and percentage growth for each of their three most recent fiscal years. We average the growth numbers to generate an average revenue growth for the company, and we do the same for the company to create an average percentage growth. Ties result simply because of the formula average of the revenue and percentage ranks — it is a product of one being higher for dollar increase and one being higher in percentage increase. Companies may enter as long as one of their key business efforts is the installation of security solutions (e.g., video, intrusion, access con- trol, perimeter detection, biometrics, etc.). It doesn't have to be your sole business effort, but it does need to be a definitive part of the firm.

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