like the creati
And one more for luck
By L. Samuel Pfeifle, editor
Yes, we understand that this feature will eventually tire itself out. At some point, I guess, we’ll be profiling folks who just joined the industry and saying things like, “Boy, howdy, they sure do seem smart.” But that day hasn’t come yet.
Not hardly.
If anything, word is starting to get around and this was our best batch of nominees yet. More than 125 names were submitted for our consideration this year, and the choices were as difficult as they’ve ever been.
(We’ve yet to come to blows in the SSN offices over this thing, but we arched our eyebrows menacingly a couple of times, I can assure you.)
As in years past, we often went with our gut.
Sometimes a title isn’t as impressive as the passion that goes into a nomination. Sometimes a good story beat out a few extra years of experience. And we nearly always went with the guy or gal who participates in industry associations and works at training and educating others.
These are, after all, future leaders we’re trying to identify here. Leadership isn’t measured solely in success. In order to have leaders you must have followers, of course, and leaders are those who take it upon themselves to set a course for the industry, to make decisions about the new ways things can be done and the old ways that needn’t be changed.
When the CSAA or SIA or the NBFAA sends out a legislative bulletin, who’s likely to take the time to make a phone call to the local legislator? Who’s likely to be at the
Education and Training Committee meeting, giving up valuable selling time to figure out ways to improve the businesses of others?
Who’s going to take upon themselves the onerous task of traveling to Athens, Greece, this fall to participate in the CSAA’s annual meeting?
Wait. Maybe that last one isn’t the best example. But you get the idea.
Further, these future and present leaders need support as they continue to grow. A number of this year’s selections mentioned the value of mentors in their career paths, and expressed a desire to be mentors themselves.
To you industry veterans reading this: To whom have you been a mentor? Who will carry on your legacy when you retire? Sure, your son or daughter might count, but what about your ops manager or your lead technician?
All of you have talent in your organizations that needs to be fostered.
We are excited, too, about recent developments in the industry on of the Young Security Professionals, who make their debut at ESX this month. Please don’t underestimate the value of giving these young leaders a place to swap war stories: “Did your boss ever ask you where he could find Twitter on the Internet?”
Yes, the folks on the following pages have the industry twittering about its great potential, built upon its great history. New technology and new ideas have security becoming ever more vital to society at large, both in keeping people safe and in growing the economy.
Who knows that better than these people?
Carey Boethel, 38
Like many executives in the security industry, Carey Boethel didn’t graduate from Texas A&M looking forward to a career in security. An architecture student, he happened to catch on with Schiff & Associates, where “I had two terrific mentors very early in my career, Gary Schiff and Jim Francis,” he says, “both of
whom taught me the basics of security design, engineering and
Carey Boethel
risk mitigation.”
He’s taken that early instruction and built a career on combining security with business efficiency and understanding a customer’s entire operation, first and foremost. At Siemens, he finds himself with tools at his disposal to show the C-level that building systems don’t have to be a sunk cost.
This mentor process, he says, is vital to the growth of the industry, despite increased efforts in college recruiting. “The best way to navigate this industry is to align oneself with someone who can help guide decisions,” he says. “My hope is that by the end of my career, there are a few young industry leaders who will have considered me a mentor who made a difference in their careers.”
—L. Samuel Pfeifle
• Katie Adelhardt, Construction Account Manager, Diebold
• Sean Baghai, CEO, Baghai Security
• Jill Bartyzal, IT/Technical Operations Manager, Armor Security
• John Bergher, General Manager, Protection One, Las Vegas
• David Bitton, CTO, Supreme Security Systems
• Renee Genke, Customer Service Coordinator, Suburban Electrical Engineers/Contractors
• Jason Gonzalez, CEO, Digital Management Systems
• Kristi Harris, Vice President, ESC Central
• Josh Houser, Vice President of Service and Inside Sales, APXAlarm
• Michael Jagger, President, Provident Security
• Craig Metzger, Owner, GuardMe Security
• Rick Motta, System Sales, Commercial Electronic Systems
• Andrea Nielsen, Director of Sales and Marketing, Comtel Systems Technology
• Michael Noyes, Operations Manager, One Source Security & Automation
• Heather Peterson, Dealer Support and Data Entry Manager, COPS Monitoring
• Efrain Saenz, Director of Monitoring Services, UTC Fire & Security
• Dwight Sears, President, Silent Guard
• Jayson Swope, Director of Engineering, Adesta
• Steven Turney, Security Program Manager, TAC
• Jeremy Wyble, General Manager, Alarm Central
• Jason Baycroft, Director of security systems, Canada, Siemens Building Technologies
• Brett Bean, President, F.E. Moran Alarm and Monitoring Systems
• Dan Bresingham, CFO, Stanley Security Integration
• Nick Cannone, VP of operations, Connective Home
• Steven Coppola Jr., Director of Tech Services and General Manager,
Statewide Central Station
• Jeffrey Doak, President, i2c Technologies
• Jon Ecker, President, Peace of Mind Technologies
• Kerry Egan, Vice President, Security Partners
• Robert Few, Co-Founder, King Monitoring Group
• Josh Garner, President, AvantGuard Monitoring
• Maria Gonzalez, CEO, Nortronics
• Shandon Harbor, President, SDA Security
• Chris Horan, Branch manager, New York, Johnson Controls
• Mary Jezioro, Vice President, Shield Security Systems
• Dave Lindsey, President, Defender Direct
• Rob René, Vice President, Portland, EYESthere
• Louis Sampson, CFO, American Alarm
• Eugene Szatkowski, President, Secure Integrations
• Brent Uhl, Vice President, Brink’s Business Security
• Eric Yunag, President and COO, Dakota Security Systems
for the company h
Bourque, 35
B Alarm was founded by “my grandfather in 1971 before I was born,” says Michael Bourque. His father worked there and his uncle, John Bourque, is the current president. “When
I was growing up it’s all my family ever talked about, and working as become the course for me as well.”
Bourque began his career installing burglar alarm systems in 1996. After The Station nightclub fire three in 2003, HB Alarm “was instrumental in bringing wireless fire alarm systems to Rhode Island,” Bourque says. “We’ve carved out a niche for ourselves in this market.” Today, Bourque runs HB’s fire alarm business.
Plenty of young people work at HB, but, like many family-owned businesses, most are members of the Bourque family. “There are a handful of [younger] guys who work here [who did not grow up in the industry],” he says. Bourque predicts more will be attracted as the industry’s technology becomes more sophisticated. “Technology is what young people are interested in. That’s what I think will draw more young people.”
—Martha Entwistle
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