Sam Jaddi, 35
Working at ADT during the 9/11 aftermath, Sam Jaddi real- ized the security industry was not only growing, but lacked tough leadership as it related to the future of the industry. Everybody had been doing the same thing for dozens of years.
Sam Jaddi
He says the industry has really started to evolve within the last “and the technology has matured enough to where we need to start looking at how we integrate and converge to provide the services of tomorrow,” he says.
To attract young people to maintain that evolution, Jaddi thinks three things should be done: Executives need to invest time to go to colleges and build awareness of the industry with talented students before they graduate; industry leaders need to realize there are many more roles now than before, as convergence and integration occurs; and security should capitalize on the fact that technology is a way of life for young people, and they represent the customer demands of the future. “In the 1980s and 1990s, there was no way of looking at the Internet as an industry; security has the opportunity to put itself on the map in a similar way,” he says. Jaddi hopes to contribute to that evolution and see its fruition.
eight years, however,
—Angelique Carson
Brendan Lally, 32
rendan Lally came to America from Ireland on something of a lark: “I got my green card through the lottery,” he says, “so
I decided to give America a chance for six months.” Once in New York City, he got a position with fire installer Crossfire thanks to an electrical engineering background, and things clicked.
B
“I just fell in love with fire alarm,” he says. “I think I might do that for free.”
nd his services in demand and began rising up the ranks before, with
help from his former Crossfire employers, starting his own business. Seven years in, IRL
Systems (get it? Ireland-IRL) services the five boroughs with three men in the field, plus
himself and back office, but a new operations manager has him confident he can triple
the size of the business in short fashion—if only he could find some good workers. “I
often judge a person just on the speed they walk at,” he says. “If he’s dragging his heels
just to get a coffee, he’s not going to be running when he’s on the job.”
While the firm’s work ethic has won the company national sales awards from its vendor,
it’s hard to keep up: “A lot of people want a job,” Lally says. “Not many want to work.”
—L. Samuel Pfeifle
Brendan Lally
However, he fou
Trevor McEnaney
McEnaney, 33
he studied jazz gui
revor McEnaney was born into the security industry. His grandfather was Howard Wolfurst and his uncle is CSAA president Bud Wolfurst. He did not jump right into the business after school, however. He went to the Berklee School of Music where tar and played in a rock band.
He transitioned from music to business with a job at a finance company for four years before coming back to help his father run Knight Security. Getting outside experience, and particularly learning about finance and proper accounting, has given him valuable perspective, he says.
McEnaney said his work with the NBFAA’s Young Security Professionals Group “is the start” of carving his own name into the industry. Through that work, he’d like to “elevate awareness and give the Mom and Pops some competitive resources on multiple levels.” Business transition is an area of interest for McEnaney because, “my whole premise in getting involved in the industry was to help my family transition the business.”
—Martha Entwistle
says. “Two weeks la
A
Andy
Johannsen, 39
ndy Johannsen let his fingers do the walking to begin his security career. “I decided to change careers in 1993, and called some local alarm companies I found in the yellow pages,” Johanssen ter, I was a service technician for Advent Security, in Oreland, PA.”
Johannsen feels strongly about fostering proactive growth, and feels the path to good industry stewardship is active recruitment and hands-on training. “Unfortunately for the industry, many people move up through the ranks of a family business,” Johannsen says. “Vocational schools with electrical or computer courses of study are a great resource. Some even teach alarm systems.”
Over a16-year career, Johannsen has been a service tech, a manufacturer’s sales rep and an alarm company owner. At the end of the day, he wants nothing more than to have made a difference. “It’s why I got into security. I want to be proud of my straightforward, honest dealings and friendships with colleagues, dealers and customers. I just want to do my small part to protect and save lives.” —Daniel Gelinas
Andy Johannsen
Jorgia McAfee
when I took colleg
Jorgia McAfee, 28
Jorgia McAfee was born with security on the brain, as her par- ents have owned their own security company since 1975. At 16, she began working part-time for them, but with an eye on the theater, as she hoped to be an actress. She now combines the two passions, performing at local theaters and as vice president of operations at the family company. “I ended up getting more practical e courses and switched my major to business,” she says. “The older I got the more I valued what we do as a business, protecting lives and property.”
She thinks the industry should capitalize on opportunities to promote itself at college campuses as well as on social networking sites like Facebook and You Tube. She says she hopes her legacy is that she continues to build the business her parents started by celebrating individuals.
“I want to be known for recognizing the individual achievements of innovators of technology,” she says, “the individuals achievers within our company, and the individual needs of our customers.”
—Angelique Carson
Jeremy Pixton, 32
Jeremy Pixton
best people and tr
Jeremy Pixton began working in the industry doing door- to-door sales for Safe Home Security (now Pinnacle) as an undergrad. He was the top sales rep, a recognition he achieved at subsequent companies. Three years ago, he teamed with three others to launch Platinum Protection, a summer-model security company. One of Pixton’s objectives has been to
“change the image of the door-to-door industry” by hiring the aining them well.
Platinum shuns the common practice of offering a signing bonus to sales reps, which “changes the focus from 100 percent money to a focus on the quality of customers,” along with the sales process, “and attracts high quality sales people,” he says. The company has amassed more than 100,000 accounts, and Pixton credits the quality of the sales reps for that success.
“Young people want to be involved with organizations that are making a difference along with a lasting change in the world. Our product has that ability. It can change lives. I think we need to start emphasizing this more than the money that comes with the job,” he says.
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