I just got an e-mail telling me that registration is now open for the 2010 Electronic Security Expo (ESX), which is scheduled for June 14-18, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pa. My calendar is marked, and I’m ready to go – for more than one reason.


As a NFL fan, I was excited to see the keynote speaker will be Rocky Bleier, who played as running back on four Super Bowl - winning Pittsburgh Steelers teams. Bleier's keynote, "Leaning Forward Into Life," will share his journey from a soldier seriously wounded on the battlefields of Vietnam to starting running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl championship teams of the 1970s. Definitely exciting.

But as the associate editor of SDM Magazine, I have A LOT more to look forward to at ESX (on top of the workshops, education opportunities, exhibits on the show floor, luncheons, receptions, etc).

First, there’s the SDM-sponsored CSAA Excellence Awards. Not only do I get the chance to attend the breakfast and see the looks on the faces of the companies who win the awards, I get to write about it as well for the August issue of SDM. Each year the central stations and staff members that are awarded at the event have raised the bar on the value of their services and their contribution to the industry. I can’t wait to see what this year holds.


Then, there’s the SDM 100 Gala, where I’ll be presenting the SDM Dealer of the Year award. The SDM 100 Gala will be held on Thursday, June 17, from 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. this year at the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh. This elegant social event draws top executives from the nation’s largest installing and monitoring companies and celebrates the companies who have been ranked on the SDM 100. Last year, more than 200 executives and their guests from SDM 100 companies and solution providers attended the 2009 Gala.