Universal Security Systems Inc., Hauppauge, N.Y., has carved a niche for systems integration in the utilities market, which provides the company with about 55 percent of its revenue. But it wasn’t always that way.

“The company actually started out serving mostly the banking and retail markets,” says Edward Newman, vice president of Universal Security Systems Inc. Founded in 1991, by Theodore Meshover, Universal’s president, the company reorganized itself and divested its banking and retail business to another integrator in the late 1990s, Newman explains.

“From then on we began to build the business in the hospitals and utilities markets,” Newman says. Universal experienced significant growth in the utilities market, transportation in the metro area, and also in healthcare facilities.

Today, the company, one of SDM’s 2006 Systems Integrator of the Year Honorees, operates with about 60 employees and has a national reach. Universal installs and services electronic systems throughout the New York/New Jersey metro area, and installs physical security systems nationally. Last year, Universal started 100 new projects, and ended the year with $6.7 million in revenue – a 37 percent increase over 2004.

Universal coins the phrase, “It matters,” says Newman. The company prides itself on placing high importance on what they do, and in turn Newman says, Universal wants to do business with customers that “it matters” to, as well. “We sell to the premium end of the market and we want customers to care about their partnership with us,” he explains.

The key to emerging as a strong, qualified company in a competitive market is the company's stability. “We are the stable entity here. Our customers have come to recognize that and come back to us again and again,” Newman reports.

To remain ahead of the competition, Universal will continue to focus on its target markets, and has recently experienced an increase in installations that include outdoor security, such as guard booths, perimeter security, bollards and more, as well as fire alarm installations – both areas in which the company has increased its existing trained personnel or brought on experienced personnel in those areas through acquisitions.

Last year, Universal expanded its headquarters into a new 22,000 square-foot facility and increased its staff by 100 percent. And the company does not plan to stop there. In the final stages of an acquisition, Universal will continue to expand its footprint as an integrator. More acquisitions and possibly branching into other major cities, are in the plan for Universal over the next five to 10 years, Newman promises.

“Our biggest value is that we’ve been there, we’ve done it, and we will continue to be there in the future. It’s our stability that gives us the competitive edge,” he says.

At a Glance

• SDM Systems Integrator of the Year Honoree: Universal Security Systems Inc., Hauppauge, N.Y.
• Number of Employees: 59
• Revenue: $6.7 million (37 percent increase over 2004)
• Market focus: Utilities (makes up 55 percent of the company’s total annual revenue)