Whenever a natural disaster or tragedy strikes, many invoke the words of popular children’s television host Fred Rogers, told to him by his mother: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” For these Monitoring Center Excellence Award Winners, the helpers are in the central station, helping all the time, even when they’re off the clock.

In 2020 alone, despite the challenges created by COVID-19, Vivint — Monitoring Center of the Year (Enterprise) winner — and its employees raised more than $1.5 million during the company’s annual Charity Week in June.

Universal Atlantic Systems, Monitoring Center of the Year (SMB) winner, has an employee with multiple sclerosis who holds fundraising events to support the National MS Society. Workers at UAS have contributed more than $2,000 to support their coworker and their cause.

The award-winning personnel also go above and beyond in their job duties. During Hurricane Sandy, Deepak Bysani, Support Person of the Year representing Affiliated Monitoring, made careful decisions that allowed the central station to operate while being in the path of a super storm. His coworker, Diandra Dean, Operator of the Year winner, stayed on the phone with a distressed elderly subscriber after a fall, reassuring the customer and talking about current events to calm them down.

Although the awards ceremony was virtual again due to COVID-19, the 2021 Support Person, Operator, Manager and Monitoring Center of the Year finalists and recipients serve as examples of those who passionately lead their teams, no matter their position in the company, with empathy and understanding.

Since 2006, The Monitoring Association (TMA) has recognized the top performers in monitoring with its Monitoring Center Excellence Awards (previously called the Central Station Awards).

The Excellence Awards, hosted by TMA and co-sponsored by SDM, recognize personnel and monitoring centers in the industry (both TMA members and non-members) that are certified by an approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), such as UL, FM Global and Intertek/ETL.

This year’s TMA Monitoring Center Excellence Award winners are:

• Vivint, Monitoring Center of the Year (Enterprise)
• Universal Atlantic Systems (UAS), Monitoring Center of the Year (SMB)
• Jonathan Rainbow, Rapid Response Monitoring Services, Manager of the Year
• Diandra Dean, Affiliated Monitoring, Operator of the Year
• (Tie) Deepak Bysani Affiliated Monitoring; Michelle Quattrini, Rapid Response Monitoring Services, Support Person of the Year

To learn more about the TMA Excellence Awards program and past recipients, visit www.sdmmag.com/TMA-Monitoring-Center-Excellence-Awards or www.tma.us. Award applications open at the beginning of each year and the final deadline is in early spring.