Emotions were running high on the last day of Connect 2018, held Nov. 15-17 at a resort in Marco Island, Fla. At the awards banquet, speeches were made, videos watched and the always anticipated reveal of where next year’s event would be held was unveiled. But this year was different. This year, there were two dates — and locations — announced: one for Honeywell (Miami) and another for the recently spun-off independently run Resideo (Phoenix). Friends and former colleagues sought each other out for one last hug, unsure when they might see each other at another event like this. Despite some tears, however, there was a strong feeling of optimism in the room, both that day and in the previous days, filled with lots of informative sessions, general sessions, motivational speakers — and even a camel.
The concept of an intercom is as old as, well, two cans attached by string. But today’s technology solutions are anything but ancient; intercoms are being used everywhere from outdoor emergency poles to factory floors and everywhere in between.
An entrepreneurial spirit driven by a desire to service a diverse customer base; a new president/CEO who comes at a time when the company needed to restructure; and a corporate culture that blends personal responsibility with a plan to set employees up to succeed are just a few of the features of this year’s Systems Integrator of the Year.
LVC Companies Inc. (formerly Low Voltage Contractors) began as it would continue — as an entrepreneurial leap of faith brought about by a customer’s need.
Ener-Tel Services, based in San Angelo, Texas, started in 1984 as an automation controls company for heating and cooling units, explains General Sales Manager Ron Pullen.
Networked-based entry control and emergency station products are opening up wide opportunities for security dealers and integrators in both new and retrofit markets.
If you have walked on almost any college or hospital campus, or visited a secondary school in the past several years, chances are you have seen a proliferation of both “blue light” emergency stations and entry control intercoms. Safety and security have always been a priority for these facilities, and these types of products are very popular options.
Ener-Tel Services, based in San Angelo, Texas, started in 1984 as an automation controls company for heating and cooling units, explains General Sales Manager Ron Pullen. “The owner also did a lot of work for Verizon, so the ‘Ener’ is for energy management and the ‘tel’ is for telco. We started off as an energy management company and grew into all the other categories like fire, CCTV, access control, home and business security, and fire alarm and sprinkler. We do residential, light commercial and have a commercial group that does the integration side, talking to architects and engineers.”