Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/31496
30 RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS www.securitysystemsnews.com FEBRUARY 2011 SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS For Frase, ‘service mentality’ is key By Tess Nacelewicz MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Greg Polley, vice president of Frase Protection, became vice president of the Western Region of the Tennessee Electronic Security Association on Jan. 1. Polley sees his new leadership role with the nonprofit association as another way to fulfill the service-oriented philosophy of Frase, a security alarm company based here that has a history dating back 40 years. “This is just one way of serving the larger community and some of [that community] happens to be our competitors, but it’s a way we can work together to make sure we can all do business in the city,” said Polley. Polley said one of his goals for the associa- tion, which represents more than 200 alarm businesses, is “taking that service mentality that a lot of folks in our industry have” and using it to foster a good working relationship between the industry and police, fire and city officials to combat issues like false alarms. When it comes to a “service POWER mentality,” Frase stands out, Polley said. It’s an established security company in the Memphis region, and 90 percent of its business is based on customer referrals, he said. “We had a customer who described us as a kind of old-fashioned service company that provides the latest technology,” Polley said. “We like that description because we are on the cutting edge of technology, but we also are kind of an old-fashioned company in that we pick up the phone when you call and we treat you like a real person, and we get there when we say we’re going to get there.” The company began in 1971 when Robert Frase Jr., a newly graduated electrical engineer, built a burglar alarm system from scratch to thwart break-ins at an uncle’s music store, according to the company’s web site. Today, the company is still serving its first client, AMRO Music, and about 5,000 other customers, about 80 percent of them residential, Polley said. Most of its business is security, but it also installs fire alarms. The company of 16 employees, has new goals for 2011. “One of our goals in the new year Greg Polley is to really implement and offer a lot of the new wireless technology that’s out there,” Polley said. “I think it’s in great demand.” He said Frase also plans to expand its sales force. He said the company doesn’t have a specific quota for the number of hires, but said when “we find the right people we are going to bring them on.” Also, he said, Frase is looking around. “We want to have that organic growth through building our sales force and customer base, and we’re very interested in doing some acquisitions in the future,” he said. SSN HAWKEYE ACQUIRES By Tess Nacelewicz WATERLOO, Iowa—Hawkeye Alarm & Signal Company, a full-service security alarm company based here, launched 2011 with the purchase of Freeman Technology Group in nearby Independence, Iowa. Ken Samek, owner and president of PLUG-IN Hawkeye, which was started in 1958, said the Jan. 1 acquisition “strengthens our customer base in this area and allows us to improve our service ability.” The owner of Freeman, which started about 100 years ago as an electric supply company and then later added a security division, was retiring and Samek said the opportunity was a good one for Hawkeye. “It was just a very good acquisition because it’s the same (north- east Iowa) territory we’re in,” he told Security Systems News. Through the purchase, Hawkeye added about 280 accounts, Samek said. He said it was a cash deal but declined to disclose the purchase price. He’ll be adding one full-time employee and also a part-time employee to Hawkeye’s only office in Waterloo. Hawkeye has 13 employees including himself, Samek said. Samek, who is treasurer of the Iowa Alarm Association, declined to say how many cus- tomers Hawkeye has, but said the company was the first in the state to be approved by UL back in 1960. He started at the company as an installer in 1978 and bought it in 1989 when the original owner retired. The company offers a range of services including burglar and fire alarm systems, CCTV, and monitoring for commercial and residential customers. READY & SECURE Closed IPTV combines open standard IP protocols with patent pending innovation to provide simple to install, safe and secure IP video solutions whether deployed in a standalone system, or across both new and existing network infrastructures. The Layer 3 Enhanced CCTV Switch provides greater security for less confi guration effort than a conventional managed switch. See for yourself. Book your demo today. Samek said the company has many loyal customers. “We have customers that are still with us who were before I started ... from back in the 60s and 70s,” he said. “In Iowa, you know your customers. It’s not just another contract.” He said that Hawkeye’s building in Waterloo is just about 20 miles from Independence so Freeman’s customers are not far away. “It’s a perfect fit with our alignment,” he said of the acquisition. SSN Oregon Continued from page 28 company with about six employees was getting out of security and going into other business ventures, Foglio said. He declined to reveal how many accounts First Response has, but said it acquired more than 600 customers from Northwest. First Response already was monitoring those accounts for Northwest and now will pick up the service contracts for those cus- tomers, and offer them more features. “We have armed and unarmed officers sales@dedicatedmicros.com www.closediptv.com See us at ISC West Booth 22024 © Copyright AD Group 12/01/11 and we currently respond to over 600 alarms per month,” Foglio said. “Now we’re going to market our services to these new accounts, which was something we couldn’t do before.” First Response didn’t take on Northwest’s six employees because First Response has sufficient staff to handle the new accounts, he said. SSN