World Fence News

24 • JULY 2018 • WORLD FENCE NEWS (This personal remembrance of the unique career of Betty Mullin, president and CEO of Encon Elec- tronics, was authored by Vicki Jones, a lifelong family friend who worked under Betty for 17 years, and serves as Director of Marketing and Com- munications at Encon. Encon is, of course, one of the pioneering whole- salers in the gate and access industry and was founded by Betty.) • • • Betty Mullin's stamp on the in- dustry is long, memorable, and im- pressive. She is one of the first women presidents/CEOs in the gate and ac- cess industry (if not the first), and was also one of the originators of whole- sale distribution. Her remarkable success and lon- gevity running Encon Electronics for the past 34 years is a testament to her vision, integrity, and work ethic. In 1976, Betty began working as an executive secretary for an instal- lation company. For eight years she transitioned up to the service and proj- ect management departments. During that time, their main sup- company in our indus- try. Being one of the first women company owners was not easy, according to Betty. "Most people who called in did not want to talk to me or have anything to do with me. They assumed I knew nothing simply because I was female," she said. "I was always com- pletely honest. I would tell them, just give me a chance. If you are un- happy with anything, I completely understand you purchas- ing from someone else." Betty was able to convince most people to give her at least one chance, and that's all she needed to prove them wrong. First, she recruited Joe Weber, one of the industry's most knowledge- able technicians, to help her launch the distribution business. Betty admits she would have never been successful if Joe had not agreed to join the com- pany, adding, "I am extremely grateful to him for taking that leap with me." Joe recalls his bold decision to go work for her. "The bottom line is I believed in Betty. Her work ethic was unpar- alleled, and her word was her bond," he said. "If she said she had the parts or that a piece of equipment could do plier recognized the potential of broadening their product market. They proposed starting a new company devot- ed solely to wholesale distribution, and they needed someone to step up and take the lead. A motivated and entrepreneurial Betty took this opportunity by storm. She mortgaged her house and launched one of the first dedicated distribution companies in Northern California. The inception of Encon Electron- ics in 1984 cemented Betty as one of the founders of true distribution and, even more groundbreaking, she be- came one of the first women to own a something, she made sure it did." Her integrity was what impressed Joe, and what proved to be the key component for building strong rela- tionships with vendors and customers throughout her career. The other factor that set Betty apart was that she demanded and im- plemented one of the highest levels of quality control and customer service in the industry. She required that En- con only sell to licensed contractors. She refused to sell directly to end us- ers regardless of how large the order, demonstrating her loyalty and concern for dealers. "Even in the age of online order- ing and a difficult economy, Betty always cycled business back to the dealer network. She also insisted that orders were processed right, that En- con's warehouse was stocked with quality products, and, most important, that all products shipped from Encon worked properly," said Joe. Lawrence Bourke, one of her orig- inal employees and who still works at Encon after 32 years, recalls, "Betty insisted that every operator that came in was assembled and tested before we shipped it out to anyone. One time, I had to assemble and test 22 operators in one day." "I wanted to make sure all the parts were there, and that every prod- uct we distributed worked," Betty said. "I did not want to give the cus- tomer any reason to order from some- where else." Encon is also known in the indus- try for its pioneering stance on safety, one of Betty's unwavering personal and professional philosophies. She insisted on selling sensing edges and safety devices long before the industry had UL325 requirements or ASTM guidelines. "Years ago, a death linked to a slide gate operator was being investi- gated," she recalled. "After reviewing the incident, it was determined that an edge could have prevented this trage- dy. From then on, I made it mandato- ry. Every slide gate operator sold from Encon had to have a Miller Edge safe- ty device." Ultimately, Betty helped set a new safety precedent for the industry. At times, she even refused sales she deemed "unsafe" due to her strong principles. Shortly after, most compa- nies in the industry adopted the safety policy originated by her. In addition, Betty has always made training a priority. "By prop- erly training my techs and our deal- ers, we could increase the likelihood that fence and gate installations are being done correctly and safe- ly," she said. "We've always offered Betty Mullin retires after a trailblazing career in the gate and access industry BY VICKI JONES continued on page 26 Betty Mullin is all smiles in this photo of her at her desk in the earlier days of Encon Electronics, when competing and succeeding as a female in the male-dominated gate automation industry was not always a laughing matter.

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