World Fence News

78 • JULY 2018 • WORLD FENCE NEWS vendor and DoorKing's national sales director, Dusty Beeding, agrees. "Betty is a legend. She is one of the most inspiring distributors we've ever worked with," said Dusty. "If you look up the word integrity, Betty's picture would be next to it. She put forth the utmost integrity and set the standard in the industry because she insisted on doing everything right by the book. "She took distributorship to an- Betty Mullin retires after a trailblazing career in the gate and access industry continued from page 26 other level by hiring highly qualified technicians, and by pre-wiring the necessary peripheral devices. This simplified the process for dealers be- cause the safety devices, detectors, light kits, etc., were already installed. Prior to Betty, installers would have to figure it out in the field on their own. "She also gave everyone, no mat- ter what their previous history, the same opportunity," Dusty said. "She never asked for favors, even though she probably deserved them. I don't know how to give proper justice to someone who has put the amount of time into her company, the industry, her employees, and her own family that Betty has during her extraordi- nary career." Betty's achievements in a male-dominated industry can be linked to her pursuit of knowledge, her relentless integrity, and her strong business savvy. Her success and ultimately her legacy can be attributed to her unique ability to develop relationships and her genuine compassion for others. Dusty added, "Betty is as big of a humanitarian as she is an accom- plished business woman. She is of one of the greatest players to ever work in this industry." As of June 1, 2018, VP of Sales and Operations Jeff Harris transi- tioned to the position of president of Encon Electronics. Jeff has worked at Encon for 23 years and has served as Betty's right hand man for the past 18 years. "While Encon could never be the same without Betty running the helm, we are going to do our best to main- tain the culture and philosophies that she has instilled," Jeff said. "We will continue to offer quality products and focus on training and safety in the in- dustry. Most important, we will con- tinue to support our customers with the highest level of service possible. Betty wouldn't have it any other way." On May 4-5, Encon Electronics hosted vendors and dealers at its 3rd NorCal Trade Show, held at its corpo- rate headquarters and training center in Hayward, Calif. "We originally intended this event to be a small table top show since the West Coast Fence Show is scheduled later this year," said Encon Electron- ics president Jeff Harris. "Then, the responses from our vendors started flooding in and we knew this casual, three-hour show was going to be more like our previous trade show events. More manufacturers ended up attend- ing and sponsoring this show than ever before." The majority of Encon's lead- ing brands were represented at the NorCal Show, he reported, including All-O-Matic, BD Loops, BFT, Byan Systems, Diablo Controls, DoorK- ing, Reno A&E/Eberle Designs Inc., EMX, FAAC, Infinity RFID, Lift- Master, Linear, Magnetic, Maximum Controls, Miller Edge, Nice/HySe- curity, Northstar Controls, Torxun, USAutomatic, and Viking Access. Ameriline was unable to attend, but helped sponsor the events. Encon hosted half the exhibitors in their fully equipped training facil- ity and rented a tent to accommodate the other half. Over 100 dealers attended, and there was a steady flow of people throughout the day. Encon customers were able to stroll through the booths viewing the latest product offerings while meeting with vendors in a fun, informal environment, Harris said. Unlike previous Encon shows, there were no training sessions of- fered due to the short time frame and format. This allowed attendees to take their time at each booth and kept the event moving. Door prizes, ranging from gift cards to gate operators, were raffled off every half hour and a variety of customers walked away winners. Encon's unofficial chef and out- side sales rep, John Anderson, kept vendors and customers happy and well fed with a barbecue spread. After lunch, Encon's president and CEO, Betty Mullin, announced that, after founding Encon 34 years earlier, she would be retiring (and did) on May 31. Over 40 manufacturers and em- ployees gathered for Encon's tradi- tional "vendor dinner" at Cattlemen's Steak House that evening in Liver- more, Calif. "This dinner is slowly becoming as much of a tradition as Encon's NorCal show and golf tour- nament," Harris commented. Encon's 16th Golf Tournament then teed off on Saturday morning. Team Encon, vendors, and customers channeled their "super hero" powers to meet an early 8 a.m. shotgun start to battle the Brentwood Golf Club course. Participants enjoyed 75-degree weather and complimentary beverag- es sponsored by LiftMaster through- out the best-ball challenge. First place honors went to San Carlos, Calif.-based Automatic Door Systems. Their team was comprised of four Encon tournament regulars: Matt Wilson, Matt Roehm, Rob Roehm, and Tom Roehm. Their net score of 61 was two shots lower than any other group and over 10 shots under par. Always contenders, Custom Gate and Access, located in West Sacra- mento, came in close second with a score of 63. Young Kim of R&S Overhead Doors and Gates of Sacramento, Inc. won the "Wonder Woman" most accu- rate drive contest, landing his tee shot just inches away from the lasso line. EMX Industries sponsored the hole and first-time tournament partic- ipant, Darlene Brooks, awarded Kim an Amazon gift card prize. The winner of the longest drive hole (aka the Hulk Encounter) was Scott Reeves of A&D Automatic Gate. For being the lead "smasher," Reeves won a Visa gift card courtesy of DoorKing. Immediately following golf play, the group settled in for an appropriate Cinco de Mayo inspired fajitas lunch sponsored by Miller Edge and DoorK- ing. Many attendees went home espe- cially happy as raffle winners. Prizes included Comic-Con tickets, a BBQ, a $200 Home Depot gift card, and more. George Olmos of GO Securities in Martinez was the most elated when he scored a big screen TV sponsored by DoorKing. "This fully packed weekend of events was some of the most memo- rable for Encon," said Harris. "Even though we planned the show and tour- nament within the past few months, we were thrilled with the overwhelm- ing support of our vendors and spon- sors and the attendance from our cus- tomers. It was a bonus that so many long-time friends and customers were there for Betty's announcement and it certainly set the celebratory tone for the entire weekend," Harris said. Encon Electronics plans to host Encon's 3rd NorCal Trade Show was planned to be small and informal but blossoms into best supported ever Over 100 Encon dealers attended the 3rd NorCal Trade Show, as well as a record number of vendors. Above, they gather for a group photo. (Encon photos) Monique Soto, left, and Leticia Haro welcome guests with an Encon tote bag. Darlene Brooks with EMX Industries, Inc. discusses the company's line of access controls and safety sensors. Lots of hugging going on here! Cen- ter, Luis Gutierrez of All-O-Matic em- braces Betty as Marco Pulio of Gatech, left, and Dean Sizemore of Tholl Fence hang out. Lamar Jackson, center, of DoorKing, visits with attendees from A&D Auto- matic Gate. continued on page 80

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