IRVING, Texas – The electronic security industry is mourning the loss of Peder Kolind, an industry veteran who introduced the mass-marketing of alarm systems in the 1980s.
Kolind, who was inducted into Security Sales and Integration‘s Hall of Fame in 2014, passed away in Nicaragua on June 14, 2015.
The mass-marketing model he introduced to the industry provided great success to the companies he helped found in 15 countries across North America and Europe.
At the top of his career, Kolind exited the security industry and dedicated himself to philanthropy. He chose to concentrate on Central America, and specifically Nicaragua, where he established Centro Carita Feliz. This apolitical, areligious institution provides 1,200 children and young people with food, medical care, scholarships, and education on more than 20 subjects.
This was soon followed by the establishment of Mi Museo, a museum in Granada that houses his collection of 7,000 pre-Columbian artifacts. No entrance fee was charged, so that Nicaraguans could share and understand their rich cultural history. The Nicaraguan government recognized this as a center of excellence by entrusting the registration, and preservation of the country’s pre-Columbian heritage to the museum.
With financial support from others, Kolind built a village of 100 houses outside Granada, where poor and middle class residents established homes, became employed, received education, and integrated into a social community.
In recognition of his contribution to Nicaragua, Kolind was appointed Honorary Consul General for the Danish Government in Nicaragua in 2013.
Kolind is survived by his wife, Dr. Annette Kolind, and three adult children.