As anticipation mounts to unveil the winners of the 12th Annual SAMMY Awards, Security Sales & Integration is proud to spotlight the inaugural “Community Services Program” category. The new award is intended to bring attention to the compassionate volunteerism provided by electronic security industry professionals in communities across the United States.
“We have many people in our industry who are making a huge difference in the lives of others,” says SSI Publisher Mike Zawinski. “By creating this award we can honor their many hours of charitable efforts and the leadership they bring to solve problems in their communities.”
SSI received many impressive entries for the new category from across the country, making it an intricate chore for the panel of three SAMMY judges to whittle the list down to just four finalists. They are: 24-7 Security (Yonkers, N.Y.), Cornerstone Security Group (Wauwatosa, Wis.), The Protection Bureau (Exton, Pa.) and SecurTek (Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada).
The stirring breadth of volunteer endeavors displayed by the entrants included food and toy drives, children’s safety instruction, home repairs, Habit for Humanity, Special Olympics, Boys & Girls Club, and so much more, all in the name of community building and supporting the less fortunate among us.
“Giving back to the community is not something we view as an option, but rather a must,” says Thomas Fowler, president and CEO of 24-7 Security, a services award finalist. Fowler’s food drive efforts during the holidays provided thousands of dollars so that many needy families in the South Bronx could enjoy a bountiful meal.
“Whether we win or lose in this awards contest,” Fowler says, “our hope is to gain more exposure for our program and maybe convince a few other dealers throughout the nation to get involved in their community.”
HSM, Guardian Protection Vie for Most Winning Entries
First held in 1995, the SAMMY Awards has long been established as one of the premier events to be held during ISC West. It is the industry’s only program like it to annually honor security dealers and systems integrators that exemplify professionalism in their sales, marketing and installation endeavors.
The popularity of the SAMMYs is again reinforced this year by the whole host of companies that aggressively pursued a trophy in one or more of the 13 award categories.
Looking to add to their haul of SAMMY trophies from prior years, HSM Electronic Protection Services of Jupiter, Fla., and Guardian Protection Services of Warrendale, Pa., lead the assemblage of finalists. Both companies are nominated in six categories.
Also noteworthy, Benson Systems of Gilbert, Ariz., posted nominations in four categories. For a complete list of this year’s finalists, go to page 92.
Yet another SRO crowd of electronic security industry peers will be watching intently as the envelopes are torn open to reveal the proud winners in their midst.
As past winners often attest, there is more to the SAMMY honor than simply notching a prideful “feather in the cap.” SAMMYs notoriety is routinely parlayed in to an avenue for dealers and integrators to present concrete evidence of their professional prowess to attract new clientele and revenue.
SSI will profile the 2007 SAMMY winners and finalists in the June issue, while the Installation of the Year case studies will be featured in the July edition.
SAMMYs Gala Includes PDQ Award and SSI Hall of Fame Enshrinement
Furthering establishing its esteem, the SAMMYs is also a platform to formally announce inductees into the SSI Hall of Fame and celebrate the winner of the Police Dispatch Quality Award (PDQ).
The individuals to be honored this year for their inductions into the SSI Hall of Fame are: Norma Beaubien, False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA) president and director of the Montgomery County (Md.) Department of Police False Alarm Reduction Section; Charlie Darsch, System Sensor director Corporate Relations; and Harvey Eisenstadt, former Bosch Security Systems National Accounts sales manager who recently joined Attrition Busters. For detailed coverage and to learn more about each of these industry greats, be sure to check out the February issue of SSI.
Now in its second year, the already hotly contested PDQ Award was launched by the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), FARA and SSI to stem the false alarm quandary. The award pays tribute to those installing and monitoring companies that follow established industry practices and join with law enforcement to achieve the highest quality in police dispatch requests. And the 2006 winner is … Brink’s Home Security for excellence in minimizing false police dispatches in Montgomery County (Md.).
Brink’s currently posts a combined residential and commercial police dispatch rate of .17, which places it in the top 1 percent of lowest dispatch rates for companies with more than 50 customers in the county. PDQ sponsor Honeywell Security will pay for a representative from Brink’s to make the trip to Las Vegas for the program.
So that’s it in a (big) nutshell … your preview to just some of the happenings at this year’s SAMMY Awards. Be sure to be counted among an impressive array of industry professionals and insiders for a great evening of celebration and networking. And it’s free!
