SSI’s Hall of Fame: 6 Straight Shooters on Target for Security Industry Immortality
When most people think “hall of fame” they think of entertainers such as sports legends and musical greats. While those are fun and the athletes and artists receiving that recognition have undoubtedly excelled in their chosen fields, it’s hardly life and death. That’s what makes the Security Sales & Integration Hall of Fame so important and compelling – it honors those whose efforts have had life-and-death consequences. the fact is everyone in all walks and levels of the security/life-safety industry plays a role, some more directly than others, in the noble mission of protecting people and property. SSI‘s Hall salutes those who have had the greatest impact, which this year are Tony Byerly, Pat Egan, Martin Gren, Jim Henry, Gordon Hope and Peder Kolind.
Founded in 2004 to represent the highest honor for extraordinary professionalism, conduct and achievement, each year SSI‘s Hall of Fame pays tribute to those remarkable people who have had an unforgettable impact on the industry, continuously sustained over the duration of a long and illustrious career. Nominated by past inductees and other luminaries, this year’s six honorees join 67 others in the industry’s pantheon. the class of 2014 will be recognized in an official induction ceremony held during the SAMMY Awards the eve of ISC West (April 1) at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas.
This year’s group is very diverse in terms of their achievements and the areas in which they have contributed to the industry. Two hail from abroad, with one of those having been largely removed from the security industry for a number of years.
Byerly has been part of and led many of the top national installing and monitoring providers, including ADT, HSM, Stanley CSS and Diebold. Egan’s entrepreneurial successes include Security Partners and Select Security, while he has also helped enact industry change through trade association leadership. Gren co-founded Axis Communications and ushered in the network video surveillance revolution as co-inventor of the first IP camera. Henry elevated the systems integration business to new levels with his family’s company Henry Bros. Electronics (HBE) and now Kratos Public Safety and Security. Hope transitioned from Ademco to Honeywell while keeping his finger on the pulse of changing alarm communications and advising dealers on how to keep up and generate more recurring revenue. Finally, Kolind could be considered the “father of mass marketing” as he launched the landscape-shifting model to the United States in the 1980s with Brink’s Security.
Based on extensive interviews with each subject, the following profiles encapsulate how each one faced challenges head-on, and enriched themselves, those around them and the industry at large. SSI is thrilled to officially welcome these pivotal and praiseworthy members of the security community into the Hall of Fame:
- Tony Byerly, executive vice president of global electronic security for Diebold
- Pat Egan, CEO of Select Security and Security Partners
- Martin Gren, co-founder of Axis Communications
- Jim Henry, executive vice president for Kratos Public Safety and Security Solutions
- Gordon Hope, director of marketing for AlarmNet (Honeywell)
- Peder Kolind, who introduced the mass-marketing model to the electronic security industry while working at Brink’s Security
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