CSAA Pushes Forward on Name Change

March 16, 2017
"The Monitoring Association" officially launches this month

The very nature of security systems monitoring is rapidly changing thanks to smart home innovations, do-it-yourself technologies and monitor-yourself offerings – to name a few. For these and other reasons, the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) has voted to change its name to “The Monitoring Association” – with the official rollout of the new name, logo and mission statement set for this month (see full release below the Q&A).

I caught up with Elizabeth Lasko, the association’s vice president of Communications and Marketing, to get further details on the name change and the rollout:

SD&I: What prompted CSAA to explore changing its name, and what ultimately led to the choice of “The Monitoring Association”?

Lasko: The association’s new name was chosen by members at the June 2016 General Membership Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas. That vote was the result of more than a year’s work by leaders and members of the association, who found that members were quickly expanding into monitoring beyond security systems, and that the use of the term “Monitoring Center” was growing as a result. At the same time, we adopted a new mission – to advance the professional monitoring industry through education, advocacy, and public safety relationships – and updated our bylaws to expand our membership categories.

It has been reported that the official name change will also signify a change in direction for the association as a whole  – what will that entail?

The name change really reflects an adjustment in mission and focus spurred by changes in the industry. The whole effort of changing the name, adopting a new mission, and updating our bylaws is a reflection of that. It also illustrates our long-range goals to grow the association beyond our traditional services, though those will remain our core business.

How was the idea received among the membership and the industry as a whole?

Name changes can be hard! This is the second time the organization’s name has been changed since incorporation in 1950 as the Central Station Electrical Protection Association – it was changed to CSAA in 1989. So there is a lot of history there. Our members did vote to change the name and I’m sure they see the value of their association adapting to changing times, as they have all had to adapt in their own businesses over the years.

Will the association continue to use an acronym, or is the preference to be called by the full name from now on?

We will use the initials “TMA” –  although I do foresee having to write “The Monitoring Association (TMA), formerly CSAA” for some time to come!

Paul Rothman is Editor in Chief of Security Dealer & Integrator (SD&I) magazine. Access the current issue, archives and subscribe at www.secdealer.com.

Here is the full release on the name change: 

PRESS RELEASE - CSAA Becomes “The Monitoring Association”

VIENNA, VA (March 16, 2017) – The Monitoring Association (TMA) is the new name of the 67-year-old Central Station Alarm Association. The name change reflects an adjustment in mission and focus necessitated by growth and changes in the alarm monitoring industry.

In a letter to the CSAA membership, President Pamela J. Petrow noted that “our new name reflects our renewed commitment to our mission: to advance the professional monitoring industry through education, advocacy and public safety relationships. It also emphasizes our long range goals to grow the association beyond our traditional services to embrace the opportunities of our changing industry.” She added that the new name’s meaning “will be reflected in all future initiatives of [the] association.”

“Monitoring life safety events in the traditional central station model remains our core business,” said CSAA Executive Director Jay Hauhn. “That will not change. However, our demographics surveys show that members increasingly monitor more than traditional fire and burglar alarms – they monitor medical devices, access control, and other non-emergency but meaningful events. Our new name allows room for the association to encompass all the areas our members are beginning to monitor and any into which they may move in the future.”

The association’s new name was chosen by members at the June 2016 General Membership Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas. That vote was the result of more than a year’s work by leaders and members of the association, who found that members were quickly expanding into monitoring beyond security systems, and that the use of the term “Monitoring Center” was growing as a result.  

“The term ‘Central Station’ no longer has wide recognition outside of our industry,” said CSAA Vice President of Marketing and Communications Elizabeth Lasko. “Our new name will facilitate our efforts to educate the public about the critical role TMA members play in public safety.”

This is the second time the organization’s name has been changed since incorporation in 1950 as the Central Station Electrical Protection Association; it was changed to CSAA in 1989.

“Our new name change reflects our evolving association,” said Shannon Woodman, COO of Washington Alarm and a member of the TMA Executive Committee. “Under Pam’s and Jay’s leadership, our association has made many positive changes that will help ensure we continue to grow into the future. Many of our members are monitoring much more than security alarms and fire alarms. Along with the name change, we will be looking to expand our membership to companies who are monitoring things such as GPS monitoring, process event monitoring and network monitoring.” 

TMA’s website can be reached at www.tma.us. (The association also owns the domains www.tmaweb.org and www.themonitoringassociation.org.) Member ID numbers and login information for the website will not change. TMA staff will use the email suffix “@tma.us.” All emails to the previous “@csaaintl.org” address will be forwarded.

Association programs including Five Diamond, Excellence Awards, Online Training, and the Annual Meeting and Fall Operations Management Seminar are also undergoing rebranding and will be re-launched under the new name.

“Times change, and successful organizations need to change with them,” said Bud Wulforst, a past president (2007-2009) of the association. “The transition to the name The Monitoring Association reflects our willingness to understand and address the evolving realities of our industry.”

About The Monitoring Association

The Monitoring Association (TMA), formerly the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), is an internationally-recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies, including those listed by a TMA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, such as FM Global, Intertek/ETL or UL. Incorporated in 1950, TMA is legally entitled to represent its members before Congress and regulatory agencies on the local, state and federal levels, and other authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) over the industry. TMA’s mission is to advance the professional monitoring industry through education, advocacy, and public safety relationships. www.tma.us. For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at TMA, 703-242-4670 x 16.