FAP: Opportunity is everywhere

Honeywell wrapped its 22nd First Alert Professional Security Systems Convention 2011 with the message it started with: Opportunity is everywhere. That message was reinforced throughout the event, held at the Westin Kierland Scottsdale, Ariz., venue, November 10 through 13, under the theme: Exploring New Dimensions. Some 800 were in attendance, including alarm dealers, systems integrators, central station companies, distributors, vendors and high-level speakers. The keynote speaker of the event was Dan Clark, a spirited speaker who parlayed his life experiences (including a football injury in which doctors told him he would never regain control in his arm and have brain injury) and relationships with people in everyday walks of life into how important it is for everyone to associate with “disciplined, healthy and great people in all walks of life.” “We are here today talking about technology, but it’s still all about people,” he said. “In the end of the day it’s all about relationships. Customer service is not a single shot—it’s a daily commitment. This is the 22nd year for the FAP convention. Don’t take this opportunity for granted, understand the power of the Honeywell name,” he told the audience. JoAnna Sohovich, president of First Alert Professional, kicked off the event with a reminder to the audience that our service men and women should be remembered on this Veteran’s Day and every day for putting their lives on the line. She talked about how Honeywell continues to get important input from dealers and how those opinions drive product innovation, and the move to simpler systems. She said the industry seemed stuck on a 20 percent penetration rate, and urged attendees to focus on lifestyle and convenience, which today’s customers seem to crave, to bring security into that fold in that way. “People seem to value information and lifestyle convenience, rather than safety and security. This may be the way for integrators to access the ‘nevers’ and explore a new range of users.” Coming soon from Honeywell and demonstrated at the FAP Convention: the Tuxedo Touch WiFi and Z-Wave enabled control/keypad with built in web server as well as the ability to pull content such as weather, traffic and news, in addition to dealer marketing; the LYNX ReadyGuard 5100 with WiFi and 3G/4G radio communicator; new iterations and beefed up TotalConnect 2.0 communications. Other notable products included the MaxPro Web, a 100 percent web-enabled hybrid NVR (coming in 2012) and the 58160D outdoor wireless sensor with an operating temperature of -40 degrees Fahrenheit to +150 degrees Fahrenheit. “It’s amazing the amount of transition and change we’ve seen in the industry, driven by broadband penetration (some 70 percent of households have Internet connections) and the penetration of smartphones. With the Internet and smartphones, every person has access—the portal is in their hands,” said Ron Rothman, president of Honeywell Security Group. “The technology is here, the tools are here, the products are here. It’s the best time—the sky’s the limit,” Rothman said. Awards for community service and more Honeywell gave out nearly two dozen awards to FAP dealers for their work in community service—ranging from helping build homes to assisting with fingerprinting of children and more. A special Community Service Award was presented to Tad Agoglia, Founder of First Response Team of America. The Life Safety Award went to Tucson, Arizona fire fighter and Captain Fred Bair, who said he was “just doing his job” when he went into a smoke-engulfed and burning home to save a woman and her daughters. But perhaps the most touching part of the conference, and an indication of how the industry values the work of others, was after Stan Martin of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition talked about his non-profit’s work to thwart non-response all across the country and how the lack of resources threatened that mission. Mike Miller, vice president of Moon Security Systems, stood up and on the spot pledged $1,000 to the organization. Others quickly jumped in, including Loud Security Systems; Matson Alarm (and the California Alarm Association members); Act Now Alarm; and Electronic Systems. To send your donation via credit card or other, visit http://www.siacinc.org. – Deborah L. O’Mara, editor in chief, Security Dealer & Integrator magazine