I began working in the electronic security industry in 1982 as a part-time Central Station Operator for a small independent alarm company. That company, Golden Triangle Alarms (GTA) was a collection of some of the most interesting characters that you can imagine. Many of them continue to contribute to our industry in a variety of endeavours. Some have retired and sadly some are no longer with us. This eclectic group formed the foundation of the on the job training that continues to this day.
Those early days were colourful and filled with an abundance of opportunity and experiences. Thankfully, those roots helped to develop a career that would provide a comfortable life for me and my family. Working in this industry has also provided me with an opportunity visit almost every Province and Territory in Canada (with the exception of Newfoundland & Labrador). As well, I have been able to develop lifelong relationships along the way.
GTA was acquired in 1983 by Honeywell Amplitrol (a Division of Honeywell Limited) and I found myself at a crossroads. As a student, this was a great job and allowed me to do homework while working nightshifts and weekends. My assignments may have even benefited by the use of IBM Selectric electric typewriters. I ended up working for another local security company that offered alarm and physical security services. This worked well while attending university. In 1987 I found myself back at Honeywell and enjoyed successive roles within the monitoring station; customer service and eventually sales. Honeywell provided me with amazing opportunities and experiences. I was fortunate to work on several acquisitions; policy and procedures projects; Underwriters’ Laborites of Canada inspections; training projects; technology roll outs and being a delegate to the Honeywell Employee Council. Great mentors and people, including both of my brothers (both worked at Honeywell) helped me develop and learn many aspects of the security industry.
ADT acquired Honeywell PSD in 2000 and I found myself working for the largest security provider in the world. Again, wide ranging opportunities continued to be presented and I was able to benefit from rich experiences and some amazing people that contributed to my success. In 2007 an opportunity presented me with another crossroads and a decision that was difficult – leaving ADT to help grow a local company as they directly entered the security market.
These days I am privileged to work at an independent integrator in my hometown of Ottawa. FCi (Fleming Communications Inc.) is a growing company with almost 100 employees, 75 of whom are technicians delivering service and installation to a variety of commercial and government clients in the national capital region. I joined FCI in 2007 to develop and grow their security line of business. The company began in 1995 primarily focused on cable infrastructure to serve the growing high technology market. Today, FCi is a leader in our market with a growing list of security, cable and now wireless customers.
Richard is the Partner – Security Solutions with FCi and serves as President of the CANASA Ontario Regional Council, National Board Member and Past President of the CANASA Ottawa Sub-Chapter. He is also the President of the National Capital Area Crime Stoppers
Twitter: @Richard_FCi
This article originally appeared in SP&T News.
