Enter the 2023 TMA/SDM Excellence Awards Beginning Dec. 1

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Looking for a way to differentiate your company and brand in today’s crowded and competitive landscape? Awards are one of the best ways to stand-out and convey your commitment to quality and to your customers. The Monitoring Association (TMA) and SDM magazine joined together nearly 20 years ago to establish the Excellence Awards. A combination of five awards is presented annually to recognize excellence demonstrated by monitoring centers and outstanding monitoring professionals. The winners are recognized in an SDM feature article.

The application period for the 2023 TMA Excellence Awards will open December 1, 2022. Applicants must be a member of TMA. The submission deadline will be January 6, 2023. The awards will be presented virtually in conjunction with TMA’s Mid-Year Meeting in April.

Go to http://tma.us/events/awards/excellence-awards/ for complete award details. If you have any questions, please contact communications@tma.us.

TMA President Recognizes UL Solutions’ Schmidt at AM22

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TMA President Morgan Hertel recognized the outstanding contributions of UL Solution’s Steve Schmit on Nov. 1st at TMA’s 2022 Annual Meeting in Marco Island, FL. A plaque and gift were presented to Schmit during the AM session.

Schmit has worked closely with TMA on many key standards initiatives. Schmit played an instrumental role in the development of Work From Home guidelines and standards at the onset of the pandemic. He’s recently initiated a new certification inline with TMA’s proposed ANSI standard – AVS-01, which is expected to be released by year’s end.

Steve will be retiring from his position at UL Solutions in November 2022.

Hertel and Butkovich Present 2022 TMA Awards

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TMA President Morgan Hertel and TMA Vice President Steve Butkovich had the honor of presenting TMA’s 2022 awards on Monday, October 31, 2022 on the opening day of TMA’s 2022 Annual Meeting at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort.

Steve presented the inaugural DEI Leadership Award to Kimberlite Corp. Joey Rao-Russell accepted the award. She encouraged other TMA members to engage in DEI initiatives – noting the value her company had drawn from such activities.

Morgan presented the following awards to TMA members for their outstanding contributions to TMA:

Mel Mahler Award was presented to:
Anita Owstrowksi, Vector Security
John Brady, TRG Associates

Stanley C. Lott Memorial Award was presented to:
David Carter
Don Young, ADT

Lastly, Morgan presented a special recognition award to Lou Fiore for his decades of service to TMA and AICC. In doing so, he also announced the establishment of a scholarship fund in his name.

Please join in congratulating all of our winners!

TMA and Security Systems News Announce Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Leadership Award

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The Monitoring Association (TMA) and Security Systems News have partnered to create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Leadership Award with the goal of promoting and fostering a more inclusive workforce throughout the security industry.

Today’s business world requires that businesses create, foster, and encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace to be successful. Doing so stimulates innovation; drives better decisions; makes teams more agile; and results in better business outcomes for employees and customers. These improvements result in higher levels of employee engagement and better financial performance.

The idea for the “TMA/SSN Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Leadership Award” emerged from a small working group comprised of TMA CEO Celia T. Besore; TMA President-Elect Steve Butkovich, SSN Editor Paul Ragusa, and staff in 2021. The award will be given to TMA members who demonstrate a commitment to DEI policies and programs across their organization.

“TMA, together with Security Systems News, seeks to be an agent of change and to raise awareness of the significance and the value of DEI initiatives within the security business sector. We’re proud to introduce this new award as a means to bring this critical issue to the forefront, to inform, and to empower companies to embrace and embed these core principles,” stated Celia T. Besore, CEO, TMA.

“With workforce development one of key topics within security today, the focus and conversation has turned to building a strong company culture that attracts quality candidates and inspires them to want to stay and grow in your company,” added Paul Ragusa, editor, Security Systems News. “Creating an environment that is inclusive, open and based on a strong DEI framework is key to successfully retaining top talent, and this new award was created to recognize companies that are leaders in this area.”

The efforts and achievements must have been demonstrated through specific work with other individuals or groups, or through a specific product, initiative, innovative programs, or activities that have a visible, tangible, or measurable impact on the perception of, attitude toward, and respect for a truly inclusive environment, where individuals are valued for their talent and able to reach their full potential.

Each nominee will be asked to deploy the TMA/SSN DEI Employee Assessment Survey to their employees. The web-based assessment tool consists of approximately 40 questions covering eight facets of DEI practice within your organization. (Companies will receive only a summary report without individual responses.)

Each nominee will also be required to submit one to four “Shared Success Examples” of how their organization implements DEI-related activities in the following areas of focus, such as:

  • Workforce Diversity
  • Multicultural Outreach
  • Community Involvement

The TMA/SSN DEI Leadership Award aims to:

  • Raise industry awareness of the importance and value of being a diverse and inclusive industry.
  • Recognize TMA member organizations who have developed innovative initiatives to foster DEI efforts within their organization.
  • Initiatives may include new hiring policies; practices to create and retain diverse candidate pools; best practices for facilitating difficult dialogue; and how to create an effective diversity program within your organization.
  • Inspire business strategies and industry best practices that reach out to diverse populations.
  • Through analysis and sharing of the information obtained from the TMA/SSN DEI Employee Assessment Survey, organizations across the industry can gain valuable insights into the development or improvement of their own DEI policies and programs.

Companies interested in applying for the award, please click here to begin the nomination process.

TMA’s 2022 Excellence Awards and Marvel Technology Award Winners Announced

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On Monday, April 25th, TMA had the pleasure of presenting its 2022 Excellence Awards and Marvel Technology Award.

Please join in congratulating our outstanding winners.

2022 Excellence Awards

Monitoring Center of the Year – Enterprise

AvantGuard Monitoring Centers

Monitoring Center of the Year – SMB

EPS Security

Monitoring Center Manager of the Year

Marcos Reyes, Kimberlite-Sonitrol Corporation

Monitoring Center Operator of the Year

Sydney Johnston, EPS Security

Monitoring Center Support Person of the Year

LaMar A. Shroyer, Dynamark Monitoring, Inc.

 

2022 Marvel Technology Award

SentryAI & USA Monitoring Center

TMA/SDM Excellence Awards Finalists Announced

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It was an exciting competition! This year, we received 22 nominations from 15 TMA members spanning five award categories. The judges were impressed with the quality of the entries and challenged to select the three finalists in each category.

The winners will be announced at the upcoming General Business Meeting on April 25th at 2:30PM ET. Look for all the details coming soon.

Please join in congratulating our 2022 Excellence Award Finalists:

Monitoring Center of the Year – Enterprise

  1. ADT
  2. AvantGuard Monitoring Centers
  3. COPS Monitoring

Monitoring Center of the Year – SMB

  1. EPS Security
  2. Kimberlite-Sonitrol Corporation
  3. Wayne Alarm Systems

Monitoring Center Manager of the Year

  1. Larry Esposito, Affiliated Monitoring
  2. Julie Aliferis, American Alarm and Communications
  3. Marcos Reyes, Kimberlite-Sonitrol Corporation

Monitoring Center Operator of the Year

  1. Emily Bishop, COPS Monitoring
  2. Sydney Johnston, EPS Security
  3. Timothy Tinajero, Kimberlite-Sonitrol Corporation

Monitoring Center Support Person of the Year

  1. Aaron Salma, Affiliated Monitoring
  2. LaMar A. Shroyer, Dynamark Monitoring, Inc.
  3. Corey Gose, Kimberlite-Sonitrol Corporation

Vivint Home Security and Universal Atlantic Systems Take Top Excellence Awards

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The Monitoring Association (TMA) presented its 2021 Excellence Awards virtually, April 15th. TMA’s Monitoring Center Excellence Awards recognize monitoring centers and outstanding personnel who perform in the highest professional manner, thereby making a significant contribution to the betterment of the alarm industry and the alarm profession while demonstrating exceptional service to their customers and community.

The 2021 Excellence Award Winners are:

2021 Monitoring Center of the Year – Enterprise Level – Vivint Smart Home

2021 Monitoring Center of the Year – Small-to-Medium Business Level – Universal Atlantic Systems (UAS)

2021 Manager of the Year – Jonathan Rainbow, Rapid Response Monitoring Services, Inc.

2021 Operator of the Year – Diandra Dean, Affiliated Monitoring, Inc.

2021 Support Person of the Year – (Tied) Michelle Quattrini, Rapid Response Monitoring Services, Inc. and Deepak Bysani, Affiliated Monitoring, Inc.

The purpose of this awards program is to:

  • Establish and promote the inherent value of professional monitoring services in general.
  • Honor those who have made the most significant contributions to the service.
  • Promote the distinct level of professionalism attained by NRTL-approved monitoring centers.

NEW in 2021, TMA introduced a newly restructured Monitoring Center of the Year category for application, which segments entrants based on the size of their business. The new Enterprise Level category welcomed applicants with more than 40,000 subscribers, while the Small-to-Medium Business (SMB) Level category was established for those with 40,000 or less subscribers.

TMA’s Monitoring Center Excellence Awards are co-sponsored by SDM Magazine, which will publish a feature story on the winners in its August issue. Entries are judged by a blue-ribbon volunteer judging panel appointed by TMA.

ADT wins 2021 TMA/SSI Monitoring Technology “Marvel” Award

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The Monitoring Association (TMA) and Security Sales & Integration (SSI) Magazine Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher Scott Goldfine had the honor of presenting the 2021 TMA/SSI Monitoring Technology “Marvel” Award to Florida-based ADT, LLC virtually this afternoon for its SoSecure app. Leah Page, Vice President, Mobile Security & Strategic Projects, ADT, accepted the award on behalf of winning company.

This award honors innovations in monitoring center technology. It is co-sponsored by TMA and Security Sales & Integration (SSI) and coordinated by the TMA Technology Committee. The purpose of the Marvel Award is to provide recognition for monitoring centers creating and/or using cutting-edge technology and to raise awareness of these new technologies.

SoSecure by ADT is an iOS and Android safety app. It gives customers access to ADT’s 24/7 professional monitoring and emergency response with a simple swipe, tap, or voice command on their mobile phone. GPS location, personally identifiable details, and any available contextual data is shared with emergency responders unless the user indicates (with authentication) that the request was an accident. With an estimated 240 million calls made to 911 in the U.S. annually, often with limited location data according to NENA, this can potentially be lifesaving.

ADT also notifies family and friends in case of an emergency, providing added reassurance. SoSecure’s core safety features, including sending an SOS alert by sliding a button or via SMS chat, are free for everyone.

Learn more about the innovative technologies that ADT and this year’s awards finalists, Acadian Monitoring Services and General Monitoring Services, Inc., have engineered in the August 2021 issue of SSI Magazine.

TMA Announces Awards Finalists

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TMA is pleased to announce the finalists for its 2021 Excellence Awards and its Marvel Technology Award. The awards will be presented virtual on Thursday, April 15th at 3:30PM/ET, immediately following the General Membership Meeting. Registration is required for attendance. Register online at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6195707754569565199

Please join in congratulating our finalists. 

This year, the Excellence Awards competition received a total 39 entries across the four categories. Listed in alphabetical order by company within each category, the finalists are:

Monitoring Center of the Year – Enterprise Level:

  1. COPS Monitoring
  2. NMC
  3. Vivint Smart Home

Monitoring Center of the Year – Small-to-Medium Business Level:

  1. Engineered Protection Systems, Inc. (EPS)
  2. Universal Atlantic Systems (UAS)
  3. Wayne Alarm Systems

Monitoring Center Manager of the Year:

  1. Shelley McQuigge, Alarm Systems
  2. Jonathan Rainbow, Rapid Response Monitoring Services, Inc.
  3. Josh Sanders, EPS

Monitoring Center Operator of the Year:

  1. Diandra Dean, Affiliated Monitoring, Inc.
  2. Latisha Jenkins, UAS
  3. Jonathan Spruill, CPI Security

Monitoring Center Support Person of the Year:

  1. Deepak Bysani, Affiliated Monitoring, Inc.
  2. Michelle Quattrini, Rapid Response Monitoring Services, Inc.
  3. Nick Salmond, AvantGuard Monitoring

“This past year was an exceptionally challenging year for many monitoring centers within our membership community. The companies and the professionals in their employ demonstrated amazing courage, determination, and passion for their work and those in their care. Their commitment to excellence was never more evident,” stated TMA President Don Young. “This year we welcomed an outstanding pool of entrants to the awards competition – both in terms of the quantity and quality of the applicants. And, once again, their achievements challenge and inspire all of us to renew our own commitment to excellence in our work.”

NEW in 2021, TMA introduced a newly restructured Monitoring Center of the Year category for application, which segments entrants based on the size of their business. The new Enterprise Level category welcomed applicants with more than 40,000 subscribers, while the Small-to-Medium Business (SMB) Level category was established for those with 40,000 or less subscribers. In all, the Monitoring Center of the Year Award categories accepted 16 entries (Enterprise-9; SMB-7).

A specially-appointed Task Force thoroughly reviewed the TMA Excellence Awards competition earlier this year to evaluate all aspects of the application, judging, and awards process. The goal of the Task Force was to assess each individual portion of the competition to confirm that the criteria and valuation was in line with current monitoring center business, operations, and technical best practices. In terms of judging, the Task Force sought to increase transparency and broaden the number and expertise of its judging panel. The Task Force also sought input and validation directly from TMA members as part of the overall evaluation process.

The finalists for the TMA/SSI Monitoring Technology “Marvel” Award are:

  • Acadian Monitoring Services
  • ADT, LLC
  • General Monitoring Services, Inc. (GMS)

This award honors innovations in monitoring center technology. It is co-sponsored by TMA and Security Sales & Integration (SSI) and coordinated by the TMA Technology Committee.

The purpose of the Marvel Award is to provide recognition for monitoring centers creating and/or using cutting-edge technology to raise awareness of these new technologies. “Technological innovation is the cornerstone of our industry,” said TMA Technology Committee Co-Chair Sascha Kylau, OneTel Security. “We want to reward innovation with this award. This year’s entrants made some bold investments to bring about change and open new opportunities. We saw some definite game-changers for our industry.”

Spector, Schmit Honored For TMA and Industry Contributions

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On October 21, 2020, in the course of TMA’s General Membership Meeting, TMA President Don Young had the honor of presenting TMA’s two highest awards – Stanley C. Lott Award for Exemplary Service and the Mel Mahler Award for Outstanding Service to the Monitoring Industry.

Stanley C. Lott Award for Exemplary Service Presented to Ivan Spector, President, Sentinelle Alarms
In presenting the award, President Young stated, “This year the award is given to a man who has not only served TMA through many leadership positions on committees and the TMA Board, but who was a founding member and longtime board member of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC).

In addition, he has been a leader in advancing alarm management in both Canada and the United States. For CANASA, he served on the Board of Directors, was national president, and chair of the Response Committee. In that role he proved instrumental in driving many false dispatch reduction initiatives. He is also a Superior Court of Canada-acknowledged and accepted expert witness.
This year’s winner is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal and is the owner of Sentinel Alarm. I am pleased to award the 2020 Stanley C. Lott Memorial Award to Ivan Spector.”

Mel Mahler Award for Outstanding Service to the Monitoring Industry Presented to Steve A. Schmit, Senior Staff Engineer, UL
In presenting the award, President Young commented, “When deciding on a recipient for this year’s Award, one name came immediately to mind. He is an individual who has served our industry for more than 39 years, but with the onset of Covid 19 earlier this year, he worked tirelessly on behalf of the TMA membership to develop work at home standards that would allow our industry to continue to operate under safe conditions. This year’s winner is an experienced Engineering Manager with a history of working in the public safety industry.

He holds a BS in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and serves as Senior Staff Engineer for Underwriters Laboratories. I am very grateful for all of the help and guidance this year’s recipient provided on the establishment of the new standard and I am honored to present this year’s Mel Mahler Award to Steve Schmit.”

Please join TMA in congratulating Ivan and Steve on these esteemed honors.