Longtime Security Industry Contributor Dischert Honored with Top TMA Award, Nov. 7th

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The Monitoring Association (TMA) had the distinct opportunity to recognize the exceptional contributions of Larry Dischert, LRD Consulting, on Mon., Nov. 6th during its General Business Meeting at the 2023 Annual Meeting in Maui, HI. TMA President Morgan Hertel presented the respected and esteemed volunteer with TMA’s highest honor, the Stanley C. Lott Memorial Award.

The Stanley C. Lott Memorial Award, established in 1991 to honor its namesake, a dedicated leader and past president, recognizes exceptional long-term leadership and support. In presenting the award to Dischert, TMA President Morgan Hertel shared, “In our industry, there is a whole subset of individuals who work tirelessly, doing the lion share of the work with little or no public recognition. This year’s Stanley C. Lott Memorial Award winner is one example of those that have been working in the background for many years. Over the course of five decades, his contributions to standards development within the security and monitoring industries have been immeasurable.â€

From a blank piece of paper and assistance from a few industry peers, Dischert initiated the creation and development of UL1981 Central-Station Automation Systems and has since contributed to many UL standards. From an emphasis on the continuous maturation of UL1981 and UL827, he became a key contributor to UL STP 205 and its sub parts for all equipment and installation standards that impact the safe reliable operation of a monitoring center.

Most recently, Dischert’s involvement includes, but is not limited to, extensive work with TMA CS-V-01 Alarm Confirmation, Verification and Notification Procedures, and ANSI/TMA AVS-01 2023 Alarm Validation Scoring (AVS) Standard with the mission to increase the value of the Central Station service by greatly reducing or eliminating false dispatches.

“I can’t thank the TMA and industry leaders enough, for this recognition,†stated Dischert. “I’ve put 50 years of my life into this arena and have gotten much in return. And this rounds it out very nicely. Again, thanks.â€

VIEW DISCHERT’S ACCEPTANCE REMARKS

The latest news on TMA’s 2023 Annual Meeting in Maui

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We have received several inquiries in recent days as to the state of our 2023 Annual Meeting, which is scheduled to take place on the island of Maui, Nov. 4-8th. With all communications down in the area, we have not been able to connect with our contacts at the Ritz Carlton, Kapalua, our host hotel. We have reached out to the Ritz Carlton main offices and requested any information that is available but have yet to receive a reply. Therefore, we have not made any decisions at this point.

As you can imagine, we remain in a holding pattern as of today. Once we receive word from the Ritz Carlton, the Board of Directors and staff will evaluate our options and decide how to best proceed based on the information provided to us.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We will keep you informed as to the status of the host hotel, its property, and the surrounding areas as we learn more in the coming days and weeks.

Until then, please keep the people of Maui in your prayers.

As in years past, TMA will select a local charity for Annual Meeting attendees to support. The names of those who donate are entered into a raffle for a prize. We are currently researching local Maui charities for this year.

Considering the urgent and overwhelming need for aid in Maui today, we have identified several organizations that you may consider donating to prior to the meeting below.

TMA Members Contribute Over $5k to Local Florida Charity

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Call for participation in TMA-VMS-01 video procedural standard committee.TMA members donated over $5,000 to local Marco Island charity – My Daily Bread – on Wednesday, Nov. 2nd. Funds were raised in conjunction with TMA’s 2022 Annual Meeting, which took place at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, October 30-November 2.

The donation combines individual donations, as we well as donations of prize funds from the Halloween Costume Contest and the raffle.

Our Daily Bread Executive Director Amanda Nelson accepted the donation from TMA president Morgan Hertel and CEO Celia T. Besore during the meeting general session.

The charity provides weekend groceries for students and families in the Marco Island community. The need for food has increased significantly within recent weeks as a result of Hurricane Ian.

Halloween Comes to Marco Island!

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Be prepared for a spooktacular night on Monday, October 31st when Halloween comes to Marco Island with TMA’s most fun theme night event – Full Moon – Black Sea. Enjoy cocktails with fellow attendees followed by a vast Gulf Coast Food Festival Buffet, all in a festive Halloween setting on Palm’s Beach.

Once the sun has set, the full moon has risen and the sea has turned black as ink, the party will move indoors for drinks, desserts and coffee in a haunted setting where the ghosts of Marco Island’s past will party among you on this All Hallows’ Eve.  Enjoy a drink and let the spirits move you as you dance to the sounds of the high-energy, 8-piece, Brett Foreman Band, who have become a household name at venues throughout the state of Florida. This is sure to be a fun and memorable experience that will be the talk of the Tuesday morning breakfasts.

Don’t forget a costume!  Reveal your creative inner self. Will your costume be: fun, daring, spooky, historic, evil, or out-of-this-world?

Two $100 gift certificates will be awarded to the best costumed attendees as chosen by a secret panel of peer judges.

For complete details on TMA’s 2022 Annual Meeting, go to https://tma.us/events/2022-annual-meeting/.

SimpliSafe®, Inc. Chief Architect to Keynote TMA’s 2022 OPSTech

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TMA is pleased to announce Rob Raisch, Chief Architect, Monitoring Integration, SimpliSafe, Inc., will deliver the keynote address for the Technology track of TMA’s 2022 OPSTech on Thurs., September 15th at 9:00AM ET. He will discuss emerging trends in the market including general best practices and some of the work SimpliSafe has been doing in the area.

“The primary goal of TMA’s OPSTech meeting is to provide frontline monitoring center professionals with proven and actionable information, insights, and strategies, to take their monitoring centers to new levels of efficiency and effectiveness,” stated TMA President Morgan Hertel. “There is no question that SimpliSafe has demonstrated remarkable innovation and introduced a whole new model for home security protection. I am confident Mr. Raisch’s comments will both inspire and empower our attendees to rethink their approach to business and leverage new market opportunities.”

Go to https://tma.us/events/2022-ops-tech/ for detailed meeting information, including program agenda, hotel reservations, and registration. The early-bird registration discount has been extended to Aug. 15th for TMA members-only.

Renowned Futurist to Keynote TMA’s 2022 Annual Meeting

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The Monitoring Association (TMA) is pleased to announce acclaimed global futurist, speaker, and best-selling author Jack Uldrich will deliver the keynote address at its 2022 Annual Meeting on Monday, October 31, 2022 at 11:00AM ET. The meeting will take place in-person at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, October 29-November 2, 2022.

“As business leaders, what could be more valuable than to have access to the insights of someone who can see into the future? How much more effective and productive could our organizations be? What could we achieve?” asked TMA President Morgan Hertel. “While Jack will share with his insights on leading innovation trends, he will more importantly convey the significant role that both our mind and our heart play in transforming our businesses in preparation for greater success. I am confident that Jack will inspire, energize, and enlighten our meeting attendees like no other.”

Uldrich is highly regarded as a keynote speaker. His authoritative speeches on future trends; emerging technologies; innovation, change emerging technologies, change management; and leadership are filled with knowledge, insight, and creativity. He provides provocative new perspectives on competitive advantage, change management, and transformational leadership. He calls to light the advantages of being creative and using the powers of individual imagination.

Go to https://tma.us/events/2022-annual-meeting/ for detailed meeting information, including program agenda, hotel accommodations, and registration.

Congratulate TMA’s Virtual OPSTech Game Winners

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Join in congratulating the winners of TMA’s 2021 Virtual OPSTech games!

OPSTech 2021 Virtual Game Prize Winners

Virtual Registration Bag Contest

1st Prize – $75 Amazon Gift Card

Austin Mayo; Vigilante Security

2nd Prize – $50 Amazon Gift Card

Wanda Griffith; The Protection Bureau

3rd Prize – $25 Amazon Gift Card

Bob Finocchioli; Evolon

 

Photo Contest

1st Prize – $75 Amazon Gift Card

Wanda Griffith; The Protection Bureau

 2nd Prize – $50 Amazon Gift Card

James Marcella; Axis

3rd Prize – $25 Amazon Gift Card

Kim Schremp; CenterPoint Technologies

 

Leaderboard Contest

1st Prize – $100 Amazon Gift Card

Austin Mayo; Vigilante Security

2nd Prize – $75 Amazon Gift Card

Wanda Griffith; The Protection Bureau

3rd Prize – $50 Amazon Gift Card

Kim Schremp; CenterPoint Technologies

Principal Manager, Microsoft Azure Vision AI to Keynote The Monitoring Association’s 2021 Virtual OPSTech

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The keynote for The Monitoring Association’s (TMA) 2021 Virtual OPSTech is Mr. Rouzbeh Aminpour, Microsoft Azure Artificial Intelligence Platform’s Computer Vision Business & Strategy Principal Manager. Aminpour will share how Azure’s Cognitive Services are enabling users to deliver breakthrough experiences through the use of industry-leading Vision AI models. Top-of-mind topics such as industry trends, use of edge and cloud infrastructures, enterprise grade and scalable model development, and responsible AI development will be the focus of his comments. TMA’s OPSTech is set to take place virtually November 30th-December 3, 2021; Aminpour is scheduled to speak on Friday, December 3, 2021 at 11:15 AM ET, and will kick-off the Technology track.

Call for participation in TMA-VMS-01 video procedural standard committee.“In our business, the experience that our products and services provide for our customers – commercial and residential – is everything,†stated TMA President Morgan Hertel. “Today’s leading-edge technologies, such as AI, give security integrators and monitoring services companies the ability to deliver new, higher levels of comfort, convenience, and security. For our industry to compete successfully, service providers need to gain a strong understanding of AI and other technologies that are quickly emerging and gaining consumer interest. I’m excited to hear Mr. Aminpour’s unique perspective into AI’s potential impact on our industry.â€

Aminpour is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine – The Paul Merage School of Business. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2017, he served as a senior product manager at Amazon.