Fire Protection and Military Service Help Mike Sturbaum at H&S

Mike Sturbaum Sr.’s experience in fire protection and the U.S. military served as a perfect backdrop for his introduction to the security industry with H&S Protection. After serving in the U.S. Army for eight years, active and in the reserves, he took a position with FedEx Ground as a driver for 17 years.

From there, Mike worked in fire protection with JF Ahern, Fire Alarms, PE Systems, Sprinkler Systems and Special Hazards, before finding his way to H&S Protection. Initially, an Indeed ad led him to H&S, and he then followed up with Mike Solomon in our Pewaukee, WI office with an official interview, and has now been with H&S for a year and three months.

His previous fire protection and military background help him in his position as a Service Technician. “Our technicians and installers always find a way to get the job done or problem solved, and keep the customer happy,” he observed.

He’s found that on a daily basis he recommends H&S to others as he talks to family and friends. “The one aspect I always bring up is that we are a needle in the haystack type of company. While we may not be huge or well known, we impress people with our knowledge and customer service,” Mike said.

Mike’s family consists of his wife Christy, Michael, Jr., who is 18 and recently graduated from Muskego High School, and Caleb, who is 17. Michael, Jr. will be going into the trades (Sprinklers Union) as will Caleb, who has one year left of high school.

In his spare time, Mike enjoys motorcycle riding and playing darts. He plays in various leagues and tournaments on weekends. He’s also considers himself a baseball nerd, and loves going to sporting events.

To reach Mike directly in our Pewaukee office, contact him at [email protected], or 262.424.1271.

Steve Garritson Honored with President’s Award from Wisconsin Security Association

H&S Protection Co-Owner Steve Garritson was honored in September with the President’s Award from the Wisconsin Security Association (WISA). Steve’s commitment to the association was recognized in remarks by WISA President Bill Flesch. Brandon Dobratz of Alarm Products Distributors was also recognized as a co-winner of the award for the past year.

For those of you who know Steve, the award won’t come us a surprise. For those of you who don’t know Steve, we’d like to elaborate a bit.

WISA President Flesch went on in his remarks to discuss Steve’s ongoing work for the association over the years. He cited multiple examples of how Steve has worked for the good of the electronic security industry in Wisconsin. In many ways, that says it all about Steve, what he means to our industry, customers and our business.

Steve takes into account the big picture and looks at how he can contribute to the success of the larger enterprise. H&S being an active member in WISA means a lot to Steve personally and to our family business.

No security company in Wisconsin operates on its own. We work with distributors, monitoring firms and those who make the quality products we install and service for our customers. That requires knowing which companies excel and maintaining quality relationships with them. Steve stands out in this area. He has a smile for others, a quick joke, a way to facilitate relationships that makes H&S a great place to work and do business with.

Will President Flesch went on to praise Steve and Brandon further in his remarks, we know Steve has been bringing his winning attitude to the office and field day after day for many years. If you get the opportunity, please stop by our Pewaukee office to say hi.