From Beef Deboner to Security System Installer: Russ Zanow

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There are probably only a handful of people in the world, if even that many, who’ve gone from a job deboning beef to installing security systems. H&S Protection’s Russ Zanow is one of them.

 

He never considered the change until faced with Cargill closing down its operations in the Milwaukee area, which eliminated his job about six years ago. Needing a job, encouraged by his mother and knowing H&S’s Danny Greco, who urged him to apply, Russ stopped by the H&S offices in Pewaukee, WI to meet with Operations Manager Mike Solomon.

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“I filled out an application, and they gave me a call, and I came in for the interview,” Russ explained.

 

It’s different from working in a beef processing plant, that’s for sure. When Russ was at Cargill, he could eat anything he wanted. “It was physical, demanding work, and I burned a LOT of calories every day, so I could eat anything I wanted and not gain weight. It was a fun job. You got to meet people from all walks of life,” he said.

 

At H&S, Zanow continues to get exercise in his position as a security systems installer, up and down ladders, crawling through tight spaces and hauling equipment.  He also continues to meet people from all walks of life as his assignments take him to many different types of businesses throughout Southeast Wisconsin.

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“The bulk of my day is troubleshooting and installing low voltage electronics. Finding out what works, what doesn’t and troubleshooting and fixing what needs fixing,” he said.
When Russ leaves a site, he makes sure the customer is pleased with the system and cleanup. “It’s very important when you leave that the site is as clean as when you arrived,” he said.

 

“H&S does really good work. We’re thorough, and though we’re not the biggest company, we are very customer-oriented. Nancy DeSandre makes it her problem if a customer has an issue. She’ll get one of our technicians out to help the customer quickly. H&S cares, and our people are knowledgeable on the technology we install and service,” Russ said.

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Russ and his girlfriend Summer have a new baby girl, Sophie. He loves fatherhood, “the biggest job in my life,” as he explains it. “It’s tough to describe. It’s tough to prepare for.”

 

In what little spare time he has, Russ likes to relax and play video games. “I don’t get out much because I’m burning the candle on two ends. I’ll shop a little bit on Amazon. That takes up more time than I’d care to admit,” he chuckled.

 

Feel free to reach Russ directly on his cell phone  at (262-364-7007) or rzanow@hsprotection.net.

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The Unexpected

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Don’t expect a hard sell when one of our H&S Protection sales representatives stops by your place. That’s not our style.

 

Instead, expect our representative to ask about you and your business, find out what makes your business tick, and what security issues you might have. Listen to Dave Kwasinski, H&S Sales Consultant, as he describes his approach:

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“After initial introductions, I want to find out about their business and why they want security. Depending on the circumstances they bring up, I’ll let them know what we can provide that fits their situation.”

 

On a recent ride-along with Dave, we were able to get his views on sales calls, and why businesses in the market for security should consider H&S Protection. He’d recently worked with a candy store that was dealing with theft issues. Kids and adults were stealing chocolate from the shelves.

 

“We installed a video system that positions the cameras where the shoplifting occurs. By targeting those cameras, the business should be able to catch them red-handed,” Dave explained.

 

When the images capture unlawful actions, the business owner provides that footage to the police for enforcement, or the owner can hold it over the perpetrators to keep them out of the store, according to Kwasinski.

 

“The customer needs to know we’re going to stand 100 percent behind anything we install. Too many companies do the install, then disappear. Or the customers don’t get the support or service they deserve,” Dave explained.

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“I bend over backwards for the customer. It’s something I’ve always done. Even after we install the system, I’ll come out and help train the customer and make sure everything is running well,” he said.

 

Dave puts his money where his mouth is, having installed H&S technology in his own home to help him better understand how to plan and operate the system. That’s knowledge he shares with customers. “It’s a hands-on experience,” he said.

 

Dave Kwasinski’s approach to selling is the H&S way and it can be expected from all of our reps.

 

Oh, and BTW, Dave laughed when thinking back on the candy story visit, “Man, that chocolate is good.” One of the benefits of helping the candy store owner.

Surmounting Access Control Obstacles — Part II

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(Editor’s note: This is the second in our two-part series on access control. Please access our most recent blog for Part I.) 

Obstacles

 

Access control systems aren’t perfect. Obstacles must be surmounted.

 

One of the biggest is getting our people on the same page with our customer’s network person. That’s why we focus heavily on communication during and after the installation. Additionally, each physical structure we service is different. Our solution must be different to meet the demands of the building. That also requires close communication to adapt our installation to protect the facility AND meet the requirements of the customer.

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“You can never get too high or too low on yourself about the installation. You have to stay even-keeled because not all are easy. There are complications and changes in every job,” Greco said.

 

“If we hear from our customer and our technicians that they got through the obstacles, we’re happy and head on to the next job. One installation could go great and another could be difficult, so it’s important to keep yourself mentally in the middle to do your best work,” Greco explained.

 

H&S provides multiple electronic security services to large, medium-sized and small businesses, along with homes. But access control systems are probably our toughest to install and sell.

 

Danny relies heavily on his strong experience to get the sale and installation right. Sometimes, important questions go unasked. That’s when he has to be on top of his game to answer those unasked questions so the final product exactly meets the customer’s specifications.

 

It’s all in a day’s work for Greco and the other sales staff and technicians working out of our Pewaukee and Stevens Point offices. Listening to our customers, communicating consistently and following up makes every one of our access control projects flow more smoothly and keep the customer’s facility expertly protected.

Little Things Add Up to get Access Control Right — Part I

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(Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series from H&S Protection explaining how we approach access control installations with our customers.)

 

Little things add up when it comes to installing access control technology in an office or manufacturing environment. Our end goal is similar to the car dealer handing over the keys to the customer after the vehicle purchase: you want to know how to operate the car. At H&S, we share our knowledge so you understand and have complete control of your access control system – you feel comfortable operating the system. Here’s how we do it.

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Like other types of electronic security installations, we meet with the customer first. We find out your needs, then dig in deeply to determine the design and structure of the install. We determine where to run wires from A to B. We’ll get your network team involved. And we’ll use our knowledge to prep the best solution.

 

During this sit-down with the customer, H&S looks at a number of things. Danny Greco, our access control expert out of our Pewaukee, WI office, outlines some of the following areas we will check on to make sure things go seamlessly when the install begins:

 

  • Ceiling height
  • How and where to run wire
  • The customer choice on whether to run conduit or wire mold
  • What type of specific equipment to use, ensuring proper installation on the doors
  • Additional information we can gather to make the installation for our technicians and the customer as seamless as possible.

 

“The little things add up,” Danny explains.

 

While H&S focuses strongly on a sound and tactical installation, turning the successful system over to the customer is even more important. We explain to our customers the installation and components used, along with how the software works. We discuss with our customer’s IT staff how the system communicates on their network and who should serve as its administrator.

 

“An access control system is like buying a car. You’re not involved in the design, but when the keys are handed over to you as the customer, you want to know how to operate it flawlessly,” Greco explained.

 

(Stay tuned for Part II.)

The 3G to 4G Upgrade

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For the layperson, understanding the upgrade of our nation’s cellular network can be confusing. Terminology makes it complicated. You must also understand the technology aspects of how the system functions and moves data.

 

Staying away from explaining the highly technical aspects, most cell carriers (the companies you pay your monthly fee to, so you your phone and text messages get to the recipient) are upgrading their cellular digital networks. Most have moved or are moving to 4G (four gigabits of data) from 3G. Others are in the process of moving directly to 5G.

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The advantages for those of you with alarm systems are simple: You want your system to continue sending its signal to the monitoring center through a cell signal (if you don’t use a landline). As the upgrade is made, the transition should be seamless – you shouldn’t see anything different from your current service. The more gigabits, the better the connectivity and transmission of data.

 

At H&S Protection, we are working with our customers on these upgrades to their security systems. It’s a simple, yet important process, according to H&S Sales Consultant Dave Kwasinski. “There are sunset provisions making 3G obsolete. As a company, we work to stay ahead of the game, which is why we are meeting with customers to make the necessary changes,” he said.

 

If the systems are not upgraded, customers run the risk of losing connectivity. “The signal from the alarm system wouldn’t go to the monitoring center in those circumstances. We don’t want that,” Kwasinski said.

 

H&S is working systematically with its customer base to get a technician onsite, make the technology changes and test the system for secure operability. “We’re updating their cellular means of communication. It’s a pretty easy visit for our tech guys. Steve and Mike (Co-Owners of H&S Protection) are offering the upgrade at the cost of hardware. It’s a great deal for our customers,” Kwasinski said.

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Once the technicians upgrade the SIM card in the alarm communicator to 4G, they’ll check the communication signal as the network is switched to ensure smooth functioning. End of story.

 

There’s a big benefit to getting rid of your landline and using cell service for your security systems, according to Kwasinski. “With no phone lines, a potential burglar can’t cut the line to severe the connection. Plus, if the landline is eliminated, that monthly fee for the phone line goes away.”

It’s a seamless transition. “We want to ensure reliability and that the system works properly when we’re done with the upgrade. This isn’t just about H&S Protection, but instead a technology upgrade from the cell carriers that the security industry embraces for better service in the long run,” Kwasinski said.

Combining the Mental and Physical a Good Fit for Danny Greco

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Danny Greco knows the best job for him is when he works with both his mind and his hands – combining the physical part of a position with the mental challenges. At H&S Protection, he’s found that perfect fit.

He’d been working for another security company for five years when his brother introduced him to H&S ownership at the time, which led to an interview, then to his being hired. As a technician at the time, he brought those skills over to H&S, and has refined them into his current position as a Systems Designer/Inside Sales.

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In the sales arena, he focuses on existing customers where he’s worked on past installations. Access control and large camera system installations are his forte, his way of “keeping customers happy.”

 

Danny typically designs larger-scale systems for H&S’s Waukesha, WI office, and also “brings in a few new customers each year. I like to eliminate the word ‘should’ from interactions with customers. We need to provide customers the certainty of knowing exactly what we are and aren’t capable of in terms of our installation abilities,” he said.

 

Greco found school wasn’t the way he wanted to advance when he moved into the workforce. “Maybe that’s how I got to where I am today,” he laughed. “I don’t like to sit still. I like to work with my mind and hands, and being a technician is a good fit.”

 

He finds that communication between H&S staff is a strong reason to recommend H&S to clients. “We don’t have a large staff. But we do more based on our communication than you’ll see in any corporation. Our staff trusts each other tremendously. They’re great people to work with day-in and day-out. We help each other personally,” he said.

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Danny enjoys the freedom of his position, not having to be managed. “Steve (Garritson, H&S Co-Owner) gives me freedom to do my job. He knows and trusts what we can do,” Greco observed.

 

In turn, Danny trusts his teammates. “When I sell a job, I hand it over to operations. I rely on them to line it up to our standards. They do a tremendous job,” he said.

 

When the day or week is done, Danny likes to follow his love of sports. He enjoys tossing bags in a local league, spending time with his girlfriend Kelsey and his family. He is also seeking exempt status on the Bad Golf Tour.

 

Danny can be reached directly at dgreco@hsprotection.net or 262.894.2461.

Our Tenth Year with the United Way: H&S Pledges Over $10,000 as Employees Contribute More Than $5,000

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We have participated in the United Way for over ten years in our combined Waukesha and Stevens Point offices. This year, the combined pledge from employees in the two offices is $5,429, and H&S Protection will match that amount to double our company’s contribution, for a total of $10,858.

 

We’re proud to contribute to the causes the United Way supports in southeast and central Wisconsin, where H&S Protection’s two offices are located. We’re also proud of our strong employee commitment to contributing, as annually we have close to 100 percent participation. It means a lot to us to help causes that improve the lives of others in the communities we serve.

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One of the reasons we selected the United Way as a way for us to give back is because of their strong return on investment (ROI). Of money that is contributed, it is normally considered a very good return if 66 percent of your dollars go to the core services delivered by the programs. For the United Way, close to 90 percent of their dollars go to core services. We appreciate that the money goes where needed rather than into administrative costs.

 

Just last year, the Waukesha/Milwaukee chapter of United Way contributed to services that provided help to 34,200 people, according to Madi Catalano, who serves as a Loaned Executive for the Waukesha/Milwaukee United Way chapter. United Way vets their agencies, demonstrating transparency in financials and in how many people served.

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As an example of the agencies in the United Way umbrella, Family Service out of Waukesha provides mental health services and has expanded its offerings to schools, according to Faith Holley-Beal from Family Service. They provide counseling to those in need and through their expansion now are in 14 school districts in southeast Wisconsin and 30 schools overall.
We are proud to support these types of services through the United Way.

Bar Cameras — Part III (The Hardware Store)

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(Editor’s note: This is Part III and the conclusion of our Bar Cameras blog — The Hardware Store. Thank you for joining us.).

The Hardware Store

Though H&S scopes out materials before each installation, there are times where additional parts are needed. Sometimes they need to be ordered or a member of the team brings it out to the site. And sometimes the technicians head to the hardware store next door to keep the process flowing.

Hills takes a couple of trips across the street from the BR to pick up conduit couplers and later to conduit pipe. A big part of a successful install is having the right tools for the job.

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“It’s good to have a hardware store next door,” Hills chuckled, after picking up 10 feet of conduit pipe for $9.55. “Hopefully this is our last visit,” he laughed while talking with the woman sales clerk as he paid.

Before putting in the last two cameras, Hills and Mence must run the conduit piping to a junction box, where the cabling will then be directed right and left through more conduit piping to their final destination: the two corner cameras. “It’s a very methodical process,” Hills said.

Threading the cabling through the conduit piping is done manually, either with or without fish tape (harder plastic wiring taped to the cable to ease it more quickly and easily through the piping). In this case, Mence pushes the cabling through, while Hills navigates the fish tape, pulling the wiring through from the far end of the metal tubing.

Troubleshooting

As Hills and Mence wrapped up the final stages of the install, connecting the cabling to the two outdoor cameras, they looked forward to their next assignments with interest. Hills is scheduled for a security system install in New London, WI, and Mence will head to Beaver Dam to put in alarm communicators. Both enjoy the diversity of the assignments, the drive time through central Wisconsin and getting to interact with new people.

With the cameras connected, Hills and Mence put the finishing touches on the BR project, getting the internet connection and firing up the DVR (Digital Video Recorder) to test the cameras’ connectivity.

Of the eight cameras, seven come up the screen. Hills troubleshoots, changing ports with the cable to see if that is where the problem lies. No dice.

He heads downstairs and out back to check on the cable connection to the camera, while Mence checks on the camera angles indoor to ensure they aim in exact direction that the customer wants.

As Hills returns with no success in bringing up the eighth camera on the screen, he gets on the phone with the equipment supplier to let him know about the problem and see if he can solve the problem while he’s onsite. They determine it’s likely a faulty DVR, and it must be replaced, and Hills contacts Lukasavige to let him know about the glitch. With the customer, Hills decides the following Monday H&S will bring a new DVR to the business.

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Hills gives the BR staff a tutorial to operate the system, navigating the mouse to demonstrate where to click on the screen for various functions. He promises to give them further instructions the following week when he returns with the new DVR to ensure they are comfortable and up-to-speed on the system.

As Hills and Mence cleaned up, Hills noted the importance of leaving the site as clean as when they arrived, and: “The most important thing is making sure you have all your tools.”

Ironically, he began searching for his drill, first outside, then inside the BR, before coming back outside and finding it next to where he’d finished the final camera install. “That’s what I’m talking about,” he laughed.

“You need to have a backup for your tools. If you lose a cutter, you better have another cutter ready,” he observed.

Bar Cameras — Part II

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(Editor’s note: This is Part II in a series from H&S Protection on a recent bar/restaurant video camera installation to give customers insights into how we protect their businesses.)

Weather and Heights

The day turned humid and hot after starting out with drizzling rain. “The weather can determine a lot about a job. Not WHETHER to do something, but WHEN we do it. It’s tricky in the winter, for example. We can be working in temperatures below zero on outdoor installations and we have to figure out how to work around that. We’ll take turns. One guy works for a while, then goes inside to warm up his hands while the other guy takes over,” Matt Hills explained.

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Hills can only remember a few times that a job has been postponed due to weather. Wind and heavy rain can be tricky. If you’re on a lift, for example, wind and rain pose serious safety concerns.

“We take ladder safety extremely seriously. It’s super important. You could die from a 20-foot fall and we work at heights of 20 feet pretty regularly,” he said.

Walker Mence got a taste for heights as a rock climber when he was younger. Crawling through attics on installations, he said he found he “kinda missed” the thrill of heights from his rock climbing. Now he gets the call from H&S when there’s a crawl space: “When we’re in a kitchen or bar and we need someone to crawl into a small space, I hear, ‘Send Walker in there’,” he chuckled.

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Coworkers and Customers

Mence and Hills have known each other since high school and have a friendship along with their professional connection. After Hills screws in the four-square box, he also caulks the connections to make sure the seal is tight to keep water out. The two then begin bantering as Hills looks for one of his tools:

“That’s the other thing you have to watch out for – your coworkers stealing your tools,” Hills joked.

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“I always give you your tools back,” Walked chuckled in reply.

Both noted they enjoy working with each other and talking with customers. “We’ll joke around, but also be professional. I show them I’m a person, too, and not a robot putting the system in,” Hills said.

“I’ve worked in factory environment and now I’m outdoors meeting people. Each install is different,” Mence added.

(Stay tuned for Part III of this story.)

Bar Cameras — Part I

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(Editor’s note: This is Part I in a series from H&S Protection on a recent bar/restaurant video camera installation to give customers insights into how we protect their businesses.)

Once a security systems sale concludes, our installation team goes into action. Recently we followed Matt Hills and Walker Mence as they finished an eight-camera indoor/outdoor (six indoor, two outdoor) installation at a bar/restaurant in Amherst, WI.

Operations develops a scope of the install, preps the installation team and determines the most convenient time for the customer so H&S doesn’t impede during high traffic customer hours. In this case, Matt and Walker started on Monday, when the BR (bar/restaurant) was closed so they could get most of the work done with no business interruptions. Tuesday, they finished the project in time before the BR opened later in the day.

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“We make a big effort to get everything done in the high traffic areas when the business is closed. We don’t want to impede customer service.  Jeff (Lukasavige, Operations Manager) puts that into our calendars,” Walker explained.

Work began Tuesday with all four indoor cameras placed per the customer’s direction and with professional insights from H&S personnel. Additional wiring and drilling through the backwall concrete was required for this two-tiered install.

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Walker took on the finishing touches of the indoor cameras Tuesday, while Matt jumped on the drill. “We’ve got to start with a smaller hole and then if we need to, we’ll work our way onto a bigger one,” Matt observed.

Before firing up the drill, Hills put in his earplugs and went around to each member of the BR staff to offer them ear protection as well. “We make sure to give earplugs to the cook staff. I always carry extra ear plugs,” he said.

Drill Time

“This is the fun part,” Matt said, as he fired up the drill, applied force to dig the bit in, and the dust started grinding out. Punching through after several minutes, he explained how the next step was to run conduit through the hole for the two outdoor cameras.

While Matt examined his work downstairs, Walker put the finishing wiring touches on cameras upstairs.

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When Hills went outside to admire his handiwork, it wasn’t quite up to his standards. To get the right angle on the mount once he ran the cabling through the concrete, Hills decided he needed to drill a slightly stepper angle through the wall.

His second drill session deemed a success, Hills inserted tubing, then threaded the cabling through the hole. He attached a four-square box, and slid the cabling through it before beginning the next step: running conduit pipe to the back of the building and then right and left to the corners.

(Stay tuned for parts II and III of this story.)