Bar Cameras — Part I

(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.

bar one

“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.

bar two

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.

bar three

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.)

Friendship Leads Walker Mence to H&S

Friendship led Walker Mence to H&S Protection. A friend of Matt Hills since high school, Matt knew Walker had just left his previous job a little over a year ago and figured he’d be a good fit with H&S.

“After talking with Matt, I met with Mike (Horgan, H&S Co-owner) and Jeff (Lukasavige, Operations Manager) and they said I had the personality type they were looking for. I’ve been way happier here than any other job I’ve had,” Walker explained.

walker mence

Previously, Mence had been driving a forklift for Capstone Logistics in their warehouse, also helping to train employees in facility setup. He was there 2-3 years, and before that had stints at Hobby Lobby, working in customer service and a grocery store.

“I really like the variety of the jobs I work on here at H&S. It’s never repetitive,” he said.

As an Alarm Technician at H&S, Mence installs and services camera, fire, burglar alarm and access control systems.

He’s also a new father, as his wife of 7 years, Alorah, gave birth to their daughter Liliana August 14.

“I’m a big gamer,” Mence said of his side interests. “I’m into video and board games and have hosted board game nights. I’m also diving into learning the piano. It’s an absolute joy.”

He used to be a rock climber, but with less time on his hands these days, he hopes to get back to that at some point in the future.

Walker describes H&S as “close knit.” Everyone gets along. It’s more like a family than any other job I’ve had. People know each other better here and are super nice. I felt like a number at some of my previous jobs.”

walker mence one

He finds his current position intellectually engaging. “Everyone works together to solve a problem – sales, technicians, customer service. We improve together.”

One of the advantages Walker sees in his position is the ability to go into different work environments on a regular basis. “We get to go into businesses, homes and meet people in the communities we serve and get to interact closely with them,” he observed.

He cited as one example an antique store where he’s worked on the install. The store peaked his curiosity and he took his wife there a few days later. “When you do work for a customer, you get to know them and what they do, so if you go back, they recognize you.”

Mence not only likes his job, but is excited to take what he’s learned in his position and apply it to his own home. “I want to personalize it for our house. Maybe put a camera in the baby’s room,” he said.

He’s also found that his family members are interested in what he does and look to him for answers on security and installation questions.

“This is the first job where I have no worries when I get up in the morning and get ready to go to work. It’s nice. I’ve worked in a meat packing plant and would sit in the parking lot and dread going into work.”

Giving his gaming personality, Mence sees advantages that gives him when installing a security system. “Gamers access problems differently. It’s a good fit for this job. New games have new rules and gamers have to learn them. If you go to an installation and there’s a new panel, you need to tackle it and figure it out. In both cases you’re have to take what you know and apply it in a new environment.”

If  you need to reach Walker at H&S Protection, you can email him at [email protected], or call him directly at 715-347-2332.

Cleaning Up

Cleaning up is a big deal. We know how we personally feel when a service technician comes into our home and leaves behind dirt, wood shavings or other side effects from their work: Not good. Everyone wants their home or business to be exactly the way it was before the work commenced.

 

That’s a big reason we work hard to train our staff to clean up thoroughly when they complete their customer visits. We expect your home or business to be clean to your specifications when our people leave the job. As a customer, you should expect that level of professionalism from H&S Protection. If you don’t receive it, we strongly encourage you to contact us so we can make it right.

construction cleanup

Cleaning up on a job site after the work is done isn’t complicated. But it is something that should be done correctly after every service call. Our cleanup standard ethics are to make sure each job site is spotless daily when our technicians leave your site.

Expect no less from H&S. We know cleaning up is a big deal for you. It certainly is for us.

Making a Positive Impact on the Lives of Others: Cindy Malcolm

Cindy Malcolm appreciates making a positive impact on the lives of others. It’s one of the  reasons she appreciates working for H&S Protection out of our Stevens Point, WI office.

“This company has made a huge difference in the lives of many people. With generations of experience and lots of knowledge, you are choosing a good company,” she said.

cindy malcolm

She was drawn to H&S after seeing a job posting online, and has been with H&S for a year. Previously, she worked at Northcentral Technical College as an Assistant to the Business and Industry Department.

At H&S, Cindy serves as an Administrative Assistant. Her primary duties are to answer phone calls, process jobs, create files for our technicians, and client account management.

In her spare time, Cindy’s hobbies include working out at the gym, reading, gardening, and hiking. She has a wonderful son, Kaleb Malcolm.

You may reach Cindy directly in our Stevens Point Office at  715-344-0727 or by emailing her at [email protected].

Ops

If you look for a home or business security services company in Wisconsin, what makes a company standout? One quality we believe here at H&S Protection that separates us from other Wisconsin-based security firms is the fact that each Monday morning we sit down as a full team at both our Stevens Point and Pewaukee offices, and go over upcoming projects. That’s our Ops (operations) meeting.

hs ops

This may sound boring. It’s not. It gives our people an edge and helps us provide you with the exact products and services you want in an installation. We dig into problems and troubleshoot. You’ll find lively discussions occurring at 7:42 a.m., discussions that refine our projects to meet customer specifications.  It helps ensure our costs stay in line, and that we deliver the products and timeliness you seek.

 

We couldn’t do those things without the Ops meeting. You won’t hear of many other family-based security companies putting this extra effort into holding a meeting when service and sales staff could be out on the road. We take this extra step because we believe in doing each job right. And because the Ops meeting makes a positive difference in our installation and service calls.

hs ops meet

H&S Protection takes the extra step. That’s important to us and we hope it’s important to you. When you hire us for a job, we’ll fine-tooth-comb it in our Ops meeting. You might snooze through that meeting. We won’t. It’s important for us put ideas on the table and bat around solutions. That keeps us on our toes, and means we’re going to always deliver to our customers the best solution possible. We hope it also sets us apart from our competitors.
Give us a call or check us out on the H&S web site.

Our Highway Cleanup Crew

Late last month, H&S employees completed our annual roadside cleanup. We’ve picked up debris along the road we sponsor in Stevens Point because it’s the right thing to do for our community and the environment. We’re proud of this commitment.

 

Employees picked up plastic bottles, bags, cans, paper bags and assorted other items discarded by the side of a two-mile stretch of Highway 66 between Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids. Ten staff members completed the cleanup.

highway

Team members traveled from our Pewaukee, WI office to participate and help keep Central Wisconsin beautiful.

 

“We’ve been doing this for many years because we’re committed to not only protecting homes and businesses with our security services, but also protecting our environment for future generations of Wisconsinites,” said H&S Co-Owner Mike Horgan.

Ben Garritson Wins Wisconsin’s “Technician of the Year” Award

At the Wisconsin Electronic Security Association’s annual meeting and award ceremony, H&S Protection’s Ben Garritson was honored with the “Technician of the Year” Award. We take our business seriously, and awards like this mean a lot to us as a company and demonstrate our commitment to serving customers to the best of our ability.

 

We congratulate Ben for his effort, training and consistent commitment to make his service calls the best possible. Soon after Ben received the award, we posted his photo to Facebook, and a customer comment quickly came in. The customer stated in part:

“He’s the best. (He provides the) most professional, courteous and thorough work every time I need service. Congratulations.”

ben

We think that sums up Ben in many ways. We also hope that sums up the push at H&S to deliver to our customers the type of service where they want to compliment us afterwards. That means a lot to us, and it is how we work hard every day to separate ourselves from other security companies.

 

Check out our services. If you’d like to get to know our people better, you’ll find more on our employee page. If you have a home or business in Wisconsin and are thinking about security, think about H&S Protection. We appreciate the opportunity to earn your trust and business.

H&S System Helps Prevent Theft at Indoor Shooting Range

An indoor shooting range in Mequon, WI, remains open to customers after a potential theft was thwarted by an H&S Protection alarm and video security system. “Bear Arms,” a Boutique Indoor Shooting Range, was breached recently through the wall at a side business, but the alarm summoned police and the video system captured high quality clips now being used by law enforcement to track the suspected thief.

Owner Cheryle Rebholz was thankful for the protection and rapid response by police to the alarm. “We knew going in that shooting ranges can be a target of burglars. One of the reasons I opened the range was to help women learn how to properly use firearms and protect themselves and their loved ones. H&S’s security provided us extra protection to not only alert the police if we had a break-in, but also capture video to help in apprehension. Both systems worked the way they should,” Rebholz said.

shooting

H&S Protection’s Dave Kwasinski, who worked with Rebholz to create a robust system, was thankful the security system protected customers, employees and the assets of Bear Arms. “It feels terrific to design a system that prevented a theft. I hope it leads to an arrest and charges filed against the individual,” he said.

One of the police officers on the case provided feedback that he has “never seen video so clear before.” H&S continually upgrades technologies to stay up with industry trends and provide customers with the highest quality video equipment.

Nothing was taken in the break-in. “We’re thankful we had the alarm and camera system,” Rebholz said. “We might do some upgrades to further enhance our protection.”

H&S Protection has offices in Pewaukee and Stevens Point, WI, for your business and security needs. Sales and service representatives at those locations can be reached at www.hsprotection.net.

Simplify Your Access Control

If you own or manage a beer brewing business, we have new technology to simplify your security. But this access control system from alarm.com isn’t just for brewers. It’s for any business with multiple buildings or data sensitive needs.

In most setups for this industry, there’s a distillery, a brewery and a restaurant. Some employees need full access to all three. Some don’t. For example, managers may need to easily move from one building to the next. A cook, in contrast, may only need entrance to the restaurant. Access control technology builds on perimeter security and offers business owners options to improve and simplify who has access and when to different buildings.

beer

H&S Protection has been providing this technology for many years.  What’s new is that our partnership with Alarm.com now allows us to provide cloud-based platforms, which eliminate the need for expensive client servers to store data and manage systems on site.  Instead, data is now stored off-site and user management can be done quickly and easily from the Alarm.com phone app.

It’s simple for H&S Protection to set this system up for you. We program it. We work with you to decide who should be able to go where, and when. The information will be stored in the cloud for you. And it will be easily accessible, hence changeable.

We take care of your initial programming. But you can change it in an instant through the app. Traditionally, this information is stored on your server, but another advantage of this system is sending the storage to the cloud, which allows greater ease for you in changing out access. If left on the server, typically your IT person is necessary to help make any changes.

We’ve worked this technology into our offerings over the past year, and it has been well-tested. Cloud security has also been improved. With more information being stored on the cloud, there’s less on your server to worry about.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a brewer. Large buildings, particularly with data sensitive issues, are an excellent fit for this technology in terms of upgrading and simplifying access. Insurance companies, small- and medium-sized businesses can all take advantage of the system. If you find you’re regularly have to change door locks, alarm.com could be a great addition. If you’re a large industrial company with a dangerous workplace, where you need to prevent access to critical areas, this access control system could be just right.

Give access to the people who need it. Prevent vendors from unnecessarily wandering around the warehouse. Reduce your liability concerns.

If you already have perimeter/intrusion security, this access control technology is an easy upgrade. Give  us a call to find out more in Stevens Point at 715.344.0727 or Pewaukee at 262.574.7777.

Let us know how H&S Protection can help serve your security needs. Give us a call or check out our web site at www.hsprotection.net.

Peterson Heads from Florida to Central Wisconsin to Join H&S

Originally from Central Wisconsin, Ross Peterson lived in Northwest Florida on the Gulf Coast. The Gulf Coast area was a vacation spot when he was younger and he decided to move to the area after finishing college. While things were going well in Florida, he had an opportunity to move back to the Stevens Point area to be closer with family.

“I saw an advertisement for an open position with H&S Protection. I remember hearing great things about the company and knew that I would like this line of work. I have been with H&S Protection since 2015. Being a smaller company, the owners and employees treat me like a person and not a number, which makes me feel that I made the right decision by joining H&S’s team,” he observed.

ross

Before H&S, Ross worked in various physical security-type jobs, with his last being at a large 43-acre condominium resort in northwest Florida. He also worked in loss prevention/asset protection, protecting the property of business owners.

“I work as an installer and also complete service to existing systems. I like the variety of systems that we work with and customers to make that happen. With my previous background being in physical security, I like to understand the customers’ needs on specific security devices and provide my input on best devices to use and placement of them. Continuing education provided by H&S’s various suppliers/vendors and ESA (Electronic Security Association) is very important in this fast-paced industry and I enjoy learning new things to apply to my position,” he said

“Taylor, my girlfriend of 5 years, is very supportive of my job as sometimes I work on furthering my knowledge of systems at home. We purchased a home in Plover (15 minutes from the Stevens Point Office) together in 2017 and have a small dog named Nya. My parents live close by in Plover, and I have a brother in Minneapolis,” Peterson said.

During his spare time, Ross enjoys spending time with family, going back to the gulf coast and being on the water, fishing, working on vehicles and enjoying life as it comes.

“H&S Protection Systems can improve your residence or business by skillfully designing a system that meets and exceeds your needs with top notch support and service with a local feel,” he observed.

Ross can be reached on his cell at 262.894.0130 or by email at [email protected].