Matt Hills found his perfect fit at H&S Protection. As an installer hired this past September, Hills was looking for a position where he could take on a diverse set of duties, be rewarded for initiative and use all his skills.

When a hiring agency got in touch with Matt after his previous jobs as a fork lift operator and working in manufacturing plants didn’t yield the hours or activities, he sought, he jumped at H&S. “The job description talked about construction wiring and technical smarts. It fit me to a tee. I love tech stuff, and it seemed like a perfect fit,” he said.

He’d been looking for full-time work and had been bored in previous jobs, hoping also to find a position that appreciated him as a hard worker, something he felt hadn’t occurred over the past few years. At age 24, Matt is now settling in with H&S and with his girlfriend Gina, as they look for a place to live together.

“I like that there is something different every day,” Matt said about what he enjoys in his job. “It’s not the same thing every day – like pulling a lever in a plant. It’s fantastic because it’s not factory work, which I’ve done in the past. I get to use my brain instead of just doing what’s expected.”

Matt enjoys the full H&S experience. “H&S treats you like a person, not a number. Mike Horgan (co-owner, along with Steve Garritson, and in charge of the H&S office in Stevens Point, where Matt works out of) is a REAL person. We’re a team, family, close knit. Employees are not a number.”

Hills also appreciates the goal of H&S – protecting people and property. “We keep people safe and give them peace of mind. I go home at night and think to myself, ‘I did good things today’.”

When not installing or servicing alarm systems, video cameras, cable, access control equipment, Hills continues to enjoy working on computers when he is home. He also likes video gaming and describes himself as a “technofile,” which is “why I latched onto networking in the job. It’s a hobby of mine.” He also enjoys hanging out with friends and playing tennis.

“This is the best job I’ve ever had,” Matt enthused. “Customers know that they can rely on us as professionals to do a good job. I see firsthand how some other companies don’t give a job the focus and detail it requires. We’re better than the local competitors. I see it firsthand on my installations when I look at the work other companies have done that we have to fix,” he emphasized.

A snapshot of an H&S Protection video clip helped lead to the apprehension of a Waukesha, WI bank robber this week. The clip was pulled from a video system recently upgraded for the bank by H&S. Last week, H&S helped publicize the robbery in our blog and through social media channels, to help police in their efforts to capture the criminal. You can read more on the previous story here. Below is the mug shot, which you can compare with the image we pulled.

H&S works closely with banks and other clients to ensure technology is regularly assessed and upgraded. In this case, the bank’s cameras were analog. Given the outdated nature of analog technology, H&S assessed, recommended, then installed newer digital cameras that improved the quality and clarity of the images captured during the event. This allowed us to pull a high resolution photo clip from the video and share that with law enforcement.

H&S owners Steve Garritson and Mike Horgan had this to say: “One of the major reasons we got into the security business and enjoy the work we do is our ability to help businesses and homeowners protect their assets, employees and families. To do that well, we regularly look at new technologies available from manufacturers and what would make the best sense for our customers’ needs.”

“For banks, there is a strong need for the most up-to-date camera quality. We meet regularly with the banks we service, and provide information to them to ensure the best protection possible.”

“In this case, we couldn’t be prouder of how things turned out, and that we were able to do our part to help local law enforcement. Sharing the photo clip is an added service we can provide to help protect local businesses and homes in the communities we serve throughout Southeast and Central Wisconsin,” they said.

Professional sports officials, like those officiating the NFL or NBA, for example, get feedback on their performance after every game. They prepare and train even during the off-season. That’s what makes them the best, and helps them execute the rules instantaneously with a high degree of success on a consistent basis.

H&S Protection takes a similar approach with our training. We provide outside courses for our employees. We send them to CEU (Continuing Education) classes so they can learn the newest installation techniques, equipment and standards. We like to see our employees continuously updated and refreshed so they deliver the best service to our customers.

 
Recently we sent Dave Kwasinski and Dave Simon, two of our newer employees, to a CEU class put on by the Electronic Security Association (ESA), the national association supporting our industry. ESA takes best practices and puts them together to ensure superior training is available for those entering the electronic security industry. Dave and Dave are not technicians. They work in business development. But it’s still important to us that they be informed and knowledgeable on the systems they sell. That makes them better able to explain services to our customers and answer customer questions, so we put together the types of security packages that best meet our customers’ needs. We deliver.

The vendors who sell to us also put together training sessions for our staff so that we understand the important features of new technology and what it means to the different types of clients we serve. That keeps us on our toes.

Our people aren’t referees in front of huge television audiences, but they are well-trained professionals in front a hugely important audience – customers with needs to protect their homes, businesses and assets. For H&S employees to be the best, we keep the high level training coming. You can count on us for that.

If you are a veterinarian or work at an animal hospital, you face unique security challenges. First, there are the animals themselves. If something unforeseen happens to an animal in your care, it is always good to have video coverage for insurance backup. That means having security cameras installed strategically throughout your facility.

040129-N-8937A-023 U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan (Jan. 29, 2004) – Army Capt. Sandi Parriott conducts a routine spaying procedure on a DOD family housecat. Capt. Parriott is assigned to the Japan District Veterinarian Command, Sasebo, Japan. U.S. Navy photo by PhotographerÕs Mate 3rd Class Ian W. Anderson. (RELEASED)That video footage not only protects you in case one of the animals is hurt, but also helps identify if another animal (or employee) mistreated the pet. The huge majority of people who work for vets or animal hospitals care deeply about the pets. But that’s not 100 percent of the employees. And it only takes one angry, disgruntled or emotionally tight individual to do some harm to your business and reputation.

A second unique need for vets and animal hospitals to consider is to protect pharmaceuticals on-site. Sadly, drug addicts seek out weakened security buildings, and a vet business or animal hospital can be perceived that way. Drugs used to treat animals are targets for both human use and resale by addicts. Access control, video, intercom systems, motion sensors, window breaks and video doorbells are all options useful to protect these facilities from forced entry.

Finally, don’t forget about your employees and your parking lot. There are many crimes of opportunity that occur when we happen to look away. Even if you live or work in a “safe” neighborhood, it doesn’t mean temptation won’t occasionally strike a passer-by to punch in a window to grab a purse or reach in an open car window to lift a smart phone. Protecting your parking lot with video coverage is a good idea. Not only does it give peace-of-mind to your customers and employees, but it also provides you video footage if something happens to an animal in your parking lot and you need to access it later.

At H&S, we service many businesses, and pride ourselves on coverage for these types of facilities. Give us a call and let us know what concerns you have when it comes to security protection. We’re here to listen, so we can design, install and monitor what works best for you.

Everyone wants to get a good deal when they make a purchase. You look at options, compare prices, service, products, and if all things are equal, you go with the lower price. All things are not created equal though.

This came home to us recently. We worked closely with a customer on a fairly involved security project. We outlined what we could do, along with the technology we’d deploy. It was not a simple system we planned to install and we chose equipment that we knew was high quality and got the job done right.

We lost the bid. The customer went with a significantly lower-priced security provider, thinking he would get a great deal. He found out that wasn’t the case.

After installation began, we received a call from the prospective client. He was unhappy. The security company he’d hired was not doing the job he wanted. The installation and equipment weren’t up to snuff. He wanted to bring us in to clean up the mess.

We’re back working with this customer, doing our best to get the project online and to his specifications. We’re not saying H&S Protection is the best company you’re ever going to find in the security business. What we hope you take from this story is to research the security company you hire. Ask around. See what they’ve done for other clients. Less expensive is seldom the BEST choice. There are many variables to consider when choosing a security company for your business or home.

H&S works extremely hard at listening and helping you figure out what the best options are to protect your assets, employees, family, home or business. Give us a call.