NBFAA Member Update for Friday, September 2, 2005

Association News

Executive Perspective: NBFAA Urges Members to Support Hurricane Relief Efforts
In response to the immediate need for relief in those areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, the NBFAA is coordinating a fundraising campaign to assist those in need.

Hurricane Katrina Closes NTS Office in Louisiana
Due to Hurricane Katrina, the National Training School (NTS) office located in Louisiana has been temporarily closed. If you need to contact NTS please call 866-636-1687 or send faxes to 814-838-5127. For information via e-mail contact Dale Eller at DaleE@alarm.org.

First Round of Double Bonu$ Program Meets with Success
The NBFAA added nearly 300 new member companies during the first round of the New Member Double Bonu$ Program thanks to the incentives offered by the sponsoring organizations and support from participating Chartered State Associations (CSAs).

Conference Receives Rave Reviews
The 2005 NBFAA Fall Conference and CSA Symposium took center stage last week in New York with rave reviews.

Leadership Awards Announced
One of the highlights of the NBFAA conference was the 2005 Fall Leadership Award luncheon where individuals, member companies and state chapters were recognized.

Take a Swing at the NBFAA/AIREF 2006 Golf Tournament
Come a day early to the ISC West show in Las Vegas and take the opportunity to Golf without Guilt. The third annual NBFAA/AIREF Golf Tournament will be held April 4, 2006. For additional information contact Kandice Carlson at 888-447-1689.

Check Out the Latest NTS Courses
Ensure success and provide your employees with the tools they need to deliver quality customer service. Check out the available NTS courses in your area and sign up today.

Member News

Criticom Announces New Interest-Free Program
Criticom International announced a cash incentive program, or CAIP, available to any new dealer that doesn’t monitor 100 percent of its accounts with the company.

GE Security Makes a Change
A change in leadership and location are in the horizon for GE Security, who plans to move their headquarters from Austin, Texas, to Florida.

Member Benefit Spotlight: Paychex
Let Paychex-a leading national provider of payroll, human resources, and benefits services for small-to medium-sized businesses-handle these tasks! NBFAA members receive a 15 percent discount on payroll processing.

Industry News

FBI: Nation's Crime Dropping
According to the FBI and preliminary figures from 2004, the United States has seen the largest drop in property crime in eight years.

In The News

Stay Current with NBFAA News

NBFAA Press Releases

NBFAA Announces 2005 Fall Leadership Award Winners

Association News

Executive Perspective: NBFAA Urges Members to Support Hurricane Relief Efforts

By Merlin Guilbeau
Executive Director

NBFAA extends its deepest sympathies to all those who lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods amid the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Many in our industry are being personally and profoundly affected by this horrific natural disaster.

In response to the immediate need for relief in those areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, the NBFAA is coordinating a fundraising campaign to assist those in need. The association is collecting donations for the American Red Cross. We believe giving collectively as a community of electronic life safety, security and systems professionals will be an important sign of compassion for those who have been impacted by this event. Therefore, we are asking you to consider doing the following:

1.   Make a personal donation
2.   Make a corporate donation
3.   Collect individual donations from your employees and customers

All checks should be made payable to "American Red Cross 2005 Hurricane Season Relief," or make the check payable to "American Red Cross" and write "2005 Hurricane Season Relief" in the memo line.

All checks should be sent to:

NBFAA
Attn: Hurricane Katrina
2300 Valley View Lane, Suite 230
Irving , TX 75062

NBFAA will then compile all of the donations and submit them to the American Red Cross on behalf of NBFAA members.

Because of the urgent need for relief, we would like to receive all donations by the close of business on Friday, September 16.

If you have questions, please contact the NBFAA toll free at 888-447-1689.

Hurricane Katrina Closes NTS Office in Louisiana

Due to Hurricane Katrina, the National Training School (NTS) office located in Louisiana has been temporarily closed. If you need to contact NTS please call 866-636-1687 or send faxes to 814-838-5127. For information via e-mail contact Dale Eller at DaleE@alarm.org.

To all CSA's who are completing NTS courses, please send class reconciliation materials and test results to NTS at the following address:
3718 West Lake Road, Erie, PA 16505.

The temporary telephone, fax and address should be used until further notice, as officials in Louisiana have informed us that we may not have full access to this area for up to six weeks, or longer.

Education and Standards Manager Ann Dowdy is safe and sound just not able to work from her home at the moment. At this time, please keep those affected by Katrina in your thoughts and prayers.

We will keep you informed as developments occur.

First Round of Double Bonu$ Program Meets with Success

The NBFAA added nearly 300 new member companies during the first round of the New Member Double Bonu$ Program thanks to the incentives offered by the sponsoring organizations and support from participating Chartered State Associations (CSAs).

The program began in February with three sponsoring organizations: ADI, Criticom International, and the National Training School (NTS). New member companies who joined the association between Feb. 15 and Aug. 15 will receive a total of $150 in incentives ($50 from ADI, Criticom and NTS) over and above the discounts and services available to all 2005 members. ADI and Criticom also pledged to donate $50 to the association for each new member company.

During the Fall conference last week, Mark Ingram, vice president of national accounts for ADI, and Tom Few, Jr., vice president of marketing and sales for Criticom, both presented NBFAA with checks totaling more than $11,000 each for their sponsorship of the Double Bonu$ Program. These donations will in turn be shared with the CSAs that signed up to promote the program.

Senior Director of Business Development Tonja Jenkins said, “This program is a win for the new member, a win for the state association, a win for the sponsors, a win for the NBFAA and most importantly, a win for current members - because they have another 300 fellow companies helping to bear the responsibility of supporting the industry.”

For more information about the New Member Double Bonu$ Program, or if you are interested in sponsoring the 2006 program, please contact Tonja Jenkins at (888) 447-1689 ext 206 or by e-mail at TonjaJ@alarm.org.

For more information on ADI, go to www.adilink.com. For more information on Criticom International, go to www.criticominternational.com.

NBFAA Conference Receives Rave Reviews

If you were unable to be in New York this past week for the 2005 NBFAA Fall Conference and CSA Symposium, you missed a fun and exciting time for the security industry.

It was a great opportunity for us to network and recruit prospective members. The conference began with a media seminar by Senior Manager of Industry and Public Relations for Brink’s Home Security, David Simon and the 2005 Leadership Awards Luncheon.

On Tuesday, attendees began their day with a breakfast with presenter Mark Ingram, vice president of national accounts for ADI, who talked about the power of associations and strength in numbers. Several committees met on Tuesday and the afternoon concluded with the CSA Symposium, led by motivational speaker, Cynthia D’Amour.

We received a lot of positive feedback on D’Amour, who held an interactive session that focused on how to motivate association volunteers.

The NBFAA would like to thank all those who attended the conference, especially the volunteers who work on the various committees. The contributions from individuals who donate their time and resources are invaluable to the association. Thanks everyone for your support.

Also, thanks to everyone who stopped by the NBFAA booth at ISC East. Our goal was to meet and greet as many members and non-members as possible and it was a success! We signed several new members and met many prospective ones. Thank you for your continuing support.

If we missed you in New York, we hope you can join us in April at the 2006 NBFAA Spring Conference in Las Vegas. Keep up to date on the upcoming conference through Member Update, Newsline and other member communications.

Photos from the conference will be available early next week at www.alarm.org in the Information Center.

Leadership Awards Announced

One of the highlights of the conference was the 2005 Fall Leadership Award luncheon where individuals, member companies and state chapters were recognized.

Kile Unterzuber, a representative from the North Carolina Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NCBFAA) was named Instructor of the Year for the National Training School (NTS). Unterzuber previously received the “Special Instructor Award” in 1999 and 2000, and was named the NCBFAA Person of the Year in 2003.

The NTS Training Coordinator of the Year Award was given to Frank Campbell of the Georgia Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (GBFAA). Campbell has been the Training Director of the GBFAA for five years.

Associate Member of the Year was awarded to the Alarm Debt Liquidation Group, a division of Anderson, Crenshaw & Associates, for their enthusiastic support of NBFAA. They have provided resources and actively participated in many venues to benefit the association, and this year they’ve stepped up their participation even further by becoming a new ‘Member Benefit Program’ partner -- offering NBFAA members special discounts.

The Alabama Alarm Association (AAA) newsletter was named the CSA Newsletter of the Year. Their publication succeeded in keeping the AAA updated with the latest industry news in a professional and timely fashion.

CSA Executive Director of the Year was awarded to Carol McLester of the North Carolina Burglar and Fire Alarm Association for her enthusiasm and dedication to NCBFAA and NBFAA.

Mike Horgan , president of the Wisconsin Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (WBFAA), was named the CSA President of the Year. His leadership and commitment to the association were determining factors in the decision. In addition, the Chartered State Association of the Year was presented to the WBFAA.

In addition to the NBFAA awards, the 2005 NBFAA/Security Dealer Scholarship winner, David Eichler , Mountain Lakes, N.J. and his father were special guests at the ISC East Industry Affairs breakfast. Merlin Guilbeau, NBFAA executive director, Peter Harlick, publisher of Security Dealer and Chris Mosely, president of the New Jersey chapter, helped present the check to Eichler during the breakfast. Editor’s Note: The scholarship winners were previously announced July 11 in an NBFAA press release which is available online at www.alarm.org in the Press Release list in the Information Center.

Photos of the award winners will be available early next week at www.alarm.org in the Information Center.

Take a Swing at NBFAA/AIREF 2006 Golf Tournament

Come a day early to the ISC West show in Las Vegas and take the opportunity to Golf without Guilt. The third annual NBFAA/AIREF Golf Tournament will be held April 4, 2006.

For more information about the tournament as well as the ISC West in Las Vegas contact Kandice Carlson at 888-447-1689.

Check Out the Latest NTS Courses

Ensure success and provide your employees with the tools they need to deliver quality customer service. Check out the available NTS courses in your area and sign up today.

Editor’s Note : With the disruption of lives and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi, a number of courses may be affected. Please contact NTS at 866-636-1687 for questions concerning courses in those states.

Understanding Alarm Systems
Sept. 24- LaPlace, La.

Certified Alarm Tech
Sept. 7-9-Elmsford, N.Y.
Sept. 9-11-Monroe, La.
Sept. 9-11-Knoxville, Tenn.
Sept. 12-14-Beltsville, Md.
Sept. 13-15-Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sept. 16-18-Del City, Okla.
Sept. 21-23-Charleston, S.C.
Sept. 23-25-Nashville, Tenn.
Sept. 27-29-Little Rock, Ark.
Sept. 27-29-Philadelphia, Pa.
Sept. 28-30-Buffalo, N.Y.

Practical Electronics (Level 2)
Sept. 16-18-Del City, Okla.

Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician
Sept. 14-16-Syracuse, N.Y.
Sept. 17-18-LaPlace, La.
Sept. 17-18-Montevallo, Ala.
Sept. 21-22-Charleston, S.C.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2- Jackson, Miss.

Fire Alarm Installation Methods
Sept. 16-18-Del City, Okla.
Sept. 22-23-Elk Grove, Ill.
Sept. 22-23-Milwaukee, Wis.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2- Jackson, Miss.

Life Safety Code Course and Workshop
Sept. 16-18-Del City, Okla.

Central Station Training
Sept. 21-Montevallo, Ala.

Security Networking Institute
Sept. 19-20-Dallas, Texas
Sept. 22-23-Houston, Texas
Sept. 30-Oct. 1-Georgia