A record 200 plus industry leaders, chapter leaders, business owners and managers descended upon Fort Worth, Texas last week to take part in the annual ESA Leadership Summit.
It was a productive event that was packed with high-level association meetings, training seminars and social and networking events that left no one out of the fun. A full recap of all the exciting developments at this year’s event is provided below. Photos, presentations and documents from the event can also be downloaded by visiting the event recap pages online.
Many thanks to the Executive Strategic Partners who stepped up to sponsor individual events. GE Security was the corporate sponsor, Honeywell sponsored the Leadership Awards dinner, ADI sponsored the networking lunch, Altronix sponsored the Chapter Appreciation Reception, and Security America Risk Retention Group and Diebold sponsored the Leadership Breakfast.


Board approves an ex-officio seat for Young Security Professionals

Recognizing the importance of Young Security Professionals (YSP) in the future of ESA, the board approved a motion to include the chairman of the YSPs as an ex-officio member. Currently, Trevor McEnany serves as the YSP chair and will represent YSP in this position.
New format for next year’s Leadership Summit announced

At the State Leadership Breakfast on Wednesday morning, John Galante of AE Ventures presented the new format of the 2011 Leadership Summit. The summit will be comprised of two parts: a two-day hosted event followed by two days of the traditional Leadership Summit format.
The hosted event will be headed by AE Ventures. Integrator members of the ESA board of directors, executive committee, committee chairs and senior executives from the top-dollar volume members of ESA will be eligible for hosting benefits which include air fare, ground transportation in the host city, food and beverage and lodging. In recognition of these benefits, guests agree to attend all general sessions, boardroom presentations and one-on-one meetings with vendor sponsors. Vendors choosing boardroom sponsorships will have appointment times with senior decision makers from industry-leading companies. Sponsorship opportunities for social functions and general sessions are also available.
The second half of the event will feature two days of the valuable association meetings, social functions and topical seminars that all ESA members have come to appreciate and enjoy.
Leadership awards
ESA honored several outstanding individuals and states for their dedication to the electronic security industry during the 2010 Leadership Summit.
Instructor of the Year

Don Childers won this year’s Instructor of the Year award because of his tireless work on behalf of NTS. He developed courses, got them approved by the necessary regulatory agencies, scheduled and promoted a statewide and year-long training program, all while never accepting any compensation for the hours of planning and instructing he personally conducted on behalf of his state and NTS. All of these accomplishments were done in a spirit of honest and humble service to the association and its members. Dom D’Ascoli, ESA Vice President/President-Elect, accepted the award on Don’s behalf.
State Training Coordinator of the Year

Because of his commitment to the training activities of his Chartered Chapter, John Yusza from Connecticut was awarded State Training Coordinator of the Year. His work developing the training program and coordination the state certified instructors, as well as taking on the responsibility of submitting NTS course materials to Connecticut for approval as an alternative to the State’s Apprenticeship Training Curriculum to submit earned him the honor. Accepting the award on John’s behalf were state Education Committee Chairman Joel Kent and Connecticut 1st Vice President Jason Sokol.
Chapter Newsletter of the Year

InSecurity, published by the Arizona Alarm Association won the Chapter Newsletter of the Year award for its effectiveness as a member communications service, well-written articles that convey helpful information and strong support of ESA activities, consistent distribution, and quality layout and design.
Maria Malice, president of the Arizona Alarm Association, accepted the award.
Executive Director of the Year

Gwen Clavelle from the Louisiana Life Safety and Security Association exhibited the characteristics necessary to win: she clarifies the vision of the chapter and puts that vision into action, she solidifies the relationship between their chapter and the national association and is a leader within the security industry, her community and her personal spheres of influence. LLSSA President Mary Ferguson accepted the award on her behalf.
President of the Year

Because of her hard work and the ability to lead people from different backgrounds and the initiative she takes to get things done, Maria Malice was honored with the President of the Year award. She was a driving force in doubling the chapter membership, hiring a lobbyist to work on state-wide licensing issues and making the chapter newsletter a leading newsletter among chapter newsletters.
Chapter of the Year

The chapter of the year award was bestowed on the Arizona Alarm Association because of its dedication to the betterment of, and unwavering loyalty to, the industry. Other criteria were effectiveness of meetings, engagement in industry issues at local, state and national levels, vision and results demonstrated by volunteer leadership and/or paid staff, effectiveness and quality of products and services provided to members, its communications, public relations, and government relations, its training and the networking opportunities it presents.