Security Sales & Integration January 2022 - 59

EXECUTIVE DECISIONS
Big Idea by Ron Davis
Applying the
Golden Rule
IDEA OF
THE MONTH
What is one really great
idea that you would
share with the industry?
" My goal is to build
the company to
the point that will
allow me to share
all of the benefi ts
that I will earn, with
others... "
- Christian Cahill
▶ SSI INDUSTRY HALL OF FAMER Alan
Glasser is, in my eyes, a big man. He has a great
spirit, big heart and a warm empathy for others.
He's also the president of MBFAA, one of the
larger associations in the country, and certainly
a giant in New York. Th e last time he called, he
asked me to " come home to Brooklyn " where I
was born, have a great Italian dinner, oh and by
the way, speak to his members. I did. He's also one
of my biggest fans and there isn't much I wouldn't
do for him. So, it was quite surprising when I got
an email from him last weekend. It was addressed
to me and my partner, Steve Rubin.
It started off with, " I am typing on the small
tablet ... doing my best! Love to all. Alan. " He
then followed up with a letter from one of his
members, Christian Cahill. He wrote: " My name
is Christian Cahill. I am currently enrolled in Mr.
Glasser's 81-hour course and making the most of
it. Alan provided us with one of the many handouts,
including your document, Opportunities
to Understand Value. I have to tell you as a business
owner that this is one of the most inspirational
documents not only for an owner, but also
for organizations' incentivized employees. I just
wanted to thank you for this information and I
was hoping to get on a call to understand how
you can help strengthen my organization from
an RMR perspective. "
I immediately called Alan and thanked him.
I asked him if he would mind if I called ChrisRon
Davis is an SSI
Industry Hall of Fame
inductee and President of
Davis Mergers and
Acquisitions Group Inc.
Also known as The Graybeards,
the company is
active in acquisitions and
mergers exclusively in the
alarm business.
securitysales.com
tian, and query him on some of his great ideas. Of
course, Alan encouraged this, and within fi ve minutes,
I was talking to Christian on the phone ...
or more accurately I was talking to his daughter,
Rylan, all of six years old, and probably as smart as
some of the dealers I've interviewed over the years.
When Rylan felt it was appropriate, she handed
the phone to her father, who started laughing,
as if I had passed some kind of test. After we
exchanged pleasantries, I asked him a little bit
about his company, the history and so forth. Th e
company is located in Port Washington, N.Y.,
has been around for 16 years, and Christian is
the president and CEO. Th ree of Christian's
rdavis@graybeardsrus.com
friends were original partners, including Eric
L'Esperance, whose vision and experience in the
construction and elevator industry provided the
framework for the future success of the company.
Little by little they moved on and the company
grew to where it is today.
When I asked him about the size of the company,
he didn't hesitate. Th ey are a full-service
integrator and have 45 employees. Most of them
are long-term employees and the company will
probably do somewhere around $10 million in
revenue this year. Recently, the company was the
recipient of two $7.5 million contracts with the
state of New York. Th is guy is a mover and shaker
and doesn't even know it. He seems so humble in
talking to him (and he is). He's in his mid-40s
and the core group of employees he had from the
beginning are still there.
I eventually asked him if he had just one great
idea that he could share with the industry, what
would it be? Like most successful people, he answered
almost immediately that his goal is always
to make people happy, and that includes customers,
employees, and vendors. " My goal is to
build the company to the point that will allow
me to share all of the benefi ts that I will earn,
with others ... fi nancially, spiritually and have a
great work environment where people will always
be happy to come to work. "
I guess the overriding message here is to just
read and apply within the golden rule. Th ere is
another lesson here, also. It has to do with changes
that have taken place in the industry since the
start of COVID. I know many of you are experiencing
a reduction in telephone calls, followed by
an increase in the number of emails you receive.
As you open these emails, you see all sorts of information
that has been supplied by manufacturers,
distributors, etc. Th ere is good information in
much of this, and when you fi nd it, why not sit
down and write a note to the author (via email, of
course!) and compliment the writer.
So my thanks go out to Alan and Christian for
writing me. And, of course, to my partner Steve,
who started the whole process with writing a great
article. I think that Christian and I will probably
become friends and I'm fairly sure that as his company
grows, Christian will use us as his broker. All
from a note from a reader to the author. Why not
start there? Send a note to somebody you have
been reading and let them know how much you
appreciate what it is they have written.
JANUARY 2022 Security Sales & Integration 59
http://www.securitysales.com
Security Sales & Integration January 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Security Sales & Integration January 2022
