Security Sales July 2021 - 26

of the best
2021 Small to Midsize
Installer of the Year
scDataCom Breaks
Mold, Wins Gold
A new standard of security integrator is emerging, and one of its
torchbearers calls Savannah, Ga., home. There, a 25-strong team is
piling up victories that include a 2021 SSI Installer of the Year Award.
By Scott Goldfıne
VITAL STATS
scDataCom
Year Founded: 2013
Headquarters: Savannah, Ga.
Monitoring Services:
Outsourced to USA Central
Station
Number of Employees: 25
Customer Base: Several hundred
Markets Served: Department
of Veterans Aff airs, Georgia
Ports Authority, St. Joseph/
Candler Hospitals and other
medium- to enterprise-level
businesses
Technology/System
Specialties: Access control,
video surveillance, intrusion
detection and low-voltage
cabling
T
his isn't your father's security integration
business - or any father's
for that matter. Shattering historical
and preconceived notions of
what a solutions provider looks like and can
be is scDataCom, founded in 2013 by Alaina
Meyer and operated in partnership with her
mother, Kathleen Ford. In a fi eld in which
the overwhelming majority of company owners
and managers have traditionally been men
(89% according to SSI's 2014 data), and many
women in those positions spouses or children
of family-run businesses, scDataCom is a most
welcome symbol of progression, inclusion and
exciting new possibilities.
" I retired from the army in 2012, happily
trading in my boots for fl ipfl ops, and was
busy vigorously pursuing my hobbies when my
daughter had a big idea and asked me to help, "
says Ford, who spent 26 years in the service.
" A new college grad and a retired army nurse
starting a security company? What could possibly
go wrong? It's a good thing we didn't know
what we didn't know - made it much easier to
charge forward and fi gure things out. "
Initially struggling to take scDataCom to the
next level, Meyer reached out to her mother to
capitalize on her decades of strategic talents and
leadership abilities. Th eir subsequent success
has allowed their compelling story to supersede
gender references.
Coming onboard in 2014 as co-owner and
business partner, Ford has proved instrumental
in growing the fl edgling enterprise. Th e Savannah,
Ga.-based company has expanded to a
staff of 25 (more than half of whom are veterans)
and achieved 400% year-over-year growth.
26
Security Sales & Integration JULY 2021
" In scDataCom's early days, I was operating
on momentum and brute force of will - after
all my resume is certainly atypical for this industry, "
says Meyer, who after college worked
as a fi ne art consultant. " But I knew there was a
place in this market for a disrupter. When I was
able to convince my mom to join, she helped
shape us into that disrupter. Now we are having
so much fun learning and conquering this industry
together. "
Th ose maneuvers, eff orts and results have
led to scDataCom being named the 2021 SSI
Small to Midsize Installer of the Year. Among
the many virtues that shine through is the fi rm's
determination and tenacity, which is exemplifi
ed by what Meyer calls scDataCom's " honey
badger spirit " to get things done.
Persevering a Pandemic
Alaina Meyer: My mother and I were both
feeling the weight of the responsibility for keeping
this business and the families that depend
on it safe. We were keenly aware of how vulnerable
our employees were - if we opted to cut
costs by implementing layoff s, at a time where
there may be no other jobs, what would they
do? Th e health risks were frightening enough,
but the demise of a person's livelihood is no
small thing, and we felt honor bound to do
everything we could to fi gure things out quickly
and to create stability for our team. As the
impact of COVID unfolded, scDataCom got
busy crafting our pivot strategy - fi nding a
new way to aid our customers while simultaneously
securing our own future.
In March 2020, we launched a free pilot of
our SafeCity initiative. Th is program was desecuritysales.com
best
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Security Sales July 2021

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