Security Sales & Integration March 2022 - 41

trust in his objectivity to those engaged in a
controversy. Les has a talent for collaborating
with parties involved in controversy and reconciling
their differences, while instilling trust in
his wisdom ... this is probably true because he
is so old it is assumed that he is now wise! "
- Ron Spiller, Retired SSI Industry Hall of Famer
" I admire his genuine guardianship of our
industry the most. With his kind, yet very
influential approach, he worked hard to protect
our monitoring businesses from the potential
takeover by Bell Operating Companies. This
was a critical moment for our industry, and
Les was instrumental in ensuring a positive
outcome. " - Sandy Jones, Retired SSI Industry
Hall of Famer
" I have known Les since 1983. His demeanor
does not change or waver with the passing of
time or as the industry changes. His steadfast
leadership surpasses fleeting and sometimes
short-lived industry moments that seem
important at the time, but eventually fall away.
Les seems to know which issues to focus on
and which to let alone and eventually they die. "
- Kirk MacDowell, MacGuard Security Advisors
" Les is considered the 'Gold' standard -
pun intended - when it comes to all matters
legal. He has successfully defended a
countless number of alarm dealers over his
40-plus years in the industry. Additionally, he
has established himself as an expert when it
comes to alarm dealer contracts, alarm company
sales and acquisitions. " - Rick Gombar,
Gombar Insurance Services
What traits and characteristics have helped
him to build goodwill among colleagues?
" Les is a humble and generous. Even as a top
industry leader, he takes the time to welcome
newcomers into the industry and provides them
guidance and networking opportunities. He
gets satisfaction seeing others succeed and ultimately
his introductions have served to create
a stronger security industry. " - Sandy Jones
" Les' calming demeaner, intellect and leadership
helped guide the industry, especially
the old WBFAA prior to CAA through the false
alarm issues prior to the formation of SIAC.
Les worked tirelessly and used his contacts
through elected officials to be the sound of
reason quite often when government overreach
could have proved detrimental to the
industry. " - Kirk MacDowell
" I have never in my 67-year career in the
securitysales.com
alarm industry met a single person who had
anything negative to say about Les Gold. My
wife Linda and I have been social and business
friends of [wife] Sandy and Les Gold from Day
1, so we have seen him away from his desk, at
the conference table or at a speakers lectern
and he is the same bright, caring and fun
person. " - George Weinstock
" His personal traits include an ability to
create the appearance that he is interested in
what you are saying, even though he is thinking
of something else. " - Ron Spiller
What's something people might not know?
" Les and Sandy love the opera and have
traveled extensively to listen to the best performers
in the world. I remember they had just
flown from Los Angeles to New York to hear
Pavarotti perform live. The following week
back in L.A., a friend of theirs reached out to
say he and his wife were leaving for Europe to
hear the famous tenor, had two spare tickets
and invited Les and Sandy to attend. They
jumped at the chance and flew to Europe to
hear Pavarotti live again! " - Kirk MacDowell
" One of the things most people don't know
about Les is that he attended a vocational high
school in Chicago, and flunked wood shop. " -
Ron Spiller
" Les is a big sports fan, especially when it
comes to the Dodgers. Having played baseball
both as a child and a young man, he is knowledgeable
in all aspects of the game and has been
a Dodgers season ticketholder since they moved
to Los Angeles. I have been fortunate to attend
countless games with him. " - Rick Gombar
" As my own lawyer, Les has straightened out
some unfortunate experiences skillfully and
with a positive conclusion. But I got him once
when I shared the draft of a letter I pretended
was going to be sent to a government agency.
It was nasty, unpleasant and vile. That was
when I got an angry phone call from Les - we
both had a good laugh. " - George Weinstock
" Les was instrumental in starting Securing
New Ground. ISC was already well established
and a great place to learn about new technology,
products and services, but there was no
event focused on the business aspects of the
market. Along with myself and [SSI Industry
Hall of Famer] Jeff Kessler, Les was instrumental
in founding SNG. It became the first
executive-level industry event focused on the
business of security. " - Sandy Jones SSI
MARCH 2022 Security Sales & Integration
41
Gold celebrates being named
recipient of the California
Alarm Association's (CAA)
Weinstock Award.
When it came
time to select
the second
member of the
SSI Industry Hall
of Fame Ring of
Honor, Gold was
a natural choice.
" Les has been a mentor,
advisor and friend to me and
my family, always and forever, "
says George Weinstock, shown
with Gold (right) and his wife.
http://www.securitysales.com
Security Sales & Integration March 2022

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