Security Sales & Integration March 2023 - 34

SPECIAL REPORT
SSI Hall of Fame Class
of 2023
HALL FAME
INDUSTRY
OF
Why He's on the List
▶ 40+ years striving for excellence and growth
across alarm, security and monitoring
businesses; longtime dedication to serving
the industry through trade association work;
and advocating for new technologies
▶ Prior to joining Rapid Response in 2012,
held leadership or managerial roles at Came
Security Alarms, Datacom Security Services,
The Command Center and Mace CSSS
Morgan Hertel
Vice President of
Technology and
Innovation, Rapid
Response Monitoring
THE HERTEL FILE
▶ Born in Glendora, Calif.
▶ One of five siblings, father
was a college art teacher
and mother a commercial
artist
▶ Has three children and six
grandchildren
▶ Majored in mechanical
engineering with a minor
in agricultural engineering
at Cal Poly Pomona
(Calif.).
▶ Other honors include
TMA's Stanley Lott Award
▶ Says he was shot at a
number of times and
dropped to the ground by
law enforcement showing
up to alarms
▶ Other interests include
exploring with his jeep
and side by side, hunting
and fishing, camping, ham
radio, and raising French
bulldogs
▶ 35+ years serving on standards bodies includes
being current TMA president, helping
shape today's industry with adoptions like
the AVS-01 alarm priority scoring system
▶ Two-time Inland Empire Alarm Assoc. president;
continues to participate on dozens of
committees & standards groups like UL 827
▶ Well known throughout industry for evangelizing
leading-edge tech that has often
transitioned from fringe to mainstream
▶ Credentials include: NICET Level III, California
Alarm Company Qualified Manager,
Oregon Certified Trainer, TMA Level I and
II Central Station Operator, SIAA Certified
Operator, ESA Certified Alarm Installer
▶ Contributes " Monitoring Matters " column
for SSI; frequent speaker at industry events
sharing perspective on technlogies and
monitoring trends
Keys to Success
" I have always invested in myself. This has taken
the form of education, reading and immersing
myself in as much of the business as I possibly
could. For example, I would take vacation
time and personally pay my way to TMA events
so I could learn from others. I put myself
though NICET certification. I read three to four
hours a week of technology material and take
classes and attend seminars to keep up. The
other thing is embracing the idea of servant
leadership. I've been able to lead groups of
people and gain their trust and dedication, as
a result of this way of managing people. It also
garners trust and respect, and both of those go
a long way. Learning how to step on a person's
toes without ruining the shine on their shoes is
something I am really good at.
" I also always approach things with an open
mind, never say never. I have always been a
fixer, a person who looks at a problem and
then comes up with ideas to fix it. Part of moving
forward is always looking for new ideas. "
34
Security Sales & Integration MARCH 2023
Hertel: " I am in an incredible relationship with
who I consider a true soulmate. That might
sound cheesy, but I am lucky and truly blessed. "
Raising the Performance Bar
" During the past 40 years, we have moved
from a prescriptive model of how security
was done to more of a performance-based
approach predicated on the needs and lifestyle
of the individual. I call it 'security as a lifestyle.'
This means security needs to be designed and
implemented based on many different scenarios.
When we move from a prescriptive to more
of a performance model, there is also a need to
be incredibly flexible and use a lot of different
technologies in the monitoring center to address
consumer needs. The organization has to
be very customer-experience centric and able
to flex with the consumer. The organization
with the best user experience wins the race. "
Biggest Wish for Industry Change
" I would like to change people's attitude
toward change itself. It's a human trait to push
back against change because it can been scary.
But it's necessary in our industry. "
securitysales.com
Falling Into the Security Game
" It was a bit of an accident. I was at a friend's
house while a guy was there installing a burglar
alarm. In talking with him it turned out he
was the company owner's son. I didn't have
anything else going on at the time, so I took
a summer job there, got hooked and never
looked back. That job was with Came Security
in Covina, Calif., which did a lot of work in the
Beverly Hills market. I was fortunate enough
to put systems in for many celebrities and
prominent people. Eventually, that company
was purchased by Bay Alarm, but the owner's
daughter retained the mid-California operations,
which I work with to this day. "
2023
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Security Sales & Integration March 2023

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