SIA New Member Profile: LONG Building Technologies

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member LONG Building Technologies combines building automation, HVAC equipment, HVAC service, security solutions and parts to provide a simple solution for maximum building performance and peace of mind.

SIA spoke with Chris Bracken, Alaska branch manager at LONG Building Technologies, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

Chris Bracken: LONG began in 1965, when our founder, Wills Long, started an HVAC manufacturer’s rep company out of his basement in Colorado. Over the years, LONG branched out from just HVAC equipment and now offers building automation, HVAC service and security systems solutions. We’ve also expanded from our humble basement beginnings and now have multiple offices in Alaska, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

What solutions/services does your business offer in the security industry? And what makes your offerings/company unique?

CB: We offer a variety of security system solutions such as access control, CCTV, intrusion detection, video intercom systems and service/maintenance, and because we partner with the best manufacturers in the industry, our solutions are backed by the best products available. Even if a customer needs something that falls out of the realm of our typical service offerings, we can still help. We don’t offer cookie-cutter solutions to our customers either, as we know no two buildings are the same. Instead, we take the time to listen to our customers and assess their building so we have a full understanding of their specific needs, then we deliver a customized solution unique to the building and customer.

What is something we might not know about your company – or something new you are doing in security?

CB: We are one of the few security integrators that offer the ability to self-perform from the design and engineering through the entire implementation process. We work with the clients to focus on the overall solution, as opposed to parts and feature sales. We are also one of the only companies in our market with dedicated security teams allowing us to focus on the security industry as a whole with dedicated security project managers, technicians and electricians, as well as installers.

What is your company’s vision, and what are your goals for the security industry?

CB: We aim to lead with service. We have built our security team based on the core principal that clients “call us because they want to, not because they have to.” We strive to be the most trained and most certified with the vendors we partner with and the markets we service.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities in the security industry right now?

CB: We currently have been putting a focus on K-12 schools and financial institutions.

What are your predictions for the security industry in the short and long term?

CB: In the short term, continued advancement in analytics with a push for more integrated systems. Long term, more cloud-based offerings and fewer on-premises devices and the push for needing information remotely and linking multiple offsite locations.

What are the biggest challenges facing your company and/or others in the security industry?

CB: The two biggest challenges I believe we face are personnel/staffing as well as the market pushing a lot of items towards IT departments.

What do you enjoy most about being at your company – and in the security industry?

CB: LONG allows its employees the ability to take ownership of their projects, work sites and overall career paths. I believe we hire some of the best people and challenge them to make the most of the experience with a small business feel despite being a company with over 500 employees.

What does SIA offer that is most important to you/your company? And what do you most hope to get out of your membership with SIA?

CB: We hope to leverage training and opportunities that we otherwise didn’t know about or have access to. As stated previously, we aim to be the most trained and certified security team to offer our clients the best possible experience.

How does your organization engage with SIA? What are your plans for involvement in the next year?

CB: Currently we have been involved mostly with ISC West and are beginning to get into some of the additional class offerings.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association.