Electronix Systems Central Station Alarms Inc.

In 1971, Fred Leonardo was working for an area phone company. When the phone company went on strike, he took advantage of the break to start his own business. Specializing in home alarms, garage door openers and antenna systems, he built Electronix Systems Central Station Alarms Inc. and built the company from the ground up. As Electronix Systems took off, he decided to make the move and went to full time in 1978. As the business grew, he began to diversify, incorporating commercial burglar alarms. Now, the company’s bread and butter is providing quality, reliable fire, closed-circuit television (CCTV), card access as well as alarm systems to commercial and residential customers in Long Island, New York.

Thirty-eight years later, Electronix Systems has 90 full-time employees and operates from a central headquarters in Huntington Station, New York. While a majority of the company’s work is on Long Island, the business also serves customers throughout the New York metropolitan area.

Leonardo is still actively involved with the business and works alongside George Natale, the company’s general manager. Natale places great emphasis on securing and nurturing repeat business. “We measure our success based on sales and return customers,” he explains. “We do a lot of recruiting each year and we focus on retention.”

Standing out in the market

Electronix Systems offers a wide range of services to its broad clientele. The team provides design, installation and monitoring for fire alarm systems, burglar alarms, access control systems, video surveillance and even offers on-site guard services for 24-hour protection. To keep customers safe and informed, the company owns a UL-2050 Government approved, and Five Diamond rated Central Station that is also FM and FDNY listed and approved.

“Right now our work is probably about 70 percent commercial,” says Natale. “We do a lot of government buildings, a lot of commercial-approved fire systems and a lot of home security cameras. We also do card access and some specialty installations. For example, we just completed a $610,000 upgrade for an elite account in the finance sector.”

Keeping up with technology has helped to place Electronix Systems ahead of competitors. “We work with a lot of integrated systems,” says Natale. “We have a sophisticated software program that integrates multiple systems in the building, so if someone opens a door that cameras goes full screen. We have also started installing these heat signature cameras that people use on their property. You can point them at the woods and  draw an electronic ‘trip-line’ in the software; should a heat source cross the line, it sets off an alarm. We also installed an underground seismic system on a large residence that detects when someone walks on the grounds.”

Detection is one thing – communication is something else. Electronix Systems offers a wide range of options for notification. In the age of the smartphone, customers can opt for a phone call, text message, email and even remote mobile access to camera feeds. While the company has modernized its offerings to meet demand, Electronix Systems has also returned to an older technology to improve communication.

“Alarm systems have hookups to central systems by radio,” says Natale. “A long time ago, we owned the towers and had our own radio network. We recently invested in our own radio network again and the beauty of this is that we have towers across Long Island and each unit is also a repeater. It’s all military-grade and the signal from one subscriber will hop to another. This smart mesh network ensures that each signal is always looking for the shortest route. This way, our customers won’t have to update every time a radio system becomes obsolete.”

Lasting relationships

While customer relationships are the company’s priority, there are other important partnerships that help to keep the business competitive. Electronix Systems has longstanding liaisons with the industry’s best-known suppliers. “We use DMP, Honeywell, and other notable manufacturers of alarm systems,” says Natale. “We do beta testing for several manufacturers; whenever they come out with something new  it comes  to us and we ‘kick the tires’ and help put it through its paces.”

Electronix Systems also has a highly skilled and reliable staff. The business works in several critical markets, which includes supplying and installing radiation alarms. “People who work in these areas are screened to a very high degree,” Natale explains. “Our people are capable and talented enough to handle systems such as these. We’ve been very lucky with the staff we have. They are all skilled and smart and can work with all these complicated systems to keep our customers safe.”

The company embodies a family atmosphere, working with employees to build their skills and careers and treating customers as they would their own families or colleagues. Thanks to the high value Fred holds of his employees and his generosity, approximately five years ago Electronix Systems became an employee-owned company.

Electronix Systems is also involved with several industry associations, such as the Automatic Fire Alarm Association, the Central Station Alarm Association and the Electronic Security Association. These partnerships help keep the team abreast of changing technology and best practices while providing platforms to communicate with industry peers.

Over the coming years, Electronix Systems Central Station Alarms Inc. will continue to press onward, building relationships, supporting a critical industry and keeping homes and businesses on Long Island safe.