In The Boardroom With...

Mr. Richard Chace
CEO and Executive Director
The Security Industry Association (SIA)
www.SIAonline.org

SecurityStockWatch.com: Please provide an overview of your role at SIA.

Richard Chace:Well, first and foremost my duty is to the SIA membership and to execute the "will" of the SIA Board of Directors. While my official "job description" has me listed as the chief executive officer and executive director, responsible for our organization's strategic planning, business development and international outreach; I see myself more of an organizational steward, facilitator/coach and erstwhile industry docent. My role at SIA is to perpetuate and regularly articulate the association's strategic mission and vision and ensure that we stay true to our course while adapting to change along the way; I look out for the icebergs. None of what I do would be possible without collaborating with some of the finest association professional staff and volunteer leaders in the security industry. Together we deliver a range of programs, products, and services that advance our 400+ members interests and the interests of the broader electronic and physical security industry. These are initiatives that work to define SIA as a solid, well informed, industry advocate on Capitol Hill and throughout the 50 states; deliverer of leading-edge security market research; provider of high-end education and training; and developer of technical and interoperable standards.

SecurityStockWatch.com: Who are SIA members and what is their niche in the security space?

Richard Chace: Our membership is quite diverse. We represent a range of companies, from manufacturers/distributors to integrators, defense contractors to IT providers. All of our members are involved at some level and in some capacity in the electronic and physical security space. Our members primarily join because they find tremendous value connecting and networking with their peers, but they also recognize and like that our organization impacts government and public policy; that it offers a wide range of benefits that help grow their business, and that it stays at the forefront of industry movements. Additionally, as sole sponsor of the ISC Expos, the world's largest security trade shows and conferences, we ensure our members have access to top-level buyers and influencers.

SecurityStockWatch.com: You mention that SIA is sole sponsor of the ISC Expos. Can you talk about these shows and your relationship with these events?

Richard Chace: Through a strong suite of international trade events like ISC East, ISC West, ISC Brazil, and soon Moscow, we provide valuable business opportunities for tens of thousands of exhibitors and attendees alike.

In fact, industry professionals rate ISC West as the best security event in the nation. The show draws more than 26,000 security professionals -including a large number of senior level buyers from top companies like Amazon.com, Target, Bank of America, Norwegian Cruise Lines and the United States government. These organizations make ISC West an essential part of their security planning process.   

We also host a New Product Showcase at West to spotlight leading-edge security products and technologies. This year we have a record number of entries competing for top honors in categories like IP Products, Access Control, and Critical and Mass Communication Systems.  For companies looking to find the latest and greatest products at West, this forum provides a streamlined process to finding out what is new.  Security directors and buyers can also visit www.sianps.com and www.ISC365.com year-round to research emerging technologies.

Of course there are numerous security industry events that tailor to various niche audiences.  However, we are always mindful of our members' limited resources, time and bottom-line. Research shows that the ISC Expos and their wide appeal across a variety of industry segments both in the US and abroad fulfill many needs in one place and at one time. And so it's at these shows that we focus our time and resources.

SecurityStockWatch.com: Your organization has recently published an interesting series of emerging international Security Market Reports. Please provide a snapshot of these research reports.

Richard Chace:We have three reports focused on China. The China Security Market Report provides an overview of the general economic, social, and business environment in China, including a short-term forecast. It features a highly detailed analysis and forecast specific to the electronic security market. Our Shanghai 2010 World Expo Report analyzes business opportunities for the electronic security market as a result of the upcoming 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. The event expects to welcome more than 70 million visitors at a rate of 400,000 to 800,000 per day. Managing security for this crowd is of prime importance for obvious reasons. According to our research, planned investment for security products and technologies will be ten times greater than the past two expos. In addition, our 2008 China Olympic Security Update examines China’s investment in security products and technologies to safeguard attendees and athletes.

Our Brazil Security Market Report reveals that Brazil’s investment in security protection products and systems will grow by more than 16.2% annually through 2012, making this a highly lucrative market for U.S. security companies. Our report delivers a clear and concise picture of the government policies, market drivers and social factors influencing demand. We believe it is an essential strategic planning document for any electronic security company planning to enter this emerging market.

Upcoming reports will focus on Russia and India, and later this year we will release our U.S. Security Market Report which will quantify our industry's economic impact in the US. This report will be the first of its kind and should serve as a reference tool for just about anyone - investors, policymakers, senior executives at corporations, and so on. I'm very excited about the potential impact this report will have on our industry and we'll be sure to let securitystockwatch.com know about it prior to release.

All our research and international security market reports can be found on our site, www.siaonline.org.

SecurityStockWatch.com: Can you provide more details on your other research publications and products?

Richard Chace: Sure. Our Quarterly Technical Update delivers expert, in-depth analysis of a critical technology issue facing security industry stakeholders. We have explored issues like RFID, VoIP, and HSPD-12. Our Quarterly Research Update provides concise summaries of technology and security market trends by leading trade, business and financial analysts. In addition, the QRU includes the industry's only Security Business Confidence Index, a unique instrument which measures the trend over time of business expectations of 100-executives. And, SIA's Market and Policy Overview gives readers an inside track to the events and trends impacting the business climate. Synthesized from Stanford Washington Research Group's daily research and analysis, these electronic bulletins ensure members have timely access to critical market intelligence.

In addition, we recently launched our Product Trends Dashboard, a user-friendly, Web-based interface that allows members to identify market trends for specific electronic security equipment by technology, type of building project, and vertical market sector. By tapping into a real-time database of security specifications in construction plans, our members can find answers to strategic planning questions like: "What markets are showing the best results in Biometric Access Control?" "Is the market for Access Control as good in California as it is in Texas" "Is there opportunity in the Renovation market for Smart Cards?" and other real-world questions that influence business decisions.

SecurityStockWatch.com: You say that SIA is the industry advocate on Capitol Hill. What are your organization's legislative priorities?

Richard Chace: Our ambitious 12-point plan includes advocacy in a range of new areas for our organization including agriculture, trade, education and health care. Ensuring the safety of our nation's critical infrastructure is the prevailing theme. We will work to secure funds for our ports, hospitals, schools, public transit systems and rails to buy the smartest, most effective security solutions possible.

Agenda highlights include securing $3.3 billion authorized in the "Improving America's Security Act of 2007" for new public transit investments in access control, video surveillance, perimeter security, and fire suppression solutions. With more than 34 million Americans taking public transportation each weekday, we want to ensure that public transportation systems have the resources to prevent terrorist attacks such as those which occurred in London and Madrid.

We will advocate for $50 million in annual funding for the Securing Our Schools grant program and for passage of legislation providing financial assistance to colleges and universities for smoke detectors, fire alarms, and extinguishing systems.

This year also sees us collaborating with nontraditional interest groups such as the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety (IAHSS). Together, we are working on a legislative proposal to promote patient and facility security at more than 5,000 hospitals nationwide. SIA supports authorizing $500 million for hospitals to use for investments in access control, video surveillance, perimeter protection, locking devices, and other security solutions.

We also are advocating for $200 million in Environment Protection Agency grants to secure more than 16,000 wastewater facilities across the country vulnerable to terrorist attack.

Our full legislative agenda can be found on our web site, www.siaonline.org.

SecurityStockWatch.com: What resources are available for the security community on www.SIAonline.org?

Richard Chace: Our site offers security professionals a wealth of valuable tools and resources including free Webinars on the GSA contracting process, IPv6 implementation, and business opportunities in select emerging markets. We have a series of white papers on issues ranging from Biometrics in the Workplace to PACS Migration to False Alarm Reductions. There’s also information on SIA’s Certified Security Project Manger certification, Central Station Operator Train-the-Trainer program, a new curriculum road map for planning a career in the security industry and various other educational and training resources. For those interested in standards we offer, for a small fee, technical standards that affect the industry. Visitors to our site can monitor state and federal legislation, and keep ahead of emerging issues and trends by reading our Quarterly Technical Updates, Quarterly Research Updates and Market Policy Overviews. Our Security Product Trends Dashboard, an interactive interface which tracks new product growth across the continental United States, is another great tool you will find on the site.

SecurityStockWatch.com: Any closing thoughts?

Richard Chace: We have a very loyal and diverse membership and are proud to have equally diverse industry and coalition partnerships. We are engaged, strategic and forward looking. Our membership and partnerships reveal one undeniable fact: now more than ever the security industry needs solid, quantifiable market data. That is why we strive to provide critical, current and useful information that high level management can use to make and validate their business decisions. We keep members informed of market trends and industry advances by delivering leading-edge news, information, data and analysis. This competitive intelligence helps our members build and sustain profitable, growth-oriented businesses… it helps you to navigate the icebergs.