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Featured Integrator: REECE

At PSA, we believe our integrators are the most innovative, advanced, and effective in the electronic security industry. To recognize these exceptional qualities, we bring PSA integrators to the stage each month and introduce them to the PSA community.

REECE Complete Security Solutions (“REECE”) has been serving the Pacific Northwest for ten years. They have been providing security systems to businesses and schools as well as within the government markets.

How long has REECE been in business?
We’ve been in business since 2008.

To date, what has been the most unique or interesting job REECE has worked on? 
Starting in 2015, REECE began partnering on various projects for TriMet, the largest public transit provider in the region. This customer has come with its own unique set of challenges. Not only is their multi-site access control system nearly 1000 readers, it’s integrated with their intrusion and CCTV system. REECE has been upgrading all three of these systems at all facilities and are even rolling out these new technologies onto their busses and trains! Usually, each site brings its own set of challenges but when those sites are on wheels or on rails, it gets pretty complicated really fast! TriMet trusts REECE to navigate the bumps in the road for them and they just recently renewed their services contract for several more years.

Every school district has a different culture, different needs, and different expectations of their system that must be considered when determining how the system is going to be used.

What vertical market does REECE work in?
REECE does a tremendous volume of its work in the education market. From K-12 all the way through higher education, REECE is familiar with the particular system templates required for each situation. You don’t have the same security issues at an elementary school as you have at a high school, and a university is a whole different animal altogether. Having the opportunity to help ease usable security into schools allows REECE to use it’s expertise to help protect everyone on campus.

How did REECE get started in the educational market?
Starting in 2012, K-12 schools, in particular, started to get very serious about their physical security. It has become a necessity for most districts to have a better way to protect our children. REECE has partnered with many districts across the state of Oregon where we work to understand their needs, and provide a solution that helps them and their community. It’s important not to overengineer a system for this type of customer; they want it to be simple, effective, and above all, usable. Our mission is to give these customers a 10-year minimum life out of the systems we provide.

What are some of the biggest challenges that integrators are facing in the educational market?
Most integrators don’t understand the needs of the school market and will tend to push a cookie cutter approach.  Every school district has a different culture, different needs, and different expectations of their system that must be considered when determining how the system is going to be used. At REECE, we use all this information and our working relationships with the various end-users to determine unique product selection and system design that is specific to each school we pair with.

In addition to education, what other types of clients do you have?
REECE is also doing a lot of business for the local, state, and federal government sectors. Each government entity has its own specific needs and requirements of their systems and it is our priority to discover those specific needs and deliver the perfect solution. REECE is also expanding into the Data Center market. That market has certainly proven to be a different animal from protecting kindergarteners!

Mark Robinson, Vice President

What makes REECE stand out in the physical security industry?
Our relationship with our customers is the most important thing at REECE. We strive to install the right system, the right way, the very first time to ensure that we are delivering the very best to our customers. If something isn’t right, REECE’s people will listen, adjust systems, and adjust the process to accommodate a customer’s needs. Listening is a lost art, but at REECE, it’s what sets us apart and enables us to constantly improve. Mark Robinson, Vice President, has been an incredible addition to our team in this regard. Not only does he have expertise in the industry, but his unique ability to interact with the customers has helped us to solidify already strong partnerships with various entities and forge many new ones! Rather than preaching about how awesome REECE is, Mark prioritizes learning from each customer, ensuring he knows exactly what they are looking for. In the end, REECE ends up delivering a system that gives them what they asked for, yet is scalable to continue to work as the customers’ needs grow and change.

What qualities will a successful security integration company have?
Here are a few key components of REECE’s culture that help our team succeed:

First would be humility. We are in a service-oriented business and our customers need an amazing experience every time they interact with any of our people. This means from sales to installation, to administration, excellent customer service is always the priority. When it comes to customer service, we strive to be the “Nordstrom” of the security integration market.

Next would be integrity. From every level of our organization integrity is the priority. We keep our word and do what we say we will do. Working to help when we can and not kicking someone when they’re down, but instead to lift people up so everyone can succeed. Most of all, REECE is part of the community and takes every opportunity to give back.

Finally, remembering simplicity. At REECE we specialize in our strengths and we don’t try to be everything to everyone. Focusing on Card Access and CCTV solutions allows us to choose products that are reliable and installer friendly as well as stay current on the latest advancements to stay state of the art and allowing for more specialized training for our technicians to ensure our implementations are always successful.

What is your advice to individuals who are looking to build a career in security systems integration?
Learn how to be an amazing contractor. IT centric, cyber-proof, Microsoft certified CPPs are awesome and necessary. But you also need people to get the work done.  Do your own installs and take pride in your work. Do it right the first time and help others to understand the right way as well.  At the end of the day, we’re electricians; be proud of that. Take pride in your people and the work you do; it is up to us to continue to instill a sense of pride in our tradespeople.

Is there anything else you would like the PSA Community to know about you or REECE?
January 1, 2018 will mark REECE’s 10-year anniversary. We choose to stay local and serve the entire state of Oregon. We would not have made it through the hard times without PSA as a partner. Diana, Bill, and the last 10 years of board members and staff have helped us out along the way and given us the purchasing and financial horsepower we needed to build our business.

For more information on REECE: http://rcss.us/index.html/