The SecurityHive.com community voted during the summer of 2014 and selected the Physical Security and Video Surveillance industry’s Top 12 Influencers. – This Profile is one in the series of 12 making a difference in our industry

Prior to becoming CEO of Louroe Electronics – a domestic manufacturer of audio monitoring technology – Richard Brent worked for Caterpillar‘s Solar Turbine, Inc., for over 24 years, the last 12 years of which were based in Washington, D.C. to manage Federal and State Government Relations. Now the CEO of a top tier integrated technology manufacturer, Richard has utilized his experience in consensus-building, quality management, and organizational performance to manage and grow his company’s deliverables as the World Leader in Audio Monitoring Technology. His organizational guidance has spurred Louroe Electronics technologies to participate in a wide range of domestic and international government security initiatives, medical research facilities, commercial A/V security systems, and law enforcement.

 

A community of over 8000 industry professionals has just selected you as one of the Top 12 industry Influencers for 2014. What is your reaction to that?

I am excited to be selected as a Top 12 Influencer, but I am even more excited that our key message is being received by the security industry. An important initiative of ours over the last few years has been to spread the word about Audio and increase awareness in a professionally designed security solution. Our campaign is working.

How long have you been active in the physical security/video surveillance industry and what brought you into this industry?

I have been engaged in the industry full time since January of 2010. I operate Louroe on behalf of 19 beneficiaries whose grandfather and father was my uncle. It was Lou Weiss who brought me into the world of security oriented audio capture & monitoring.

How did you get started (what was your first job) in this industry?

My first job and my current job are one and the same, to be a student of the industry, to be an effective leader in our industry, and to exceed the expectations of those who work with Louroe.

What are some of the changes in the industry that you saw coming and are most proud about being accurate?

From CCTV to IP security systems, I noted that Audio was rarely spoken of and when it was mentioned, it was discussed in hushed tones due to the perceptions of its legality. As we are demystifying the legal and illegal uses of audio, more and more consumers are becoming more aware of the valuable security tool that they previously stayed away from and knew little about. Additionally, more industry professionals have a more accurate perspective on audio and the expectation of privacy.

How have you seen the industry change over the past few years?

Growth rate, financial resource availability, and beyond RMR, real returns for great product selection and service.

What do you see has been the single most impactful technology in the industry?

We have begun to see the increasing impact of total sensory solutions– technologies that go beyond sight to include smell, auditory, and tactile senses. We’re seeing biometrics using touch to verify a person’s identity, smell sensors detecting harmful chemicals, microphones adding voice to video playback, etc. Together, these systems create a pretty powerful solution.

As an industry influencer, can you share with us a business success story or case study that you are most proud about?

One of our greatest successes is the school district that listened when our representatives and VAR spoke about integrating audio in an “under-design” project at a middle school. I believe that Louroe’s technology added to school safety, a greater value than the sale.

Please share with us your visions of this industry and what it will look like for manufacturers, integrators, installers, central stations, and end-users in near future – within the next 10 years:

…in order for the game changing technology to become widespread, someone will have to spearhead educating the industry and the public on it.

We will see consolidation in the industry– less entities at the top. Margins will shrink as the consumer demands more (as they get educated). The end-user will be in sectors that are less visible (office & building mgmt. systems) yet having many assets to protect and employees to keep safe.

Tell us about a current industry FAD or trend that you do _not_ see being around in the future (i.e.: NFC, gesture technology for access control, body worn cameras, patient biometric authentication, etc)

As we slowly move to design build and deploy total sensory solutions, the need for deep forensic post incident investigations will fade, and preventative security measures will grow in popularity and common practice.

Are there any current trends you think will be short-lived? If so, why?

No thoughts, other than competition brings information overload to the decision maker. Systems approach with the certification and positive brand reputation and promise will be the winner – providing they stay focused on customer and their purchase criteria.

Tell us about a newer technology that you think is going to significantly alter the industry landscape:

Interoperability, sustained in performance with wanttants that extend to the technical life of the sub-system components.

What vertical market do you think is going to witness the biggest impact of industry advancements and why? (Airports, Seaports, Campus (K12/Univ), Hospitals, Law Enforcement, Banking, Oil/Gas, Retail, etc)

I believe that as companies recognize the value of their assets, particularly when these assets are threatened or put at risk, all vertical markets will expand. Louroe is observing the industry and looking for examples where the technology deployed is a game changer for the consumer and thrusts the consumer into a whole new realm of security technologies. But in order for the game changing technology to become widespread, someone will have to spearhead educating the industry and the public on it.

What are your thoughts on laws or legislation that are currently being considered or do you think may be forthcoming that will have an impact on the industry ( i.e: Banning of LPR cameras for police, cruise lines to requiring shipboard video surveillance, schools banned from collecting biometric data on students, etc):

The initial fear of invasion of privacy when it comes to monitoring may take years to overcome. The industry may be slow to adopt the technology for fear of legal ramification, and only a few in the industry know the law and maintain an accurate expectation of privacy. This industry has a job: to educate others outside the industry on the value proposition of installing, operating, maintaining, and upgrading durable, cost-effective physical security technology.

Privacy issues are always at the forefront in this industry. What is your position on where the privacy line is located today and where you see that line in the future and do you agree with those positions?

This [privacy] is an issue that is not often discussed in industry forums and conferences. The industry is in the dark on this one and it’s time that we shed some light on the issue.

The privacy line is fine. Rather than spending time examining the States and U.S. Federal regulations on privacy, I think a better use of our time is learning and teaching the industry on how to manage their expectation of privacy. This is an issue that is not often discussed in industry forums and conferences. The industry is in the dark on this one and it’s time that we shed some light on the issue.

What are your thoughts about technologies that may be intersecting with more individual/personal applications (i.e.: cloud, IoT, wearables, etc.)?

Buying habits are evolving. The younger the generation that does the buying, the more our industry will be asked to create technologies that make the owner’s life easier and faster. Let’s take personal devices for example. Will it really be personal other than purchased ownership? This is about securing people as well as physical assets. The trend will continue.

It seems that ecosystems for physical security are expanding rapidly and are requiring deeper integration with different types of partners, providing new market opportunities. How can the industry support or accelerate these synergistic partnership opportunities?

Good question. Here is a scenario. A large multi-location company’s business model is to interact with the public every day (e.g. donut shop to convenience store). Part of the company’s mission is to be good citizens and participate in the community, which then leads to cause marketing.

The industry has seen a significant increase in the merger and acquisition activity lately. What M&A activity do you think has been significant and what do you see happening with companies in the near future?

Real business with earnings that are not speculative, but based on hard asset transactions has the PE / VC / Financial community excited. For folks like ADT and their realignment, the financial market will invest given the industry research.

Is there anything in the “lab” that you’re currently working on or involved with that you would like to share with our readership?

We acknowledge that our current technology is based on an assembly methodology called Thru-Hole. We are migrating to surface mount assembly with Digital Signal processing as a cornerstone to advance. The trick is understanding that the end user base has been very supportive of the current design, as the Verifact® microphone rarely fails in the field deployment. If appreciated for its value proposition, why change when you can evolve.

Who do you look to as an industry influencer? Who or what are some resources that you follow?

I follow the trade journals, the industry associations, and the industry research reports. I listen to my Manufacturing representatives, my direct reports, and my subject matter experts.

Please provide any other feedback or comments you wish our readers to know about you or your position in the industry.

As someone who is new to the industry, yet not new to the many aspects of operating a business, I can provide a fresh perspective on the industry channels and consumers.

At Louroe Electronics, we emphasize setting goals within a strategic plan, executing those goals and determining evaluation tools to ensure accountability and to measure our success. When we need to course correct that strategic plan, we make sure to get feedback from the marketplace to affirm that we are heading in the right direction.