PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE Get Connected With ALOA is an area of the security industry that is ever expanding. As customers become more educated on the available options, the more they’re starting to specify this kind of hardware in their buildings and homes. And, guess what? It’s our job to educate them. This means that you, too, need to be educated on electronic access control, and ALOA Education classes are a great place to start. Whether you learn about single residen- I tial locks that are network connected and app accessible or elaborate commercial systems with dozens or hundreds of entry points, you should probably know about at least some of the available technology. This also goes for safe locks that are network connected (see page 28 for some tips on educating customers on those products). At SAFETECH this year, we’ve added sev- eral new classes on electronic safe locks. Take a look at the brochure included with this issue of Keynotes for the full class de- scriptions and to see what else is in store for you at the convention. Registration is open, so hurry to get your first choice of classes. The 2020 ALOA Convention & Security Expo in Kansas City is just on the horizon as well, so be sure to save the dates of July 19-25. There, you will also have a chance at taking some electronic access control classes. The final class list hasn’t yet been confirmed, but look for that information soon online and in Keynotes. WWW.ALOA.ORG hope all of you have had great starts to the new year! In this issue, we have coverage on electronic access control in some of our feature articles. This And if you want some free education, you really need to be reading Noel Flynn’s business article series! He has been pro- viding some excellent tactical knowledge that you can immediately apply to your own business operations. For those of us who are business owners, it’s not enough to be the a knowledgeable and prepared security professional; you also have to know how to efficiently and strategically run your business, or else you’re not go- ing to be able to stay in business. So read up, and consider taking some business classes with us at SAFETECH or ALOA. Connecting With ALOA We are always looking for ways to better serve our members and build relation- ships. It’s no secret that membership organizations across all industries of- ten struggle to retain and recruit new members, and ALOA has historically been no different. We are developing new ways to im- prove membership via recruitment, pro- cessing and better communication. These are all in the early stages, but if you have any ideas or concerns, please feel free to share them with me or ALOA staff mem- bers. We want to make sure that ALOA is operating in the most beneficial ways pos- sible. Aſter all, this organization belongs to all of us. Providing feedback helps us keep the organization on track with a happy membership base. You may have noticed that ALOA has also increased its use of social media for sharing information and communicating with members. Please do follow our accounts on Facebook and Twitter, interact with other members via them and feel free to start conversations. We want our members to be and feel more connected to ALOA, and it’s also just enjoyable to be able to interact with fellow locksmiths worldwide on a daily basis. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook. com/ALOA.org, and our Twitter handle is @ALOAlocksmiths. Thank you for all that you do to make this association such a great one to be a part of. Let us know how we’re doing at [email protected] and/or [email protected]. Respectfully, Jim Wiedman, CML President ALOA Security Professionals Association, Inc. [email protected] FEBRUARY 2020 KEYNOTES 5
