Page 44 - Security Today, April 2017

COVER STORY
ALL IN THE FAMILY
From lamination to multi-layer authentication, the Schonzeit family has set the bar as both innovators and trusted authorities in the security industry
ocated in the heart of New York City, Idesco Corp. and IDSecuri- tyOnline.com LLC, offer a physi- cal presence in Manhattan that stock inventory, maintain a staff
of trained technicians and have a showroom open to the public to educate and inform cus- tomers as well as perform free on site security consultations. Both companies represent the family tradition of innovating, while main- taining the trusted brand we all know today.
Keeping a family business going strong is no easy task and takes determination, perse- verance and a commitment to a customer- centric philosophy that spans decades. What sets apart a family business from any other company is the sheer fact that each genera-
tion wants to make improvements and con- tinue the momentum that the generation before has built. Having the entrepreneurial landscape in your family DNA is an added bonus and can create the path of success for any type of business with the proper man- agement and forward-thinking approach.
It all started in 1943 when Hyman Schonzeit founded Identification Service Corp. in the heart of New York City as a manufacturer of laminated credentials and safety tags. With its own design staff, print- ing presses and lamination equipment, Hy- man quickly grew the business by winning large corporate and governmental contracts that included providing the War Depart- ment with ID cards. The system involved
taking a person’s photo, developing Kodak film, cutting the picture out, and laminating it to a card-sized piece of paper. This manual method of ID card manufacturing was the standard in the industry until the late 1980s, when the first card printers and digital iden- tification systems were introduced into the marketplace. Idesco extensively tested nu- merous manufacturers’ systems and aligned with those that delivered the most solid platforms. With the advent of the PVC card and their associated printers, Idesco moved quickly to upgrade its offerings. This early adoption of new and better technology en- abled Idesco to not merely maintain its mar- ket presence, but to expand upon it.
The Schonzeit family business continued to evolve when Hyman passed down the business to his son, Jack Schonzeit in 1975. Identification Service Corp. grew into Idesco Corp. and Jack continued to build upon the momentum that his father Hyman created. The company was known to provide qual- ity products and services in the ID market, and Jack continued to deliver and exceed his customers’ expectations. Keeping true to the motto “All In The Family” Jack brought his son, Andrew Schonzeit into the family business and in 1980 offered him a variety of jobs in the company while he was attend- ing college at NYU. In 1984, Andrew became president of Idesco after the untimely pass- ing of his father. Under his supervision, the company emerged as not only an ID badging company; but a premier security systems in- tegrator. Andrew is a game changer; a true visionary who saw the security industry evolving and jumped on board without look- ing back. As the security industry started changing to open platforms and IP solu- tions, Idesco was ready to take the business yet again to the next level. Under Andrew’s direction, Idesco successfully added security products and services to their repertoire and quickly became an industry leader in digital ID badging systems, access control, biomet- rics, turnstiles, visitor management and digi- tal video surveillance.
By Monique Merhige
DS6
0417 | DEALER STRATEGIES