Page 38 - Security Today, April 2018

COVER STORY
By Ralph C. Jensen
A NEW KIND OF EMPLOYEE
ore than 22 years ago, Steve Reinharz decided he want- ed to become part of the se- curity industry. He stepped into his first integration at
a local gas station. He became a dealer for Pelco security solutions, installed a group of analog cameras and was well on his way to becoming a security integrator. In 2016, he stepped away from his duties as a security in- tegrator, and started looking for something new to do.
“I bought it, sold it and installed it...all of it,” said Reinharz, who founded Security Zone Inc. many years ago, and grew it from a one- man team to an operation of more than 30 employees before moving on.
Then, things changed. Reinharz chose robotics.
His thinking of getting into the robot- ics field was a little unconventional, but then Reinharz isn’t your standard, everyday sort of guy. He is a thinker and a visionary. What he saw more than 20 years ago is only now becoming an accepted form of security multiplied with a robot.
Reinharz is the founder and CEO of Ro- botic Assistance Devices (RAD), where he oversees the development, sales and market- ing, and strategic vision for the company. He has extensive knowledge of a diverse portfo- lio of technologies, developing practical, ef- fective solutions for end-user customers. As CEO of RAD, Reinharz leverages his exten- sive knowledge and interest in robotics and artificial intelligence to design and develop robotic solutions that increase business ef- ficiency and deliver cost savings.
The vision for technology started early for Reinharz, by spending the summer of his eighteenth birthday writing a textbook for artificial intelligence, then selling it to schools. He sold 400 copies. All of his ex- periences have led him to this point in life where he has become immersed in robotic security services, and the master distributor of SMP Robotics.
Robots and AI seemed to go hand in hand with what Reinharz had in mind when he imagined his next phase in the security industry. He saw the robots on the Internet
and imagined that they could be a new secu- rity device. And wouldn’t you know it, he was right. The robot has become a force multiplier for manned security service companies.
“The robot and software roadmap really
fit our needs in the security industry,” Rein- harz said. “We see this part of the industry growing quickly. For RAD, we provide rental robots that are tethered to the customer; we offer the warranty, and maintenance agree-
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0418 | DEALER STRATEGIES