Nell Mathews Celebrates 20 Years with Kansas City Alarm Company

When Nell Mathews walked into Atronic Alarms' office back in January of 1991, she was interviewing for an accounting position for the small company of seven employees. She had just come from a second interview with a much larger corporation, and remembers meeting with President and Developer of Atronic Alarms, Perry Atha. They talked for two hours.

"It was so easy and enjoyable to communicate with Perry," Mathews said, 20 years later. "I even told my husband after the larger company offered me a position how much I had liked the 'young guy at the alarm company,' and that I was not sure if I wanted to get back into the corporate environment where you were just a number."

Atha had originally interviewed Mathews for a part-time position, but expanded it to full time when she said she was not looking for a part-time job.

"He called on Friday at 3:30 and told me, 'We may not have enough for you to do right now to keep you busy full-time, but bring a book and we'll see you Monday,' " Mathews said.

Now, the General Manager of the Lenexa based security company says that she likens her years with Atronic Alarms as a secondary family due to "the relationships I have built and developed with customers and employees over the years."

Atronic Alarms, Inc. is now a company with over 31 employees, with Mathews as the longest standing Manager in the company. Her strong customer service values and "open door" policy for all employees has made her a favorite among clients and staff. Lovingly referred to as "mom-atron," Mathews has been known in the past for her long hours and after hours client or employee calls.

"Many times I will receive a call in the middle of the night from Alarm Central letting me know if there has been an 'actual' so steps can be taken," Mathews said. "At that point I contact the client to make sure things are O.K. and to see if there is anything I can do from our end."

Mathews' current duties consist of running the customer service and quality control department, motivating and mentoring employees, assisting all managers from various departments when called upon, and working close with the Operation's Manager in creating changes in protocol, paperwork, and improving productivity and profitability.

"Atronic Alarms is just an excellent place to develop a career," Mathews said. "Perry communicates with everyone on the staff which allows you to be part of a 'bigger plan.' The morals and business ethics we take are mirrored in every employee we hire."

One thing that Mathews takes pride in is knowing that her contributions and work ethic helped to create success for the company she loves.

"It is not just a job to me, but a chance to help people, whether it is the client or whether an employee is having a bad day," Mathews says. "I take pride and a sense of achievement when a problem is solved or a better solution is put into action. At the end of the day, when the fires are put out and the last phone call is answered, I am satisfied."

New Members of the Atronic Team

Alysia LaRock has joined Atronic Alarms, Inc. as the front desk receptionist and accounting assistant. She graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a BSBA emphasis in Marketing and was recently voted on by the Atronic Alarms' employees as the "Employee of the Quarter" for Spring 2010.

Bryan Beets has joined Atronic Alarms, Inc. as a commercial design consultant. Bryan brings over seven years of security industry background to the company. Specialized in a wide spectrum of loss prevention technology, Bryan’s expertise has helped companies generate returns on investment and win state-wide private security awards. A former business owner, Bryan maintains the absolute value of delivering service excellence to people in the Kansa City area.

Alec Saysoff has joined Atronic Alarms, Inc. as a design consultant after spending past summers working for the company as an intern in the installation department. Alec graduates with a BGS, double majoring in Communication Studies and History, from the University of Kansas this May. His past customer service experience provides a strong base for developing the personal, one-on-one client relationship that people have learned to expect from Atronic Alarms.

Women in Security

Nell Mathews, the Atronic Alarms general manager, was quoted recently in an article about Women in Security, by Martha Entwistle of Security Director News. When Martha asked about the mix at Atronic Alarms and if Nell thought the company could benefit from more diversity, Nell said,

"We have had one (1) female field install technician, three (3) female Sales reps. Our monitoring coordinator is female, as is our Marketing and Web Site designer.

I think this is a industry that requires hands on working experience because of the diversity of the systems, and the life and safety issues of our products and the codes and regulations involved and the city state and federal interaction that is required in certain cases, that experience can be hard to acquire but is often essential in getting in the door.

On the Residential side I can see where it would be beneficial in dealing with the homeowners because often times the wife is the one who is most interested in the security and or fire system for the family and home, especially if the husband travels or there are small children involved, and she can be a major part of the decision making process."

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