NewVision Security on Securing Our Schools with Modern Tech

At NewVision Security, located in Bismark North Dakota, they like to keep things simple by focusing on four specialties: cameras, keycard access, burglar alarms, and fire alarms, with everything laid out as a package and working in unison. About two years ago, they acquired a company called SIMTech, which moved them into the fire alarm world.

Cameron Fleck, President and Owner of New Vision Security, became interested in the industry at age sixteen while working at a small two-way radio shop that installed Pelco Security devices in many casinos around North Dakota. From there he got into technology and went to school for electronics telecommunications at the local state college. “I now sit on the advisory board, and we have local internships set up where we recruit a lot of our technicians straight out of school,” says Fleck. “From there, I was always passionate about entrepreneurship, so security was something that always fit, since I had been installing it from a young age. Naturally, I started installing some monitored accounts, residential Honeywell panels, and more.” Fleck acquired the 25-year-old NewVision Security business nearly 8 years ago and has been making moves to increase its reach. 

Bismarck North Dakota has about 100,000 people, which limits the amount one can tap into the market. This motivated the decision for NewVision to open additional offices in Rapid City, South Dakota with the goal of being one of the best security companies in the Midwest region. “I want to have a lucrative network of people across the United States, which is one of the reasons we are members of ESA. I have met so many good people from the association, and it has created a lot of opportunities for growth in this market, which is exciting.” 

Installing Top of Line Security for Shiloh Christian School   

Fleck recently had the unique experience to install a comprehensive security system at his old high school. “It was a really fun project to work on! It is a private school here in Bismarck, and I knew that their camera system was outdated. In fact, it was the old science teacher that helped install it many years ago!” 

Tragically, school shootings are an ever too common phenomenon that is top of mind in today’s climate. Making schools a more secure place for students and staff is something all school administrators and, conversely, integrators should be investigating. Thankfully, Shiloh Christian is one of the schools that has put a lot of thought into the facility’s security systems. One of the unique things NewVision did for the school was decrease the camera counts and increase the coverage overall through multi-sensor and panoramic cameras. “You can do so much more with less. Plus, you have the added benefits when integrating the Halo sensors. Additionally, a lot of schools are getting a full-time security resource officer, so it is helpful to equip them with an app with great camera visibility. Anything we can do to give them better information when addressing a threat is a plus.” Fleck continues, “We also helped implement some visitor management too. The building keeps only one entrance open, and everyone has to check-in. Schools want to truly understand who’s coming in and out of their doors.” explains Fleck. 

Building the Trust with NewVision & Implementing the Plan 

Fleck began by sitting down with the administrators and staff and really tried to understand their needs. He notes that knowing that every project (and budget) will be different is essential. The school was growing and there were multiple factors they wanted to control so that it could be a safer environment, and thankfully NewVision had strategies to address these pain points. Fleck and his team came in with a plan based on eliminating the camera count and instead utilizing multi-sensors and panoramic 360 cameras. This makes it possible to scale down camera counts from around 30, 40 down to 20 or 30. Cameras inside and outside the building provide crystal clear images of anyone approaching the building, allowing the classrooms inside to focus on the growth and education of their students. 

Once there was a plan in place, the next step was coordinating installation in bite-sized chunks and creating an effective communication line on the budget. “I helped chip in a little myself, just because I have a special place in my heart for that school. Additionally, over the last 3 years, we have been updating their exterior cameras and moving to interior cameras, putting some key card access in place, visitor management for the daycare, and different things like that. So, to date, it is an updated system and a lot more secure campus.” says Fleck 

How NewVision Understands Customer Needs 

Fleck remarked on how there are plenty of strategies that you can recommend when going into these schools, and how one should start the process, “My advice to integrators would be to listen to the needs of the facility, what their challenges are, and fix those first. That may lead to a full revamp. In the instance of Shiloh Christian School, it was their parking lot first, monitoring some of the hallway traffic, and just taking it in bite size chunks and chipping it away at it as we can. Understanding the budget is imperative too. Too many times as integrators we will walk into these opportunities, not understanding the budgets, blow it out of the water, and lose the prospect. Breaking everything out into phases can really help integrators win a lot of projects like this.” Fleck continues, “We beat that drum in our sales meetings all the time. If you send a proposal and a number that was never discussed, the chances of closing that sale are a lot lower. So, talking about the budget up front and understanding their needs goes a long way.” Overall, the students, staff, and their families in Bismark North Dakota can all rest more easily knowing that Shiloh Christian school has taken all the necessary precautions. With the tragic amount of school violence incidents, other integrators could look to the processes NewVision Security implemented, so as a collective we can help keep more children safe as they go to school.