The Sonitrol Story
Over twenty-five years ago in the town of Anderson, Indiana, two restless entrepreneurs came up with an idea. Their idea was to be the first chapter in a story that shed new light on the security industry. The story of Sonitrol including the founders, the first Dealer and today's network of nearly 200 franchised Dealers is a story that we are all a part of.
It began two decades ago, with a man named Robert Baxter. Bob possessed an inquisitive mind and he found a fascination in the field of electronics. After attending Purdue University, where he studied both science and electronics, Bob approached his family with an innovative idea for their exterminating business: microphones planted within the walls of a building to actually hear the location of termites. With this audio aid, the exterminators could pinpoint those areas that harbored a large concentration of termites. The pre-amp microphone has its origin in this electronic termite detector. The device was subsequently marketed through pest-control journals and sold for $50.00.
The inventor did not stop here. Bob went on to create a bird-repellent device that emitted a high-frequency sound, for use by airports and large ships, a high-frequency audio repellent device for rodent and insect control, and an electronic stethoscope, particularly useful for hard of hearing doctors.
At this point, he wished to incorporate his inventions under one company name. Bob and his wife came up with the name "Sonitrol" from the phrase "sound control". On June 16, 1960, Sonitrol was incorporated.
In 1963, Bob met a man named Al Cronk, who owned a Silent Century security franchise. Al was experiencing problems with the equipment and station monitoring. Bob was hired to maintain the equipment and develop new improvements.
The innovation in equipment and monitoring that Bob brought to the company proved so successful that eventually all of the Silent Century equipment was phased out and replaced with the new "Sonitrol" equipment. Thus was born Sonitrol, the security company. Anderson, Indiana became the first franchised Dealership for Sonitrol in June of 1964. This was the original site of manufacturing research and development and engineering.
Through word of mouth, the Sonitrol concept spread. Sonitrol began to expand with franchised Dealerships, believing that local needs are best met by local people. Sonitrol was among the first in the security industry to incorporate the franchise concept. Young entrepreneurs wishing to start Dealerships in their own cities approached Sonitrol eagerly to become a part of the newest, most innovative company in security.
In 1974, Harry Flemming assumed the duties of Chairman and brought Sonitrol into a new era, the age of computers. Sonitrol was among the first in the industry to begin this computerized, automated transition. Harry chose Orlando, Florida as the site for the new Sonitrol manufacturing and training facility. He also established Sonitrol Corporate Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
In 1984, the Advantage product line was introduced, a system that makes use of the latest in technological advances. Today, virtually all Sonitrol Dealerships have converted to the Advantage product line.
The Sonitrol network now encompasses nearly 200 franchised markets in North America and Great Britain. Orlando, Florida now houses research and development, customer service, sales, support and engineering, in addition to manufacturing and training.
Sonitrol's accomplishments are many. For example, in 1986, Sonitrol security systems were responsible for 9,163 apprehensions across the United States approximately one-fourth of all apprehensions attributed to security alarm systems. Sonitrol lists many Fortune 500 corporations among its national accounts; and in 1987, Underwriters Laboratories granted Sonitrol a Listing for Burglary Protection and Signaling as well as Central Station Fire Monitoring.
The Sonitrol concept has earned an enviable reputation with law enforcement organizations in the private and public sectors, fire officials, professional security personnel, and insurance companies.
The Sonitrol trademark has become the symbol of high-quality security and protection for over 100,000 commercial, residential, and institutional customers. The Corporation's commitment to them, the members of the franchised network and to employees are evident in ongoing product research and development and aggressive marketing strategies. Our founders' ingenuity lives on in Sonitrol as we strive for excellence in the challenging security industry.