A Fateful Walk from Wall Street
How André Conway’s unique background transformed a family business
![André Conway, Owner of Alarm Service Co. of America, Inc., working at his office desk in North Carolina.](storyassets/carolinas/feature_stories/F17-FS3-A-Fateful-Walk-from-Wall-Street/F17_NC_FS3_Interior1_530x370.jpg)
André Conway, Owner of Alarm Service Co. of America, Inc., working at his office desk in North Carolina.
![André Conway leading a weekly sales and operations meeting.](storyassets/carolinas/feature_stories/F17-FS3-A-Fateful-Walk-from-Wall-Street/F17_NC_FS3_Interior2_530x370.jpg)
André Conway leading a weekly sales and operations meeting.
In just four years, the present owner of Alarm Service Co. of America, Inc. (ASCA), André Conway, has relocated ASCA’s corporate offices from Philadelphia, Pa., to Greensboro, N.C., transformed ASCA into a national player in the security alarm industry, and increased the company’s revenue well over 100 percent.
With such an impressive track record in such little time, one would never suspect that, prior to 2013, André neither desired nor imagined his eventual takeover of the firm.
From Wall Street to ASCA
After graduating from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, with a degree in business management, André worked for 10 years at the global financial services firm, Morgan Stanley, then worked for Australian investment bank Macquarie, then for a German investment bank Deutsche Bank, and finally for the Japanese investment bank, Daiwa Capital Markets America. Though in total he worked for over 20 years on Wall Street as a trader, his career path took an unexpected turn in 2013.
Maurice Conway, a former Philadelphia police officer and André’s uncle, founded ASCA in 1979. While André admired Maurice and grew up watching the company’s growth, he never imagined eventual involvement in his uncle’s business. However, things changed in 2001 when Maurice became ill. As a favor to his uncle, André bought the company and served as its primary investor so that Maurice could retire; yet, from 2001 to 2013, his role was passive and his full-time career remained on Wall Street.
In 2013, André evaluated ASCA with the intention of selling the company, but in the process he discovered what he describes as “the real worth of the business.” Elaborating, he explains, “It wasn’t just that the business had lucrative potential, but rather it was the fact that my uncle’s customers were so wonderful. I realized that my uncle had built a business so customer-centric that his customers would stick with him no matter what.” It was upon this realization that André concluded it would be a disservice not only to ASCA’s customers, but also to its employees, if he sold the company to someone else.
Essentially, he says his decision to take on a full-time, active role “ensured a certain continuity as well as a perpetuation of high levels of performance and service.” Thus, for the last four years, André has served as ASCA’s full-time leader with a commitment to its products, customer service and core values.
You Can Take the Man Out of Wall Street …
Though André physically left Wall Street in 2013, the work ethic and perspective he gained working as a trader remains. Extremely detail-oriented and fluent in the language of facts, statistics and quantifiable results, André operates within ASCA just as he did as a trader. For instance, though by nature the security alarm industry operates at a pace slower than that of the world of Wall Street, André has cultivated the same fast-paced, “never say never” mentality in his new position.
André wasted no time settling in or adjusting to his new responsibilities. In less than a year, he initiated a strategic relocation of ASCA’s corporate offices from Pennsylvania to North Carolina—a move that enabled ASCA to focus its efforts on “large, commercial rollouts of many retail stores, as well as partnerships with other integrators to employ new technological solutions to help reduce crime and employee theft,” he says.
André’s banking background has also equipped him with an eye for fast-growing businesses. Laughing, André notes, “I’m probably the only person in security alarm services who has a Bloomberg terminal on his desk.” He believes his focus on changing, fast-growing businesses has not only allowed ASCA to “see trends faster, to recognize fast-growing clients,” but also to think big. Early on, André asked himself, “Why just regional? Why not national?”
Recognizing that “a family business is one that is quite complex because it brings family dynamics into the sphere,” André nevertheless objectively evaluates ASCA in terms of its employees and customer experience. “I’m constantly valuing the business, trying to determine its strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for expansion,” he notes.
Integrating Excellence & High Standards
From the hiring process to integration and efficiency, André demands no less than the highest quality.
He explains, “I have high expectations for my staff. At ASCA, our staff is comprised of a team of well-trained individuals ranging from our technicians to our managers. We don’t hire a single employee with less than 10 years of prior experience.”
What’s more, when hiring managers, André looks for entrepreneurs and prefers to hire those who have owned their own businesses. “We try to offer job opportunities to subcontractors or individual contractors. Their skill sets are invaluable,” he adds. For instance, Paul Dominick, now an ASCA Operations Manager, ran his own alarm company for over 21 years. Another employee, Bronic Zagrobelny, is based in Florida and oversees ASCA’s field operations and recruiting efforts. His prior experience running his own business in the security alarm industry has helped ASCA recruit a range of talented individuals.
In addition to his hiring standards, another area of focus for André is product integration. He observes, “Many firms are good at selling products, but few are good at integration.” Specifically, ASCA specializes in integrating once-independent systems into fully integrated platforms that combine video, security, access control,and life safety systems.
For André, efficiency is also key. “We are constantly working to improve our products—even in terms of the tools we employ internally for our staff,” he says. For instance, ASCA recently debuted a new human resource platform that is integrated with its accounting software, making time-tracking more efficient for technicians.
A Focus on Customer Service
While ASCA’s hiring standards coupled with its emphasis on integration and efficiency are impressive, it is André’s focus on service that proves most noteworthy. “Customer service is the key component to ASCA, hence our name ‘Alarm Service.’ We look to have customers for life and this is only possible by offering a high level of service,” he shares. “Competition in terms of products is a given—the real challenge is service.”
André explains that many of ASCA’s residential clients have been longtime customers.
One client has a tailoring business and ASCA services this client’s business and home. Another client who owns a dry cleaning business has been a customer since the early 1980s and even knew Maurice, André’s uncle. André explains, “It is really neat that while commercial businesses may come and go over the years, we have some residential customers whom we have seen from their first, second and third homes, to their eventual retirement. It is a unique experience seeing a customer’s life experience.” For André, his “staff and the people behind ASCA’s services are what truly matter.”
An Unplanned Career Becomes a Passion and a Responsibility
What started as a favor to his uncle has developed into a passion, even a call to action. “I’m so inspired by the fact that, at the end of the day, we are helping people solve a problem—that is, we are keeping residents and businesses safe from the threat of crime and fire,” he says.
The business of safety has proven to be more than a way to make a living. He views his job as a responsibility to homeowners and commercial businesses alike. In reference to this year’s fire that engulfed Grenfell Tower in London and killed nearly 90, André notes, “The story was that the alarm or fire system didn’t work. I see this all too often in the United States because of neglect from business owners—not intentional neglect, but neglect resulting from a lack of awareness. This is why alarm companies have a responsibility to make sure businesses have the services and products they need to ensure individuals’ safety.”
From his professional expertise to his customer-centric mentality, the world became a little safer in 2013, thanks to André’s fateful career shift.
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