Hearing Security Solutions

• By Cameron Javdani
• May 01, 2015

Audio is a vital component in the security industry. For years, companies have focused on video, trying to perfect image capture, data storage and analytics. While many security manufacturers based their products and value proposition in visual monitoring, one man did not. Louis Weiss saw a need to create a high quality microphone that was far better than the typical audio equipment that was housed inside cameras.

Driven by his passion for audio and electronics, Louis Weiss founded Louroe Electronics in his garage in Van Nuys, Calif. in 1979. The company incorporated in 1981, and later Weiss hired his first employees and engineer. By the late 2000s, the Louroe team occupied a 17,000 square foot building and exported audio solutions to 34 countries. When Weiss passed away in 2009, his nephew, Richard Brent, was asked to lead the company.

“I always admired my uncle’s work with Louroe Electronics and the great people and products he got to interact with each day,” said Richard Brent, CEO of Louroe Electronics. “I was honored to be given the opportunity to continue his legacy and lead Louroe as it entered this new stage of growth.”

Brent added a wealth of knowledge in advocacy to the Louroe team. Prior to joining the security company in 2009, Brent worked for Caterpillar’s Solar Turbine Inc. for 24 years. Much of his notable achievements occurred when he was director of government affairs and based in Washington, D.C. Brent influenced the adoption of several components to energy policies like The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. He also chaired multiple committees including the World Alliance for Decentralized Energy.

Weiss’ nephew instilled a passion for collaborating with government officials and organizations in Louroe. Under Brent’s leadership, Louroe has participated in a number of domestic and international security initiatives that have resulted in an explosive growth in sales. In 2012, the United States Commerce Department invited Louroe to represent the United States on a trade mission to Mexico. Because of the partnerships that were formed from that trip, Louroe’s sales increased by 1,200 percent in the Mexican market. A year later, Louroe was awarded the 2013 Export Achievement Award at the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce’s 87th Annual World Trade Week. In 2014, Louroe Electronics, along with 17 exportready companies, joined Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker on her firstever trade mission.

“We couldn’t have accomplished the increase in our business without the value of the International Trade Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce. This is a prime example of our government’s commitment to putting our tax dollars to work for the public,” Brent said.

Throughout 2014, Brent represented Louroe on more trade missions to Mexico, Panama and Colombia, and participated in the U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue—a coalition of Mexican and American business leaders who meet to discuss how to enhance economic growth for the two countries. By the end of 2014, Louroe was exporting more than 100 products to 50 countries.

Brent has not only used his expertise in government affairs to benefit Louroe Electronics, but also to advance the security industry. He is committed to having Louroe actively participate in meetings that will shape policy, standards and regulations for security. For this reason, Louroe continually partners with thought leaders and organizations like the Security Industry Association. In fact, Brent was tasked with chairing the planning committee and conference for SIA’s 2014 Government Summit.

Louroe has hit some impressive milestones when it comes to trade, but what makes Brent truly proud is the fact that Louroe is an American manufacturer.

“We are deeply gratified to be able to keep the manufacturing process inside U.S. borders,” said Brent. “We love being able to provide jobs for residents in our community and we’re happy to do our part to advance the Los Angeles economy.”

Since its inception, all of Louroe’s products have been made at its headquarters. Each solution is tested by a staff member to guarantee the technology is functioning properly.

Another defining attribute of Louroe is its audio technology.

The company’s signature product is its Verifact line of pre-amplified microphones, complementing base stations and communication accessories that provide audio output to interface with other security devices. The microphones are known for their sensitivity, omnidirectional capability, easy installation and compatibility with recorders, cameras and IP video systems. Louroe’s solutions have earned multiple awards. Most notably, their IF-PX power extractor won “Best Commercial and Monitoring Solutions” at ISC West 2013.

Louroe’s audio devices are frequently integrated with video surveillance and access control systems to provide additional evidence, alarm verification, crime deterrence, and real-time response. Many end users in the retail industry are also using the microphones to monitor business operations. For example, a store manager can listen live to an employee’s interactions with a customer, which in turn helps him to know how to improve their customer service, enhance their employee relations and increase their loss prevention efforts. The audio systems are also commonly used in the commercial, education, transportation and law enforcement industries, just to name a few.

Since the audio surveillance market is a lesser known vertical within the security industry, Louroe is not only dedicated to selling their product, but also to educating their peers on the value of audio.

“We want to lead the way in minimizing the false perceptions of audio as a ‘Big Brother’ device or a mechanism to invade privacy,” Brent said. “Instead, we want to shed light on the issue by disseminating truths about how audio increases security, deters incidents and provides insights that improve business operations.

“Audio is too valuable a preventative tool for security professionals not to use it,” he said.

This article originally appeared in the May 2015 issue of Security Today.