Deep In The Heart Of Texas
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Jul 01, 2016
At the peak of Chris Lanier’s security career, he vowed that
if he could return home to East Texas (Jasper), and make
a living, he was going to make that happen. Well, after
years of representing other well-known companies in the
industry, and picking up valuable experience, Lanier, his
wife and family, packed their bags and headed home.
That was 15 years ago.
His leap of faith produced LRG Inc., a manufacturer’s rep firm that interacts
with all the players in the industry, including distribution, dealers
and integrators, and even end users. If you think networking isn’t important
in the security industry, well, think again. Lanier and his nationwide
factory partners and sales reps depend upon those contacts that keep the security ball rolling.
“I’ve been in the security business ever since
high school graduation with my dad’s distribution
company, working in the warehouse after school
and taking a few phone calls,” Lanier said. “I moved
to Beaumont (Texas) and attended Lamar University,
also working at an alarm dealer. This was truly
an adventure because there were no standards with
this company as to installation practices or brands,
so every day was something new.”
Lanier’s first big move away from home came
a few years later when he moved to Dallas and
worked as a product rep and outside sales for his
dad’s (Joe Lanier) security company. Two years
later, Joe Lanier sold his business interests, while
Chris went to work for a couple other distribution
firms. In 1991, ADI came looking for talent and
Lanier signed on as the Dallas Sales Manager. Before
long, he was moved to Los Angeles and the
western region for ADI.
“I stayed with ADI for several years, when
there were only 28 locations and they were grossing
$68 million annually,” Lanier said. “Ten years
later, with several acquisitions counted in the
fold; the company was grossing $910 million. It
was a life and career changing experience for me
to serve under and with some of the very best
talent in the industry.”
While on the West Coast, Lanier became the
regional manager, and then the regional vice
president in an area that was dead last in corporate
sales. That title changed and the Western
Region became one of the hottest selling area in
the company.”
Sounds like a pretty good professional life;
and it was. There was still something missing and
it was an opportunity to move back home and
start his own business. When ADI was acquired
by Honeywell, Lanier started thinking about Friday
Night Football games, sprucing up the Jasper
downtown and rallying around family. Honeywell
offered to bring Lanier to their corporate offices
in Long Island, N.Y. but that just wasn’t in
the mix for Lanier and his family.
Now unemployed, Lanier had to do some
thinking and strategizing real quick.
“I went to a couple of industry tradeshows to
get my thoughts together,” Lanier said. “It was
there that I felt impressed to create LRG, and
throw all my passion and experience into being
a manufacturers’ rep firm. Now, more than
ever before, networking in the industry was vital.
That included visiting with several prominent
rep firm principals across the country for their
start up advice.
“One of the things we wanted to integrate
right away was the process that customer support
is a key ingredient. We always knew we needed to
understand any questions, and then go get an answer.
With our connection to the manufacturers,
it is vital that we respond with urgency.”
“In our business as a manufacturer’s rep, we
work in a high-paced environment. Everything
we do is tied to return on investment. Our energy
is spent on our customers and their desire
to spend the right dollars.”
While Lanier and his team are coupled with
the manufacturer, he said part of the job is to
train dealers and teach them how to upsell. Vendor
webinars are important for training purposes
so dealers, integrators, distributors and end users
can learn about product and program updates.
Getting started in the business was a leap of
faith. Lanier said there can be typically a 4 month
window for payment to the field rep, so cash flow
can be a challenge.
“However, ‘don’t panic’ is a lesson I learned
right away from my valued rep counterparts
even though we were burning through a bunch
of cash,” Lanier said. “One of our first manufacturers
was Altronix Corp. out of Brooklyn. I had
been a fan of the brand for years in distribution
and was honored to be able to become a business
partner with them. We’ve always had excellent
support and help. We wouldn’t be where we are
today without Alan Forman and Altronix.”
Now, 15 years later, LRG is the largest rep firm
in the central United States. LRG currently represents
24 lines of products, and as Lanier said,
they have good brands and excellent partners.
They offer products for video, access control, audio
visual and sound, fire, intrusion and burglar
alarms, and networking solutions.
A sample of the LRG work model goes something
like this: the company has several field
representatives scattered throughout the central
states. All are former installers and most managed
or owned installation companies. Each networks
with various outlets to include distribution,
dealers and integrators, and possibly some
end users. Their goal is to herald their manufacturers’ products to become part of a
bid in a security system.
In order to keep things on the
right track, each LRG field representative
calls into the home office
where a staff of sales associates pulls
out all the stops to get information
on products, projects and what it
will take to make the sale. All five
ladies, Jenni Few, support center coordinator;
Jacque Hill, inside sales
support; Michele Fancher, inside
sales support and Hannah Ross, inside
sales support, have been with
LRG for years, only Stefani Shook,
Inside Sales Support, was hired six
months ago.
“I didn’t realize that such a small
office in our own hometown of Jasper,
Texas would be so busy, and be
able to reach out to people all over
the United States on a daily basis,”
Shook said. “Our small hometown
girls are doing what big corporate
offices in big cities do, right here
from our little cubicles in Southeast
Texas. It’s a very rewarding job to
be able to talk to our manufactures,
distributors and dealers on a daily
basis and have that one on one personal
relationship with them.”
While Lanier manages and presides
over a successful sales and
support team, he doesn’t interfere
with the sales’ team clients but does
help them with new business whenever
possible.
A case in point would be the
Jasper (Texas) County Courthouse.
This property sits across the street
from LRG’s corporate headquarters.
Lanier knew that the county
was going to upgrade their current
camera system, along with a redesign
of their emergency response
command center. The project came
about because of networking and
knowing the right people to talk to,
at the right time.
When Lanier learned of the systems
upgrade, he began to work
with the integrator, Matt Harris,
president of MHC Datacom Inc.
in Orange, Texas. Harris had been
chosen to do the install, and LRG
staff worked diligently to prove
their products were worthy of installation in the courthouse annex.
Harris agreed that LRG’s Vivotek
cameras would be a perfect fit, and
a new relationship was underway.
Lanier also approached the Honorable
Mark W. Allen, Jasper County
Judge, to keep him up to date with
the security equipment.
Allen, who says he is just a redneck
from the Piney Woods of Texas,
shows he knows what is best for
his courthouse and residents. Taking
time away from a busy schedule
and an appointment to qualify at
the county gun range, he couldn’t
have been more excited to show off
the improvements in the facility.
The judge is also a certified Texas
law enforcement official. He is up
to speed on emergency operations,
control center protocol and working
in a tri-county environment to
mitigate damages.
Networking also takes another
form in terms of allowing all the security
solutions to talk to each other
as needed.
“We love to work with people
that know networking technology,”
Lanier said. “There are three kinds
of people in the industry. There are
those that want to learn more and
learn often; the person with their
head in the sand; and the guy that
only worries about RMR. Networking
proficiency and the ability to deliver
the desired solution ties all that
is important to succeed now and
into the future. Our team has had
to learn this ourselves. I’m proud to
be working with associates that have
embraced this and have lead me also
with this technology transition.”
In house, LRG provides training
for dealers and distributors. Since
they are a manufacturers’ rep firm,
they also serve as a support center
and taking new products to their
customers. The LRG staff is always
happy to answer questions on behalf
of the manufacturer as a means
of keeping clients informed and up
to date on the latest technology.
And, if there are problems or questions,
you can be sure the team at
the support center has the answer,
or will find it quickly.
“We are busy and growing in our
support center,” said Jacque Hill,
sales support at LRG. “We answer
questions, and find answers if we
don’t have them. We are non-stop
on the Internet gathering information
to help our sales staff make the
sale. We work in a fast-paced environment
helping distributors sell
promotional or peripheral equipment,
drawing business back to our
channel partners.”
Business wasn’t always this way.
Customer service was and is what
the company is founded upon, but
years ago, Joe Lanier kept an old
travel book with all his contacts,
places to eat while on the road and
who would buy what. The book was
a 1960s version of a smartphone.
Through the years, the one thing
that has remained the same is “treat
people fair and be kind to people.”
This still holds today whether it is on
the phone or in person. Back then, in Joe’s day, the market was not saturated
with suppliers but his motto
was that Southern people are courteous
people. Southern people make
lasting friendships and relationships.
One relationship that Chris
Lanier quickly fostered was that with
Harris, who not only continues his
work on the Jasper County Courthouse
Complex, but while walking
back to the LRG offices, Lanier introduced
Harris to a local attorney, who
expressed interest in a security system
at the office. Within 30 minutes
what appeared to be a smaller office
install turned into several cameras
on property in the downtown area,
the attorney’s home and lake house.
The three men also discussed allowing
local law enforcement the ability
to tap into the system should the
need arise.
“It’s not always about getting the
biggest job available,” said Harris,
who applauded LRG for not only
introducing his firm to more business,
but working with his channel
partners and high-quality security
equipment.
“You know when you’re working
with LRG staff you’re going to get
the best customer support, answers
to questions and probably more
work, Harris continued. “We’re licensed
to work in Texas and Louisiana,
and we’ve worked on several
projects recommended by LRG.”
So, it sort of all comes back to
the local kid made good.
There is so much more to Chris
Lanier than a manufacturers’ rep.
LRG supports more than a dozen
families with meaningful and rewarding
work. LRG (Chris Lanier)
plays a key role in revitalizing the
Jasper downtown, and he has a special
interest because his corporate
headquarters are located in a building
that has been in the Lanier family
for more than a century.
There is one more thing, suffice
it to say it is a story for another
time, but there is no lack of patriotism
at LRG and in Jasper.
The city recently learned it will
be getting a 200 pound beam from
the remains of the 9/11 Twin Towers.
A spot has been reserved on
the courthouse square for a lasting
monument to freedom. This
dedicated spot is directly across the
street from LRG corporate headquarters.
You can bet that a security
camera will be trained on this
monument.
We should all have the ambition
and be so lucky to make a good living
in our own hometowns, making
a difference that can be felt throughout
the region. And if you’ve ever
been to Jasper, Texas, it wouldn’t be
a bad place to start.
This article originally appeared in the July 2016 issue of Security Today.