Akron-Canton Airport selected as TSA’s 2020 Airport of the Year

TSA recognizes the agency’s highest performers and the most effective teams of 2020. TSA selected the Akron-Canton Airport as the “2020 Airport of the Year, CAT II-IV” for its size. Due to the current pandemic, the 2020 TSA Honorary Awards celebration will be conducted virtually this year to highlight the distinguished work of the recognized individuals and teams.

“I am proud of the Akron-Canton team that consists of more than 70 employees who are all deserving of the 2020 TSA’s Airport of the Year Category II-IV Award,” said Don Barker, TSA Federal Security Director for Ohio. During the pandemic, this team of professionals used focus groups to have periodic discussions and team activities to promote personal responsibility by every member of the organization. I appreciate their hard work, professionalism and commitment.”

After receiving the results of the 2019 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, the CAK airport team decided to take steps to improvement the workplace. A cross-functional focus group was formed and addressed the survey results using continuous improvement procedures. 

The airport team encouraged its coworkers to participate in the annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and over 80% of the workforce responded. The survey resulted in establishing a focus group addressing the concerns in the four categories of Leaders Lead, Merit Systems Principles, Performance Recognition & Reward, and Training & Development. The focus group’s efforts resulted in assigning the specific action items to individuals or teams with a specific projected due date for each item. The action plan was made visible to the workforce for transparency and to help the team hold each other accountable.

As part of the CAK team’s 'It Starts with Me' campaign, coworkers reaffirmed their Oath of Office. The campaign included periodic discussions and team activities promoting personal responsibility by every member of the organization. A communication board in the breakroom was formed, a software upgrade recommendation for screening technology was made and implemented which impacted approximately seventy-five airports nationwide, and a scheduling committee was formed to provide key input to the scheduling process.

Although in previous years only one airport was named as the TSA Airport of the Year, this year three other airports were also recognized with the accolade: George Bush International Airport in Houston, Eugene Airport in Oregon and Miami International Airport in Miami.

Featured

  • Next-Gen AI for Smart Cities

    The future of smart city technology is not being shaped in Silicon Valley — it is taking root in Dubuque, Iowa. With a population of about 60,000, this mid-sized city has become a live testbed for AI-driven traffic management thanks to a unique public-private collaboration led by Milestone Systems. Project Hafnia demonstrates how cities can transform urban mobility and safety through Responsible Technology—without costly infrastructure overhauls. Read Now

  • Bringing it Together

    Public safety communications have long been used to help first responders save lives and to help keep first responders safe, improve response time, and enhance interagency coordination. These communication solutions may include mobile (5G), radio telecommunication and mass notification systems. Read Now

  • Exploring the Future of Video

    AI innovation is rapidly transforming video security. Edge-based AI centered on object detection excels at detecting people and vehicles to alert to threats like brandished guns or perimeter breaches. However, the onus is on the user to gather more details to fully understand the situation. Read Now

  • Allegion, Comfort Technologies Implement Mobile Credentials at the Artisan Apartment Homes in Florida

    Artisan Apartment Homes, a luxury apartment complex in Dunedin, Florida, recently transitioned from mechanical keys to electronic locks and centralized system software with support from Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, and Florida-based Comfort Technologies, which specializes in deploying multifamily access control, IoT devices and software management solutions. Read Now

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.