“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few.”
— Shunryu Suzuki
If you’ve ever wondered “where do I begin?” your local chamber of commerce is a great place to start. I’m often asked, (sometimes by my own family), “Well what DOES the chamber do?”
Besides supporting and promoting our local communities in public events, providing education at all levels for your entire organization, partnering with our 12-plus fellow chambers in southeast Michigan, advocating for businesses, partnering with higher education and K-12 partners, along with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Chamber, plus our other local non-profits … we connect our members to the public and each other.
When facing a new challenge at work (or even household repairs), here’s a great example of chamber connections and how they can get you started.
Phil Emma, partner of Livonia-based PSN Technologies, longtime Dearborn Area Chamber member and chair of our Education Committee (and incoming board chair 2022), found a great product that almost every business owner could utilize in the pandemic. Phil thought if properties were vacant or working round the clock, he had to help our fellow members. Phil partnered with Access Surveillance and Fred Russell to bring a free “camera demo” to the membership to see and experience it first-hand.
If you’ve shopped for security cameras and systems for your business, (or heck, an Excel refresher course, or siding for your garage) you know how complex and confusing it can become with advertisements and a variety of ratings online. The myriad equipment and resources out there can be overwhelming if it’s not in our normal wheelhouse of expertise. Formats, camera capabilities, recording systems and installation challenges can make protecting your facility a daunting challenge in this case.
Services to Enhance Potential CEO and Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce Board Member Brent Mikulski found the solution to the challenge of updating the security systems for STEP’s seven facilities (along with parking lots that house nearly 50 vans) just by attending the free online seminar, hosted by the Dearborn Area Chamber.
Employing the suite of products from Verkada, a leading provider of video security systems, STEP was, thanks to PSN’s expertise and guidance, able to replace the organizations entire video security system with nearly 100 state-of-the-art dome cameras in and around its facilities, along with a free camera and demo before buying.
“It’s a great system,” Mikulski explained. “It’s affordable, it’s reliable, it offers a huge list of built-in features, and best of all, it’s remarkably easy to use.”
The Verkada system features a single, easy-to-use platform that allows users to remotely and securely monitor each of the facilities’ cameras from any location using nearly any device, from desktop computers to laptops to cell phones. The system also provides a myriad playback options, allowing the user to easily manage and monitor captured footage and a user-friendly system for selecting specific time and movement-based captures.
Another great feature of the system, is the elimination of the need for separate recording devices – footage is stored within the cameras for up to 30 days, and can be easily uploaded on demand to the Cloud – as well as each camera’s ability to automatically and immediately upload its contents to the Cloud if it detects any type “attack” it experiences (sudden jarring, etc.).
“The depth and breadth of this system is incredible”, Mikulski explained. “And the expertise and customer service we received from Phil, his staff and the installers from Fred Russell’s Access Surveillance was great. They took the mystery and confusion out of this project from start to finish. To find specific facilities, customer interactions, parking lot footage was amazing and easy.”
As pleased as Mikulski is with his new system, he is equally enthused about the many resources that are available through his Dearborn Area Chamber membership.
“Examples like this are a perfect reason to hold a membership in the Dearborn Area Chamber,” he explained. “There is a world of information, resources and assistance out there that’s available and ready. And it’s just a local phone call away”.
Check out the chamber if you’re a visitor, resident or local business owner. We are here to help and connect you to solutions every day.
Please feel free to give us a call at 313-584-6100 or email me at [email protected]. If we don’t know off the top of our heads your answer, we have experts at the ready to help businesses and the community members. Check out our Facebook page and our website, www.dearbornareachamber.org.