HISTORY COMPILED BY president and founder STAN ASHTON on March,21st, 2006
The history of monitoring alarm systems under the name of “Ashton” dates back to 1977. After having received numerous complaints from Ashton Alarm Systems’ clients that were then connected to the only existing “third party” alarm-monitoring central in the Montreal QC area Stan seen that change was needed.
Driven by perfection and tired of making excuses for non-performance
to Ashton clients Stan decided to invest in a Central dedicated
to the use of his clients.
As the alarm industry in those days was more closely knit it wasn’t
long that other alarm companies were asking Stan to monitor their
clients. Seeing the need and demand for reliable monitoring Stan
decided that a ULC (1980) approval would be good for marketing of
Ashton Alarm Systems and would lend credibility to the central for
the “third party” monitoring business that was constantly
growing.
In 1997 Stan was approached by Les Acquisitions Microtec to sell
the clients of Ashton Alarm Systems (approximately 2400 direct clients)
however the third party alarm company monitoring network was not
sold.
As a result Centrale Ashton Central Inc. was constituted under a
Federal Charter and now Stan was in the “Third Party”
monitoring business on a full time basis.
Since that time the Ashton Central team many of who were originally
from Central staff of Ashton Alarm Systems before the sale to Microtec
helped build the procedures, infrastructure and client base that
now exist.
Since then the Central client base has grown at a rate of 15 to
20% per year.
Stan made the acquisition of the building that now houses the Central
and administration. This building is a veritable bunker as it was
a Royal Bank of Canada building built in 1958 and still contains
the money and document vaults.
The retention of the staff has meant that a wealth of experience
and knowledge in the operations of the central has translated to
an impeccable insurance record with no “failure to perform”
claims having ever being paid due to non-performance.
This is a record that is the envy of the alarm industry to this
day!!
In closing this History it is important to note that the alarm
industry is entering a “new era”.
With the advent of the Internet and all the new IP security technologies
on the horizon, such as “Alarm over Internet Protocol”
(AoIP) and Video surveillance over Internet, Stan has once again
been stimulated. In order to offer a viable video monitoring solution
to the security indutry Stan entered into a partnership with Jean
Sebastien Cote to form VST Group Inc.. VST Group Inc.l is the research
and development sister company dedicated to developing the VIDEOGARD™
surveillance solution. www.videogard.ca
Acknowledgements
Behind every good man is usually a good woman in my case there are
two good women; Josée St-Jean (17 years of dedicated service)
and Lynn Belanger (14 years of dedicated service) Thank you ladies!!
Continued page 2
A special thanks also to the dedicated “Team” at Ashton
Central for all your good efforts.
Thanks most of all for all the comments from our clients as your input makes us better at what we do.
Stanley Ashton, President and Founder
