Commercial low-voltage electronic systems group NSCA announces 3 award honorees

The National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA), the leading not-for-profit association representing the commercial low-voltage electronic systems industry, is excited to announce three award honorees for 2019. Award recipients will be honored during the 21st annual Business & Leadership Conference, held Feb. 27-March 1, 2019, in Tampa, FL.

The award honorees are as follows:

Mark Dundas (above) – who served on the NSCA board of directors for 11 years, including his role as treasurer and president – is the recipient of the 2019 Per Haugen Lifetime Achievement Award. Per an NSCA press statement, "Dundas’ impact on NSCA and the industry is felt every day. Shortly after he joined the board of directors, he launched NSCA’s first-ever accounting system."

Dundas also founded the NSCA Education Foundation and served on its board of directors until 2007. Per the statement "His industry journey began in 1975, when he worked for 10 years for Industrial Communication Co. Nearly one decade later, in 1984, he founded United Communication Technology Inc. In 1988, Dundas founded Tech Works after spending nights and weekends engineering technology solutions when customer requests called for specialized systems. He still actively runs this manufacturing company, which specializes in simplified audio and healthcare solutions for hospitals, clinics, and detention facilities."

“From the very start, Mark knew the industry’s future would involve integrating electronic systems,” comments NSCA executive director Chuck Wilson. “His ideas and experiences shaped many of the processes that NSCA still follows today.”

Belden's REVConnect system recognized by NSCA for contractor-friendly installation efficiency

Jan Sandri (above) is the recipient of the 2019 NSCA Education Foundation Founders Award. A founding member of FSR, a women-owned manufacturer of solutions for the AV, education, hospitality, government, and houses of worship markets, Sandri has been instrumental in growing the company to 100+ employees and implementing green manufacturing processes.

In addition to serving the industry, Sandri also finds time to give back to her community. She has served as mayor of Little Falls, NJ; sat on the city council; served as the fire and police commissioner; and was the Little Falls Board of Health president. She serves on the board of Kindness Shared Happiness Squared, a charity that helps children in need, as well.

“Jan has been a major industry contributor for many years,” says NSCA's Wilson. “She is an inspiration to professionals at all stages of their careers, as well as to women who are forging their own paths in the systems integration world today.”

AV systems available as-a-service via NSCA co-program

The NSCA's 2019 Volunteer of the Year Award is being given to Guy Grace (above), director of security and emergency planning for Littleton Public Schools and Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) K-12 chairman. Grace was instrumental in forming PASS, which developed the Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools (currently in its fourth iteration).

WHITE PAPER: Six Strategies to Future-proof Your School Wiring Network

“Under Guy Grace’s leadership, and with his experiences in school security, PASS has grown to become a national resource for schools, integrators, architects, and other professionals,” says Wilson. “Guy has been instrumental in helping create school security guidelines based on a tiered approach that takes individual needs, best practices, and available resources into consideration.”

Based in Cedar Rapids, IA, the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) is billed as the leading not-for-profit association representing the commercial low-voltage electronic systems industry. Per the group, "NSCA is a powerful advocate for all who work within the low-voltage industry, including systems contractors/integrators, product manufacturers, consultants, sales representatives, architects, specifying engineers, and other allied professionals. NSCA is dedicated to serving its contractor members and all channel stakeholders through advocacy, education, member services, and networking designed to improve business performance."

For more information, visit www.nsca.org.