• Pitching in, pitching out: We’re keen on green and do what we can to promote the paperless office. To that end, we had our first site-wide “shred day” early in the month. Employees were encouraged to collect unnecessary paperwork and other outdated materials (account executive Jeff Taylor displays dated labeling, above), which we then helped feed into the document destruction machinery aboard two Cintas haulage trucks. We had fun pitching in on this all hands effort, as is clear from the pictures!
• Trying to help in trying times: We reached out to targeted industry segments with specials aimed at stretching their dollar. Collision avoidance users were presented with a wish list from which they could pick the three cost-saving items that would most benefit their budgets. And schools considering the SV-4CSD onboard surveillance video system were offered a complimentary camera, after the purchase of the first. (Interested? Offers end 12.31.09!)
• Gathering of the clans: Our annual get-together gets us all on the same page. December is traditionally the month when all sales staff and installation technicians convene to discuss progress during the previous year and plans for the coming year. It makes for a full-house here at HQ, but it’s always good to put our heads together and share lessons learned.
• Giving back to the community: Here’s where the elf part kicks in! Safety Vision again participated in the Elves & More corporate bike-build, a charitable cause that benefits at-risk children. Safe transportation and children’s well-being are two of our drivers, so this is a fitting cause for us to embrace.
• Sharing our vision: We speak out as mobile video surveillance subject matter experts. As in years past, Mass Transit magazine approached us for our take on where the industry is headed. In the December 2009/January 2010 issue (pg 55), CTO Chris Fritz chimes in with his look-ahead on trends and technologies to come.
• Celebrating the season and the standouts: Safety Vision hosts a meal and toasts a winner. Every year since 2002, the company has recognized one employee as Visionary of the Year, selected from a pool of nominees proposed by their coworkers as going above and beyond. At yesterday’s holiday luncheon, Bruce announced Technical Support Manager Aaron Alvarado as VOY 2009. Aaron will be treated to a 3-day trip to beautiful Telluride, CO!  We all appreciate your hard work, Aaron: You make Safety Vision look good! Congrats…
• Saying adieu (but not goodbye): Vicki Hammett, our first human resources director, has retired and is being feted at a surprise farewell lunch, today. Vicki lent many years of service to the company and tendered much care to its employees, and she will be sorely missed. Wishing you all the best, Vicki. It’s hard to imagine a Safety Vision without you; but you set a gold standard for future comers … and we know you’ll be back to visit. Right?!

Whew, and that’s a wrap: I told you it was a busy December! Maybe now we can sit back, relax, and enjoy the holidays with family and friends. We hope you’re able to do the same, and we wish you a safe, happy, and prosperous 2010.

• Our new mobile digital video recorder (MDVR) for the police/law enforcement sector–the PatrolRecorder Series–debuts in Law Enforcement Product News (May/June, pg 35).
• Triple whammy: Our SV-LCD70 flat-screen monitor, RouteRecorder 5C MDVR, and SV-SS22 color zoom camera are all featured in Fire Chief magazine’s Product Showcase (May, pg 67).
• Double whammy: Concrete Products magazine ran a piece penned by Safety Vision Account Executive Steve Sappol titled “The Rear Vision Camera Revolution” (May, pg 37) and earlier included a Safety Vision rear- and side-vision product release (March, pg 61)
• Account Executive Jeff Taylor was interviewed by Advanced Rescue Technology for a feature discussing the beneficial integration of our SV-CLCD-65-620 rear-vision camera system and our RoadRecorder 6000 PRO MDVR for the fire/rescue industry (April/May, pg 29).
• Our new RouteRecorder 1000 MDVR is featured in both School Bus Fleet (April/May, pg 56) and School Tranpsortation News (April, pg 59).
• Our new side-vision color camera, the SVC-200S, appears in the pages of Waste News (April 24, pg 21).
• In March, Safety Vision sponsored the “Backing safety” article in Beverage Industry, which included a letter from our president, Bruce Smith, explaining the pertinence of both collision avoidance and mobile surveillance systems in the food & beverage distribution sector
• Our sleek new side-vision camera, the SV-250SC, is featured in a “Spotlight on Consumer Electronics” segment in RV Trade Digest, a publication serving the recreational vehicle market (March, pg 29)
• Another double whammy: North American Quarry News ran not-one-but-two very favorable articles featuring our collision avoidance camera systems: “Granite City Ready Mix Reaps Rewards of Rear-Vision Investment” and “Safety Vision Products Raise Industry Standard” (February, pgs 3 and 4)
• Our largest single purchase order to date–the $1 million plus installation for IndyGo, the Indianapolis metro transit system–gets ink in an article titled “Cameras soon will monitor IndyGo riders, drivers” on Indystar.com (January)
• And we wrapped up 2005 with additional good press. Eurotransport ran a sidebar on our onboard security cameras and mobile surveillance systems within a security feature titled “CCTV: crucial role” (pg 58); School Transportation News spotlighted Bruce in a “Presidential Series” interview in November (pg 40); and Account Executive Richard Newcombe was interviewed by Railway Age magazine for its “Transit security: What more can be done?” article (pg 37)

In other industry publication news, we’re also appearing in a few industry buyer’s guides that are new to us (along with our inclusion in the many other buyer’s guides we’ve traditionally run in): Police & Security News (March/April), Oilheating Journal (April), and Christian School Products (May).

Whew: That IS a lot of good press! Keep your eyes peeled as you turn the pages, and you’re likely to stumble on us in future issues of industry pubs. Meanwhile, stay tuned to this spot for ongoing updates on where you can “read up on us,” and be sure to check out our Safety Vision: In The News page on our Web site…!

- Christine Portillo, Marketing Director