KB Truman – Kenton Brothers is moving to the East side.

/in , /by

By Gina Stuelke, CEO of Kenton Brothers

After 46 years at the corner of 18th and Baltimore, and two prior locations on Walnut since our founding in 1897, Kenton Brothers Systems for Security is moving to the East side! We’re referring to the new location as KB Truman.

After a five year search for a new location, we finally found a location that meets all of our needs. 3401 East Truman Road in Kansas City, Missouri. Much like our experience of being a part of the transformation of the Crossroads District over a decade ago, we’re now joining in the transformation of the Truman Road corridor.

KB Truman Under ConstructionOur new location sits at the start of the Truman Community improvement district at Truman Road and Indiana streets. KB, along with many other local businesses, is excited about the future and the focus of bringing new companies to the area.

We had several requirements when we were searching for the new location.

First and foremost, it needed to be centrally located in the KC city limits to continue serving our long time contractual clients like the City of KCMO and Jackson County. It needed to have easy highway access for our clients. And we needed our fleet of service trucks to be able to easily get to our location from a major interstate.

We required plenty of room for our existing team and the current needs of our organization, which is much more technology focused. We also need plenty of room for growth and expansion. And one more important addition to the have-to-haves list: PARKING. One of the biggest struggles we’ve experienced at our current location in the Crossroads District is the lack of parking.

An Experienced Team

KB Truman Under ConstructionKB partnered with long-time HEMP friend Jay Tomlinson of Helix Architects to design our new headquarters and create an environment to showcase the security industry’s state of the art technology. We selected Courtney Kounkel’s Monarch Build commercial general contractor to handle the renovation and birth of the new space. The team at Country Club Bank provided their expertise and the financing to make the transition to the new building easier.

We can’t wait to share more about KB Truman in the next couple of months. Things are coming together quickly and we can’t wait to move into our new space at 3401 East Truman Road.

KC Pet Project: Adopt A Pet This Holiday Season!

/in , /by

By Kristen Harper, Controller and HR Manager at Kenton Brothers, talking about a community project that Kenton Brothers is involved in… adopting pets for the holidays!

Kansas City Pet ProjectThis holiday season, Kenton Brothers will be partnering with KC Pet Project to bring some much need support to homeless pets. This is a “no kill” shelter that provides medicine, veterinary care, vaccines, food and other resources to save animals that would otherwise have no hope.

Kenton Brothers is a pet friendly work place. We’ve seen the benefits time and time again of having a furry friend around to lift the spirits of our team. We believe it’s important to give back to those in need. And it doesn’t have to be just humans! What a great way to support our four legged friends by helping KC Pet Project.

Here are a few of the benefits of having a pet:

  1. Fewer Allergies: Research states that a child can be 33% less likely to developing allergies if they have a pet in the home and tend to develop stronger immune systems.
  2. Good for your heart: Statistics show decreased blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels for pet owners.
  3. Personal Trainers: Pets need a good walk every day. It’s a good reason for us to get up and move!
  4. Combat the Blues: Pets provide companionship, unconditional love and bring joy and happiness in any environment.

We encourage you to check out the KC Pet Project Wish List this holiday season. It’s a great opportunity to make a donation. Even better, maybe you have room in your family to bring one of these dear animals home!

Kenton Brothers: Adopt a Pet This Holiday! Kenton Brothers: Adopt a Pet This Holiday!

Daisy Scouts Learn About and Support Spay & Neuter Kansas City

/in /by

Spay and Neuter KCIt’s no secret that Kenton Brothers is a pet friendly company. We encourage and enjoy having fellow employee’s pets in the office as it brings peace and happiness. The puppies that come visit us have a way of turning the tables on the most stressful days, and they foster a positive atmosphere.

Kenton Brothers appreciates and supports the needs of pets and finding them good homes. We’ve partnered with Spay & Neuter Kansas City by helping them keep their facility secure. This in turn provides their employees the ability to have a safe place to come to work each day. Also, their supplies (through many generous donations) are protected for the use of the owners and animals that truly need them.

Recently, Daisy Troop 602 of Lee’s Summit visited Spay & Neuter Kansas City to volunteer their time to help make medical e-collars. These collars are an important part of the healing process for injured animals. Additionally, the girls donated treats, toys and other items to support animals in need.

Girl ScoutsIn touring the facility I realized first-hand all the good that’s done for these animals through vaccinations and spaying and neutering at affordable costs to pet owners. (The specific details of what “Spay” and “Neuter” means were avoided until the girls are just a little older.)

Please join us in supporting Spay & Neuter KC by checking out these opportunities to give or by simply calling 816-353-0940 and asking how you can volunteer to help animals in need!

Project Update: Salvation Army Centralized Management System

/in , , /by

Salvation ArmyWe’ve had a relationship with the Salvation Army for many years from a locksmith perspective. Over time, we began to do more of their technology based applications for access control and video at locations around the city.

About two years ago, we approached the Salvation Army about implementing our centralized management system. This system uses IP based technology that allows their headquarters to see all of their locations, while allowing autonomous administration at each location.

The cost savings would be substantial because of standardizing their systems and sharing the IT investment in servers and switches across their locations. We’ve helped them through many iterations of the design while facilitating meetings with decision makers and their board of directors. We’re excited to announce that we’ve won the business!

Their ultimate goal is to incorporate not just the IP video and IP intercom systems, but to also include access control.  There are approximately thirteen locations we’ve included in our project planning. The Linwood location is the first facility to get the upgrades.

Salvation ArmyOur installation crew began the project by pulling new CAT 6 cable for each new camera and intercom location. This was no easy task because it’s a four-story building. We installed eight exterior cameras ranging from Pan/Tilt/Zoom models to 270-degree and interior dome cameras. We also installed a 2N intercom system with three Grandstream desk stations. We installed PC based viewing stations that communicate with video servers at each location.

We’ve really enjoyed our experience working with Salvation Army and their staff. We’ve delivered a solution that makes their work for the community easier, safer and more productive!

Catching Crooks & Drinking Beer. The Stolen KC Story.

/in /by

Every so often something happens in your life to give you pause. Sometimes, the changes affect you personally and sometimes they can affect a lot of people.

In December of 2014, David Brucker faced just this type of moment. 

David is an owner of the local business Hometown Lawn. David and his team work hard to provide for their families and deliver great service at a fair price. On this fateful day, David arrived at his business and found that many items had been stolen. The theft hit him very hard. He vowed right then and there that he’d fight back. He decided to create a way for hard working people like him to not be victims, but to take the fight to the thief. On this day, Stolen KC was born.

Stolen KCStolen KC is a group that allows you to post a stolen item, missing person or crime prevention tip and spread the word across the city instantly. Stolen KC has been spotlighted on several local television and radio stations for their effectiveness in recovering stolen property.

Fast forward two years and Stolen KC is a Facebook group with over 62,900 followers and airs a live show every Thursday at 8PM. During the show, they discuss topics such as the recoveries for the week, the most wanted list, crime prevention tips and of course the adult beverage of the week!

The two hosts of the program are Stolen Dave and Stolen Todd (Todd Howerton) but once in a while they allow guests hosts in and I was lucky enough to guest host show #11.  Kenton Brothers Systems for security is the proud sponsor of the show, and we look forward to partnering with them for years to come.

David Brucker likes to call this “Social Media Activism”.  I like to call it changing lives for everyone in the Kansas City Area!

Please tune in on Thursday nights at 8PM to see what recoveries were made each week and who is on the most wanted list and of course, check out the weekly beverage! Here’s to fighting crime and drinking beer!

Stolen KC Stolen KC