I'm grateful for your interest in ABCO Fire Protection and your curiosity about me and my leadership team. My hope is that by sharing some insights into our past experience, you will better understand why we do things the way we do. The goal (as it is with everything in this site) is for YOU to be better equipped to understand our product and service offering, to communicate with our people, to leverage our knowledge and resources and ultimately to utilize our services to the fullest extent.
In most small to medium size companies, the personality of the business usually reflects the personality of the owner. I think that holds true for ABCO. As explained in the "ABCO History" timeline section, the company was founded in 1975 by my father, Robert Titmas, Sr. As an owner and operator he was (and still is!) competitive, driven and disciplined. He worked extremely hard to grow ABCO and to make a nice living for our family. It was not easy and he risked a great deal to achieve success. My memories of him during those earlier years were of a "larger than life" dad who commanded attention and demanded respect. He worked from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. six days a week. My Mom helped him start the business, and processed invoices and started an accounting department in our basement. I think for a couple years the only words he spoke to me were "cut your hair" and "cut the grass" (hey, no jokes about the long hair, it was the late 70's!) Despite the emotional distance, I always knew he loved me. And despite the amount of hours he worked, he still found time to coach my sports teams, and achieve a work/family balance.
As an owner, manager, parent and community leader I try to live the way my father has; by doing what I say I will do. I truly believe that the ABCO culture operates this way. I think the way we manage and compensate our employees speaks to this. I think the number of employees who have been at ABCO for over 10 years is proof of this. I think the number of customers who continue to use us year after year is evidence of this. I am grateful for the strong relationships and positive reputation that we have with fire departments and community officials. We don't change the rules when it's convenient or when times are tough. We don't use excuses or run away when mistakes are made. We live our values and we stay true to our mission. When people do what they say they will do they become worthy of trust. Our culture is built on it.
Bob Titmas(CEO)
"A company is only as successful as its people, and we're proud to say we've got some of the best talent and resources available to create a 'best in class' service operation in the Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and the Southeastern Michigan Marketplace. "
Bob's future vision at ABCO is to continuously reinvent the company through leading edge growth and development. His leadership program , commitment to research and development , and the founding of a national fire safety awareness program (NIFAST) help Bob to actively pursue his personal mission: to grow, to succeed, to believe in the future, and to enrich the communities in which we live and work.
Please visit Bob's Blog for updated information on Bob and his team, and current happenings within the fire protection industry.
Matt Aloisio(President, Pennsylvania Operations)
"Our passion for superior service in the fire protection industry is shown in all that we do. From the minute the original call is placed, to the professionalism of our service staff, to our "easy to use" internal systems, our goal is to provide quality and integrity in all that we do".
Matt has built the Pennsylvania operations from the ground up. Starting in 1980, Matt began working for the original founder of ABCO, Larry Abelson (ABelson COmpany), and helped to grow their operations by becoming the major restaurant distributor of ANSUL products in the Pennsylvania region. Through his leadership, ABCO's regional presence has produced an enviable record of sales and growth over the past thirty years.
Linda Petrigan(Chief Financial Officer)
"Our internal financial operations are very detailed with many different service lines operating out of various regional locations. Our financial staff pays close attention to detail, keeping the customer in mind with every transaction."
Linda joined ABCO 25 years ago with a background in accounting. She handles all banking, monthly reconciliations, general ledger, payroll and annual tax returns. Linda was also instrumental in the 401K selection, monitoring and administration for all ABCO employees.
Merrick Murphy(Sales Manager/VP)
"ABCO's engineered systems are as good as it gets. Our specialists have over 126 years of experience in the fire protection industry, and are NICET certified in special hazards, fire alarm and sprinkler systems. Our vast array of expertise allows us to customize and create the most cost-effective solution to fit your needs."
Merrick has been with the ABCO family since its inception, 27 years ago. He has watched our company grow from within, and have assisted our team with numerous acquisitions to help stabilize our regional growth. He is certified with Ansul, Kidde, and Firetrace.
Steve Smith(Development Manager)
"Our Sales Division at ABCO is not just about taking your order. We have a sales team in each office location to provide you with superior local service and support. We have internal processed that will ensure what is quoted, is what will be delivered. We have a team that cares about the customers' needs first."
Steve brings to ABCO a wealth of fire protection industry expertise, having owned and operated his own related business for 13 years. ABCO acquired Steve's business, with the understanding that bringing his 22 years of industry sales experience would be a marquis part of the acquisition package. Steve has played an important role in maintaining the sales infrastructure at ABCO, has trained and developed most regional sales representatives, and has a superior relationship with our customer base.
Todd Barber(Operations Manager/VP)
"The secret to ABCO's success is staying in tune with our customers. We stay actively involved, are on call 24 hours/7 days per week to ensure excellence in customer service. Our team , combining 70 years of operations experience, are committed, experienced, and dedicated to the day-to-day needs of our customer."
Todd has recently marked his 18th year with ABCO, over 26 years in the fire protection industry. You will find Todd to be very "hands-on" with our customers, leveraging his expertise in the various state certifications: Portable Fire Extinguisher Certification, Fire Alarm and Detection Certification, Sprinkler/Standpipe Certification, Pre-engineered and Engineered Certification. Todd is also a licensed electrical contractor in the City of Cleveland.
Tony Duncan(Operations Manager)
"Education is the most important fire fighting tool that we have right now. As a trained fire fighter, I have seen firsthand the damage a fire can cause a residence or business. Our knowledge of the industry, combined with our years of technical expertise has made us leaders in the marketplace."
Tony's 17 years with ABCO Fire were precluded as a trained fire fighter and fire equipment maintenance provider. His expertise within the restaurant vertical is based on hands-on experience; Tony has seen the damage a kitchen fire can do to a restaurant. Because of his background as a fire fighter, his strength is in providing fire safety education and training, and his job is to ensure that his technicians are educating the customers on their fire safety needs.
Tim Hodgkiss(Development Manager)
"Our main focus within operations is employee development and working with the technicians in the field to assure we are delivering consistent, highly productive services for the benefit of ABCO and our customers. We want to make sure the technicians are understanding of their role as customer service representatives."
Tim brings to ABCO over 20 years of management experience in the service industries. He fully understands all aspects of our service standard: fleet management, inventory control, procurement, quality assurance, business analysis and employee development. Tim is state certified in portable fire extinguishers and pre-engineered systems.
Mary Kraft(Manager Administration/HR)
"ABCO employees are my customers. I believe that if we can treat our employees well internally, that it will show externally to our customer base. Our internal processes and how we stand behind our people is a key differentiator within the fire protection industry."
Mary has a lengthy track record within ABCO, operating as an integral internal resource for all operations. Mary manages the administration department, which includes Accounting, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Fleet Management. Mary is also Assistant to the CEO, and helps keeps ABCO running smoothly.
"ABCO has created a genuine, supportive family atmosphere. Many of the employees and customers I have known for years and have been with the company for over 25 years -generations of customers bring ABCO repeat business. The future for ABCO is exciting - we are experiencing tremendous growth and have an incredibly talented leadership team that brings high energy, creative imagination, and a positive attitude."
Jill inherited a strong work ethic and sense of community giving from both her father, Robert Titmas Sr. and brother, Bob Titmas Jr... Jill has worked for ABCO throughout her childhood and adult life in various capacities - from cleaning lady, administrative assistant to selling restaurant service jobs during her summer and winter school breaks. Her father's spirit of entrepreneurship, motivated her to rejoin the ABCO team five years ago. Jill has helped the company re-engineer its internal image and marketing processes. Through a careful corporate-wide rollout, Jill helped Bob Jr. and his team develop the leadership program, which has received national attention for its creativity and attention to human resources detail.
