The DVSS Team Keeps Properties Protected in NY and Beyond
From earning $5 a day as a 10-year-old to running a security business, Chris Casanova, Sr. knows that timing is everything. The President and CEO of Valley Stream, NY-based Design Video Security Systems (DVSS) has seen his company grow from a two-person video installation business to a full-service security firm that works internationally, but remains dedicated to personalized service.
In 1972, Edwin Casanova saw an ad for a video surveillance business and got a job with Sperry Vision in Westbury, NY. It wasn’t long before his younger brother Chris tagged along to help during the summers, and fell in love with the trade. Chris was happy making $5 per day.
“Not many could afford cameras back then,” Chris Sr. recalled. “They were $5,000 or more. Therefore, we worked on hospitals and airports. It was great.”
In 1975, Ed Casanova’s apartment was robbed. He called a local alarm company and their prices were outrageous. So the brothers went to a local alarm distributor, purchased the equipment, and did the installation themselves. Chris Sr. attended a Vocational & Technical high school, and by the age of 16 began installing security systems in Park Slope, Brooklyn. In the 1980s, the brothers started a security company. Today, the company designs, installs, and maintains a variety of security and integration services based on each client’s needs and budget.
The timing was right, the senior Casanova said. In 1989, DVSS was one of the first video subcontractors for ADT. In 1990, Nabisco Foods gave them a contract to install security systems in New York, North Carolina, and Puerto Rico. Word spread quickly, and in 1992 the Metropolitan Transit Authority awarded the company a contract to install a 26-acre complex in Maspeth, Queens with more than 100 cameras and fiber optic cabling. In 1997, they were awarded a contract to install 5000 computer cable runs for 10 hospitals in New York City. In 1999, the brothers went after government projects in the United States and Mexico.
This resulted in a massive project in Mexico installing 125 PTZ cameras in Secretaria De Marina in Mexico City. “The Mexico City Navy Base project in 1999 was huge,” Chris Sr. said.
Presently, the company is involved with national accounts through which security systems may be controlled via DVSS’ main office. The customer list includes New York City Department of Sanitation, the New York City Housing Authority, Con Edison, Canon, Delta Airlines, Hertz, FedEx, DHL, Expeditors, NJ Transit, the MTA, Long Island Railroad, Rockville Centre Police, New York City Police Department, the Suffolk County Police Department, and others
As the security industry has evolved into Information Technology networks, DVSS’ staff includes certified network engineers who are able to design and implement all phases of the project from beginning to end. After designing and installing the systems, DVSS’ operations team offers remote and internal support depending on the service agreement.
Chris Casanova Jr. and his brother Jason Casanova are the next generation.
“We cater to the customer,” said Chris Jr., who joined his family’s company 10 years ago. “We are big enough to work with large corporations, and small enough that we can give each the white-glove treatment. The larger security companies lose a customer and they don’t care. My dad believes that it is very hard to get a customer and maintain a relationship. However, it’s very easy to lose them”.
In some ways, his entry into the industry echoes his father’s story. As a teenager tagging along with his father at a meeting, he received a tip of $100 from the client— and was instantly hooked on the industry.
“I loved this business,” Chris Jr. recalled, laughing. “It stuck with me. As I went to Hofstra College, I saw the potential.”
For example, he finds virtualization exciting, he said, though the growing cost of bandwidth is a concern as more data is pushed to the cloud.
To keep current, the company engages in ongoing training of its associates, as technicians are regularly certified and recertified on new products. DVSS also continues to recruit new staff, said Chris Sr. “I have staff that’s been with me for more than 20 years, and they started with no experience.”
The company is looking to expand, and will open an office in Fort Lauderdale in the first quarter of this year, spreading the word of a high-tech business.
“I’ve sat in front of many companies, who’ve asked why they should work with us,” said Chris Sr. “My response is: because when you call, we’ll be there. Most people can do the installation. The difference is the service and communication that we can provide our customers is priority. It’s all about building and maintaining relationships.”
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