In a matter of days, Jerry Kovack will begin introducing prospects along I-70 and I-95 to the one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art security solutions available only from Secom, LLC.
While it may sound like a far cry from his former life in the office furniture world, transitioning from shelving and storage solutions to surveillance and access control systems wasn’t too huge of a leap. For his part, Kovack is looking forward to leveraging his extensive network of contacts that he’s fostered over the years.
“The relationships I built during that time align almost perfectly with what I’ll be doing at Secom,” he says.
In the meantime, he certainly knows a thing or two about creating a secure marriage.
Between Jerry’s last day at his former digs and his first day with the Secom crew, Kovack and his wife Kim will be getting out of town for a few days to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.
The Carroll County couple has two children – daughter Lindsay is studying to be a nurse at Towson University, while their son Ryan, 24, is a valued Secom, LLC team member.
“It’s an unbelievably unique opportunity,” Kovack says. “I get to spend time personally and professionally with my son, and I cannot wait to get started. I’m so excited about it.”
A self-effacing, self-deprecating salesman, Kovack was born in Chicago, but his family moved to Maryland when he was a child. He attended Good Counsel High School and is a proud alum of Frostburg State University (“I’m glad I can remember it,” he laughs).
He found a niche in the office furniture arena, spending 16 years with National Office Systems, a Prince George’s County-based storage systems dealer. For the last three years and change, he has served as a territory manager for Arnold Packaging in Baltimore.
Recently, Kovack decided it was time to make a change. Secom, LLC, just so happened to be enlisting talent.
Interestingly, Kovack had known Secom president Mike Toomey for years before Ryan joined their team. A high school basketball official, Kovack had coached Toomey’s children. He was also an acquaintance of Secom VP of Sales Colby Forest, who called to offer him the Secom position.
His first day on the job will be one of many familiar faces.
“It’s almost like I’ll be walking into old home week in a lot of ways,” he says. “I have a lot of good connections within the company.”
Kovack is eager to make new inroads and educate new clientele alongside good friends and trusted colleagues.
“Mike is a great guy with a lot of character and integrity,” Kovack says. “He’s shared some goals and plans with me. It may sound cheesy, but I’m looking forward to helping him grow the business and move it into some markets that we’re either not currently in or maybe not as big of a player as we could be. I’m excited to take advantage of the network I’ve worked up to put us into some new opportunities. There will be a good bit of synergy between my old world and my new world.”