September 22, 2015 – Bay Shore, NY | David Antar is a true entrepreneur at heart with over 30 years of experience in the security industry. Over the last 3.5 decades, he has started a number of successful high-tech companies based on a keen ability to understand the needs of his customers and the trends in the marketplace that drive business growth. As a Westchester native, Antar starting working as a mechanic at 13 years old and quickly realized at an early age that he enjoyed problem solving and diagnosing complex situations. By the time he was 18, Antar moved to Long Island to attend a community college and continue his pursuit of troubleshooting technology. In the 1970s, Antar took a summer job while attending classes and ended up breaking into the commercial moving and storage space. Antar quickly rose to the top and ended up running the day-to-day operations of the company and helped to turn it into the largest commercial moving-and-storage company in N.Y.C. – Eagle Transfer – operating out of 9 buildings totaling over 750,000 s/f based in Lower Manhattan. Under Antar’s lead, the company doubled in size for 13 consecutive years and delivered storage and transportation services to high-end customers that needed to protect their valuable assets. Eagle served high profile companies such as Merrill Lynch, Dean Witter, EF Hutton, Shearson, The Bank of NY and worked with the Whitney, Guggenheim, Metropolitan and Smithsonian museums to package and store fine arts. Antar learned every aspect of the business by working in accounting, marketing, dispatch, and even managed a fleet of over 50 vehicles during his time at Eagle. He also was instrumental in creating a new division for packaging and shipping of fine arts and collectibles and needed to learn about security to help keep customers’ assets safe when storing and transporting these irreplaceable items. Antar knew that his love for technology and now security were about to converge into something powerful.
This powerful union of technology and security unfolded in 1988 when Antar started A+ Technology & Security Solutions, a regional systems integrator that is a proven leader in convergence with unparalleled expertise in IT, Audio Visual, LED Lighting, and Security. The company is one of the largest providers of IP Video Surveillance into K-12 and higher education facilities throughout the New York Metropolitan area. Antar is a true visionary who understood, as early as 1996, that security was starting to evolve into technology. He built A+ Technology & Security Solutions on this notion and initially enjoyed helping customers automate systems by building custom programs that improved their business’ efficiency. Working with building owners, facility managers, and key security professionals throughout Long Island and N.Y.C. metro area, Antar is a force to be reckoned with in the commercial real estate space. “One thing I have learned in my career is that when a customer says jump, you ask how high,” said Antar. “Having a customer centric philosophy is crucial to any successful business and it’s extremely important to stay on top of the latest security technology in today’s changing marketplace. It’s all about exceeding your customers’ expectations each and every time.”
Like everything Antar touches in life, it quickly turns to gold. A+ Technology & Security Solutions started out as a one man show working out of his home in Massapequa and is now operating out of an 18,000 s/f facility in Bay Shore and has seen an average annual growth rate of 35% for the last 3 years. Within the same timeframe, Antar started IPVideo Corp., a national security solutions manufacturer and software developer that sells exclusively to dealers worldwide. IPVideo was one of the first companies in the US to offer IP Video Surveillance and was the first partner in the US for Axis Communications, the company that invented the IP Camera. To further fulfill his vision, Antar just recently purchased another 7,000 s/f building in Bridgeport, CT and has plans to increase its business in Connecticut after winning the 2014 Security Innovation Award – Municipal Sector for its work with the city of Bridgeport. The project was recognized by Security Technology Executive Magazine at the Secured Cities conference in 2014. The installation included state-of-the-art technology that consisted of thermal imaging cameras, wide dynamic range cameras, active deterrent systems, access control technology, wireless video transmission, solar powered arrays, and IPVideo’s unique video management system.
Antar formed yet another company in 2002, A+ Mobile Solutions, as a division of A+ Technology & Security Solutions. The company is an innovator in STEM solutions and has over 500 mobile science labs in the New York City school system. The idea was to create a portable technology and science cart that could be moved from room to room, and that could be purchased by schools for a fraction of the cost of renovating an entire classroom and dedicating it to science.
As one business was not enough to quench Antar’s thirst for technology, Advance Convergence Group (ACG) was born in 2012 to help create a centralized management team to support the growth and help share resources for all three companies that Antar had started. Currently, A+ Technology & Security Solutions, IPVideo Corp., and A+ Mobile Solutions fall under the ACG umbrella and operate with a common thread of providing top-notch customer service to its commercial clients. Antar is extremely proud of building ACG into such a great organization and continually strives to deliver a corporate culture similar to Disney and Federal Express where employees come first, are treated with respect and enjoy coming in to work.
Antar believes strongly in never accepting the status quo and how important it is to believe in yourself to achieve great things in life. By making sure that his companies have the right technology in place to keep people growing has enabled him to rise to the top of the security industry. Antar is a proud member of the ASIS International organization, where he gets to share his wisdom with other security professionals. ASIS International, with more than 34,000 members, is the largest international organization for professionals responsible for security, including managers and directors of security. In addition, corporate executives and other management personnel, as well as consultants, architects, attorneys and federal, state and local law enforcement, are becoming involved with ASIS International to understand the constant changes in security issues and technology solutions. Antar is also involved with other industry specific associations, including the Security Industry Association (SIA), International Facility Manager Association (IFMA), and American Institute of Architects (AIA) to name a few. In addition, Antar is part of the BOSS (Businesses of Superior Standards) organization. A+ Technology & Security Solutions has received the BOSS Seal of Approval for its quality work with companies that service buildings throughout Long Island. The BOSS organization works closely with building owners, facility managers and property managers who are looking for outstanding service and products for their properties. A+ Technology & Security Solutions represents the security and technology category and is recommended any time a request comes in for security, technology or LED lighting. With 85 employees across all companies and plans to expand into Connecticut and beyond, Antar’s future looks bright. Among his goals for the next three years are a continuation of double digit growth for ACG, the expansion of A+ into a super-regional integrator, and the growth of IPVideo both nationally and internationally into one of the most recognized and respected companies in the surveillance industry. In addition, Antar will be focusing on continuing the growth of A+ Mobile as a true leader in STEM. With a dedication to the security industry and technology that is second to none, Antar is destined to continue developing solutions that will keep people secure while improving safety at buildings and properties throughout the world.
*Article reposted from the New York Real Estate Journal – September 22, 2015