One of the realities during the design and construction of Pretend City Museum for Children was that its security system would require some imaginative solutions. Lauren Howel, director of operations for the recently opened Irvine attraction, knew it began with selecting the right electronic security company.

Applying her 13 years' experience as a property manager, which included evaluating and hiring alarm companies, she collected referrals from colleagues and professionals in the field and ultimately narrowed her choice of the top three companies for presentations. Her criteria were headed by longevity in business, followed by a positive reputation and an existing portfolio of high profile clients.

"The professionalism of Gil Gonzales was apparent from the start," Ms. Howel recalled of the initial 2007 meeting with the JMG senior agent. "Call it gut instinct but I knew JMG would be the right choice."

After checking out the references and the client roster, she was convinced her first impression was correct, adding "I saw the JMG stickers at so many distinctive locations, and now I can say, 'We have that company too.'"

The unique challenges of securing Pretend City were headed by a concern for employee and guest safety and controlling accessibility to the non-public areas. And the young guests visiting the City, who range in age from infants to ten-year olds, weren't the only targets.

Yes, Ms. Howel needed to make sure children wouldn't wander away from their groups in the 28,000 s.f. facility but she also had to ensure that the dozens of volunteers had restricted mobility as well.

Gonzales and his project manager Brian Almasi designed and installed an integrated system that consists of a burglar alarm and a card access control system that allows for keyless entry to the museum and administrative departments; but only to authorized personnel. But this application of technological expertise wasn't the defining moment the gut instinct had promised. Three months prior to the opening, on the Friday evening of the 3-day Memorial Day weekend, Lauren received a call from a fellow employee who was having trouble arming the alarm system before she left for home. Within minutes, Lauren was back at the site, aiding the employee - but the pair tried without success.

Remembering that she had the cell phone numbers of both Gonzales and Almasi, she was able to reach both although it was after hours. "Brian not only said he would meet us there right away, he stayed three hours to diagnose and solve the problem.

"It was one of those shining moments," she said of Almasi's response and resolution of the situation."

Lauren Howell

By Ken Jacobs,
JMG Co-founder and CEO

We support the L.A. Angels of Anaheim in a number of ways, one of which will be very public beginning September 16. Like many of you, we follow the Halos' fight for the pennant but we are also active in other ways. As a company we are season ticket holders, secure all their retail stores and food and beverage offices, and for the second consecutive year are advertisers. Listen and look for our messages from September 16 to the end of the season on their radio broadcasts and on the stadium scoreboard.

Our allegiance comes from more than customer loyalty. We admire the Angels organization because we find so many similar traits between our two companies.