Read part one...
As we look back on
BearCom and its history as a company, we see it had its first successes in
two-way radio rentals. But it became a true power in wireless communications with the 1995 business merger of Bear Communications and PageCom that combined the industry's largest field office distribution dealer and its largest catalog dealer.
The Business Merger
PageCom had been founded in Dallas in 1981 and acquired a decade later by a group led by Texas businessman John Watson. PageCom's IT infrastructure, warehouse capabilities, and financial department depth meant the combined company would call Dallas home. It would call itself BearCom, Watson would be its Chairman, and it would become the largest Motorola dealership in the world.
The company wasted little time, judging by what it accomplished in 1996, the year after the business merger. It supplied more than 3,000 radios used during the
Olympic Games in Atlanta and acquired Motorola Rentals, that company's equipment and event-based operation. Over the next six years, BearCom would acquire more than 30 Motorola dealerships.
Scope of Rental Business Grows with Larger Events
More high-profile events followed with the Women's World Cup soccer competition in 1999, the
Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, and the
Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002. The
Cricket World Cup—which took place on seven Caribbean islands—followed in 2007. But BearCom wasn't limited to sporting events. In 2004, it provided more than 3,500 Nextel units for a
Get Out the Vote campaign, and in 2005 supplied more than 2,000 radios for
World Youth Day in Toronto. A string of accolades was highlighted in 2006, as BearCom won
Motorola's Pinnacle of Customer Excellence Award for the first time. In 2008, it won again.
BearCom marked its 30th anniversary in 2011. At the time, Watson said, "When I look at the scope of what we have been able to accomplish, I am amazed and humbled. If anything should be celebrated on our 30th anniversary, it's our people. At the end of the day, it's their deep level of dedication to our customers' success that has fueled ours."
The events for which BearCom supplies two-way radios continue to grow: the
Super Bowl,
World Series, and
New York City Marathon, along with gatherings like
South by Southwest and the
Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. One day last year, BearCom assisted with the
NBA All-Star Game and the
Academy Awards—on the same day.
Company Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
BearCom now has
26 branch locations across the country and 18 service locations, all backed by its 92,000-square-foot fulfillment and support center in Dallas. It boasts more than 30,000 customers worldwide, and its more than 350 employees include a technical staff numbering more than 100.
BearCom seems focused on moving forward with the same ambition it showed three decades ago. Just weeks ago, as BearCom was recognized as Motorola Solutions' top-volume dealer worldwide, company President & CEO Jerry Denham talked plenty about the company's plans for the coming year. But he also took time to say thank you for all that BearCom has accomplished. "Our success is the aggregate total of our individual personal achievements," Denham told a group assembled for the Motorola Solutions Channel Partner Expo. "Our achievements are not isolated incidents, but thoughtful, coordinated efforts with all members of the BearCom team. Together, we are the best in our industry."
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