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March 19, 2013BearCom rents two-way radios used at some of the highest-profile events in America—events like the Super Bowl, World Series, and New York Marathon, as well as gatherings like South by Southwest, Burning Man, and the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. BearCom has provided radios used at the Olympic Games, World Cup competitions for both soccer and cricket, and World Youth Day. BearCom once assisted with the NBA All-Star Game and the Academy Awards on the same day!
Using Two-Way Radios for large Events
So how is BearCom able to support these often-massive events? A key reason is inventory. BearCom has more than 22,000 Motorola two-way radios in its rental inventory—an inventory managed from the Rental Operations Center (ROC) inside the company's 92,000-square-foot fulfillment and support center in Dallas. "We call it the fishbowl," Dennis Gonzalez said of the -
March 13, 2013Read 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 -
March 05, 2013BearCom's wireless communications recent recognition as Motorola Solutions' top-volume dealer worldwide highlights again the amazing growth the company has enjoyed on its way to becoming the only nationwide dealer and integrator of wireless communications equipment. BearCom has been shaped by entrepreneurial leadership, a timely merger, and its association with some of the biggest events in the world. It's an amazing story, so let's take a look back. It's almost hard to believe, but a company that now ships more than 115,000 two-way radios a year and has more than 350 employees got its start in 1981 with the purchase of 40 Motorola HT90 two-way radios by Jerry Denham and Alyxzander Bear. The two young men had attended California State University at Long Beach and worked at Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC), the industry leader in crowd management. Its employees are easy to spot at events wearing their yellow windbreakers.
Founders Focus on Building a Company
At CSC, Bear had been responsible for renting the walkie-talkies used by employees at the concerts, games, and other events where staffers worked. After college, he had stayed on part-time, sub-renting radios and earning a small profit for his work. No doubt intrigued by the opportunities in two-way radio rentals, Denham and Bear founded Bear Communications in 1981 with that first purchase of 40 Motorola HT90s. By 1983, with CSC as one of their biggest customers, the two were able to quit their other jobs and focus solely on building Bear Communications. That year they provided radios and staffing for the Long Beach Grand Prix auto race, the first major event for a company that has become associated with scores of them. By the late 1980s, Bear Communications was itself picking up speed. Brent Bisnar—who had worked with Denham and Bear at CSC during their college days—joined the company in 1986 as its first sales representative, primarily promoting rental services, as well as selling EF Johnson, Maxon, and Yasau radios. By then, the company owned a small fleet of 150 Motorola HT90 and HT440 radios. That same year saw the opening of new BearCom offices in San Francisco, Seattle, and Fort Lauderdale, and in 1987, Bisnar opened an office in the San Diego area.National Scope and International Events
Motorola opened indirect distribution in 1988, and Bear Communications was named a dealer. Growth and expansion continued with the addition of branch offices around the country. Later in 1988, the company handled its first international event, the Toronto Grand Prix. In 1989, Bear left the company, but a short six years later, Bear Communications would provide more than 5,500 radios to all nine venues of soccer's biggest international event, the World Cup. It was an amazing rise for a company that traced its beginnings back to Cal State, but even greater growth and change were coming. We'll tell that story next time. Read part two... -
February 12, 2013BearCom is adding the new Vertex Standard EVX-531 two-way radio to our product line, and officials here are predicting it will be a popular choice among customers looking for a talk-and-listen radio with dual analog and digital functionality.
Two-Way Product Line
"The Vertex EVX-531 fits perfectly into the simple talk-and-listen space that is still the most popular," said BearCom's Product & Purchasing Manager, Hugh Johnston. "Because it's dual-mode analog and DMR digital, it's fully compatible with existing digital systems, including MOTOTRBO from Motorola Solutions, for basic applications." Established in 1956 with headquarters in Tokyo, Vertex Standard manufactures two-way radio communications equipment sold and serviced through more than 1,000 dealerships in North America. The Vertex Standard EVX-531 is the latest addition to the company's EVX-530 Series -
February 05, 2013Flying between our Seattle and Chicago branches last week, I was over South Dakota when I noticed a most unusual—but entirely appropriate—application for video surveillance cameras: large agricultural operations. Back at BearCom, I did a little research and came across the story of Joel Foxley, who farms with his brothers near the South Dakota town of Platte. He told The Daily Republic newspaper how he installed his first video surveillance camera a year and a half ago and now has 15 cameras keeping watch over his equipment, fuel, grain bins, and grounds. He said, "With the price of fuel and the price of everything, we just thought it would be a wise decision to have a little safety."
Video Surveillance Cameras "Are the Way the Industry is Going"
Ross Ringling, who runs a feedlot and trucking operation near Platte, told the paper how he has eight cameras monitoring gates and high-traffic areas at his business. He said he hadn't had any -
January 30, 2013It's one of the great things about two-way radios: You push the button and talk to a user group—no busy signals, no voicemail, no wondering if you were heard. Now that same utility has come to BearCom's website with a new live chat feature that offers visitors another convenient way to get answers about radios and other wireless communications solutions.
Push-to-Talk and BearCom
We've all been seeing consumers seek out products and services online in rapidly growing numbers. For those who know what they're looking for, online shopping is fast and easy. But for customers with questions, shopping online can mean making a phone call or sending an e-mail and waiting for a response. While BearCom always responds quickly to those queries, some customers want another, even faster way. That's where live chat comes in. Now, when customers go to designated pages on BearCom.com in the two-way radio sales