Three years ago this month, we started this blog, the BearCom Bulletin, to keep you updated on the news coming from BearCom, our partners, and the whole wireless world. In my very first post, I said, "Over the coming weeks and months, it is our intention to use this space to inform, educate, advocate, challenge, and salute. We hope to do so in a way that will enlighten and, at least occasionally, entertain you." That was three years, more than 150 posts, and an estimated 15,000 visits ago!

Big news from our partner Teldio! At the recent Motorola Solutions Channel Partner Expo (CPE), Teldio released D3M, the first web application that simplifies the end-to-end process of designing, documenting, delivering, and managing two-way radio networks. TodaysWirelessWorld.com reported from CPE that the response to D3M was overwhelmingly positive.

BearCom takes special pride in the relationship we enjoy with Motorola Solutions, so it was especially rewarding when our largest partner named BearCom to its Empower Circle. The industry leader in two-way radios this year designated 101 companies for the Empower Circle, which recognizes Motorola's best-in-class partners around the world. Representatives from Motorola and executives with the Empower Circle partners are set to meet soon for five days.

The wireless industry takes its latest technologies to the International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE), and this year was no exception as Motorola Solutions and Icom America both arrived in Las Vegas with new products. Motorola Solutions used IWCE, the wireless industry's largest annual gathering, to announce the introduction of its APX1000 and APX4000XE portable radios, as well as the mobile APX Dual radio.

A key element of school campus security is the ability to quickly summon first responders in an emergency. And while calling 9-1-1 works, a direct wireless connection with police, fire, and medical personnel is even faster. That’s the advantage behind the donation by Motorola Solutions of 250 two-way radios to the Chardon Area Schools in Ohio.

The big news from BearCom this month is our designation by Motorola Solutions as a Motorola Service Elite Specialist. This is a reflection of our ability to sell, design, deploy, support, and service the highest tiers of Motorola products and solutions as a direct representative. "Even though we sell only the highest-quality wireless communications equipment, we recognize that it sometimes needs service and repair," Jerry Denham, BearCom's President & CEO, said in announcing the designation.

The construction industry is on a roll, according to experts who project construction starts will be up 9% this year, on top of last year's 5% gain. The biggest increases in activity will be in single-family housing, commercial building, and multifamily housing.

Some companies publish catalogs filled with little more than pretty pictures and glowing product descriptions. Not BearCom.

This first day of the new year seems like the perfect time to look back at all that happened at BearCom during 2013, a year that brought new products and solutions, an award for our BC130 two-way radio, a revamped online magazine, and a potential game changer from Motorola Solutions. It was just last month that we announced the opening of the BearCom Network