Safer Buildings Coalition Announces Winners of Safe Inside Annual Member Awards
Recipients for Product and Project of the Year Awards recognized for industry leadership
The Safer Buildings Coalition is proud to announce the winners of our inaugural Safe Inside Annual Members Awards. Categories included Safe Inside Product of the Year and Safe Inside Project of the Year. Submitted products and projects were required to specifically pertain to the in-building public safety market, and demonstrate an innovation that furthers the mission of improving in-building public safety.
SBC is pleased to present the Product of the Year Winner to Cel-Fi by Nextivity, and the Project of the Year Winner to AFL.
Additionally, Silver Awards for Project of the Year have been awarded to Fiplex Communications Inc. and Commdex respectively, while Silver Award Product of the Year goes to Westell Technologies Inc.
Product of the Year
The Safe Inside Product of the Year award recognizes new products leading the way in innovation in the in-building public safety communications market. This program serves to provide SBC’s audience with information about the top new products in their fields.
Cel-Fi by Nextivity’s product- QUATRA RED- provides consistent LMR (Land Mobile Radio) and FirstNet coverage in challenging indoor environments while guaranteeing full compliance with the most current fire codes. Offering real-time, end-to-end system monitoring and management through the Cel-Fi WAVE PRO application and Cel-Fi WAVE Portal, QUATRA RED established itself as a product well deserving of this recognition.
“Public safety communication is essential in life-or-death situations. Our industry-leading technology built into our line of ERCES products helps advance Public Safety communications by solving the industry’s biggest challenges,” said Michiel Lotter, CEO of Nextivity. “It is a momentous occasion for our entire team for QUATRA RED to be recognized by the Safer Buildings Coalition, building ownership groups, and public safety officials as their Safe Inside Product of the Year. We look forward to continuing to innovate in the in-building public safety communications market, and working alongside SBC to help the organization further its mission of making buildings safer inside.”
To learn more about the submissions of the Winners, Silver Award recipients, and Award Finalists, click here.
Project of the Year
The Safe Inside Project of the Year award was created to recognize outstanding projects in the in-building public safety communications market. This program spotlights projects for their impact, quality of workmanship, innovation, and contribution to reducing noise and interference.
AFL displayed this exceptionally with the installation of a Public Safety DAS system at their “Fifth & Broadway” project, which provided an innovative solution for a large-scale public safety need in Nashville, TN. The project was innovative in several different aspects. Due to the size and scope of the project, AFL was tasked with executing a solution that was deployable in phases, fiber based, and did not create interference with the existing Public Safety System. Throughout their project’s process which spanned over a year during the COVID-19 pandemic, AFL displayed all the qualities indicative of this award.
“AFL is humbled to be selected for the Safe Inside Project of the Year. The Fifth + Broadway project highlighted a large-scale ERRCS need where the proper design, implementation, and testing was critical to the success of the project. To be selected by a panel of our peers for aligning and executing the mission of the Safer Buildings Coalition is an incredible honor,” AFL’s Optical Telecom Division Vice President, Michael Orendain, said about the recognition. “The work that SBC and its members are doing is truly changing the industry and most importantly saving First Responder lives. We are proud to be a part of the Safer Buildings Coalition and its member community.”
List of Finalists for 2021 Awards:
Other finalists are listed here. Their submittals were all impressive and the final judging was very close - be sure to see their submittals here: click here.
- Advanced RF Technologies Inc.
- Diversified Wire & Cable
- ECSite
- Marconi Technologies
- MPBX Wireless Design
- PCTEL
- Pulse Signal Solutions
- Safe-Com Wireless
- Windy City Wire
About the Process:
The judging panel consisted of a member-based jury for the evaluation of all submittals:
- Brian Hanson – Jury Panel Chair – Enersys
- Ray Hild – SBC Advancement Work Group Chair - Triangle Consulting
- Josh Gerst – SBC Codes and Standards Chair – RF Connect
- Ed Steffens – Retired Fire Marshal & Fire Inspector, Iona Fire District / Test Engineer & Consultant, Spectrum RF
- Mark Reynolds - Associate Director Core IT Voice Services – University of New Mexico
- Michael Cassell - CTO, In-Building Solutions – Communications Electronics
As the jury was member-based, all Winners and Silver Award recipients have bragging rights to have been recognized by their industry peers and stakeholders for advancing the critical mission of in-building public safety communications. Congratulations!
“I would like to thank all the members who submitted for Product and Project of the year, along with the distinguished panel for not only their time but careful thought and expertise in selection of our victors. It was truly humbling to see all the continuous support given to the public safety community by SBC and the members who drive the mission forward. Congratulations to all the finalists; know you are revered by your colleagues and community at large,” said Chairman of the SBC Member Jury, Brian Hanson.
Get Ready to Submit for 2022!
We here at SBC are grateful for the impactful innovations and hard work of all of our members, but are especially impressed with the submittals for this inaugural award. We hope that all members will consider submitting new entries for the 2022 Awards. Details to follow Spring 2022.
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