Todd Pedersen has found success by refusing to waver from his conviction that college students can be an effective sales force — if they are well-trained and backed up by the highest-quality products and a world-class customer-support model.
Pedersen founded Provo-based APX Alarm Security Solutions in 1999 as a security sales firm that passed on its accounts to other national providers. The company used a "summer sales" model, pioneered by Pedersen, that employed primarily college students as a sales force.
Gradually, as the company grew, Pedersen moved APX closer to becoming a full-service residential security company. APX achieved that goal in 2009, acquiring a central monitoring system and building a new, 125,000 square-foot headquarters to serve its approximately 370,000 customers.
APX is now one of only three full-service security-systems providers in the U.S. and one of only two residential security firms to receive certification for outstanding customer service from J.D. Power and Associates.
In addition to its summer sales team, APX now has an inside sales force and an innovative customer advocacy group.
Most recently, the company has introduced a new security panel that combines security with home automation and energy management systems. Pedersen continues to see significant opportunities in the industry, especially considering that only 20 percent of all U.S. homeowners own a residential security system.
To that end, the company is planning to supplement its sales force with new marketing strategies that will employ a national TV ad campaign.