Kelly Walker
Many low-level employees fantasize that they could run their company better than its president. Kelly Walker actually proved it.
A decade ago, Walker and a friend were looking for summer sales jobs to help pay for their college educations. They spent a summer working for a company that sold alarm systems, and Walker became one of its top producers.
He decided he could do better on his own and partnered with three friends to found a business that generated security accounts for ADT. That dealership became a top producer, as well, and Walker decided it was time to leave behind the dealership concept to start his own company.
Walker and his partners brought in an experienced CEO, Chris Munday, who helped secure private equity funds and lead the fledgling company's growth strategies. When Munday retired in 2009, Walker took over his role with a unique perspective: he understands the new recruit working to pay college tuition, because he's been that guy. And as a founder and leader during Pinnacle Security's start-up years, he understands every aspect of the organization's structure and financials.
Now partnered with GE Security and Alarm.com, Pinnacle offers 100 percent personalized service to customers, who can access everything from interactive smartphone applications to energy-efficient thermostats. Customers can look through their security cameras from their phones, have flood sensors installed in basements or choose monitored smoke and CO detectors. Pinnacle's sales team is trained to assess customers' homes to see which of its many products and services meet their specific needs.
In addition, the company is unmatched at installation, with 90 percent of new systems installed the same day they are purchased.