BearCom Acquires Turris Communications

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IdleMonitor

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Strategic acquisition expands BearCom’s operations across Canada


September 7, 2018: Dallas, TX — BearCom Group, Inc. (“BearCom”), North America’s largest and pre-eminent provider of wireless*communications equipment and solutions for two-way radios as well as other voice and data technologies, today announced the acquisition of Turris Communications Ltd. – a subsidiary of Turris Group in partnership*with Red Jasper Capital.

Turris Communications has offices in Burnaby, BC; Calgary, Edmonton, and Medicine Hat, AB; Saskatoon, SK; Woodstock, Peterborough, Belleville, Kingston, Ottawa, and Cornwall, ON; and Gatineau, QC.

https://bearcom.com/press-release/b...ons-nationwide-wireless-equipment-integrator/
 

kd4efm

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Also bought a Motorola Partner shop in Tampa Florida last week too.
 

Project25_MASTR

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As a current Bearcom employee who came to work for them through an acquirement, I can say it is not a place for the technically skilled. Their structure is entirely numbers driven. If something doesn't make at least 35% margins, they don't do it. What this equates to, a lot of quick sales, half-assed installations and high repair bills. Part of this is due to a complete and utter lack of pre-sales engineering (Bearcom didn't acquire their first PE until they acquired Staley the other year).

Many of the setups Bearcom likes to sell are multi-channel systems on co-located masts using the absolute bear minimums for equipment. For example, a lot of SLR57000s get installed in conventional and/or Capacity Plus arrangements with nothing more than a mobile duplexer and antenna with 3 ft of vertical separation. Another special something that is often seen at Amazon DCs…6 to 10 non-pens in a circle for a Capacity Plus setup on the roof…you guessed it, using mobile duplexers, Laird FG4500s and LMR400.

Field service is a next to non-existent term. Many Bearcom technicians don't have the proper training or equipment to be working the stuff they work on. Their acquisitions have more digital capable test equipment than corporate does and there is next to no diagnostics. If a unit doesn't make power in the field, it is pulled to be sent to repair's (which is a flat rate structure and actually costs the customer more than just shipping a unit to depot). It's just a general lack of detail in their commercial LMR sales/deployments that worry me now that corporate is trying to get heavy into the MR game. This has been problematic for me because of the lines that were drawn in central Texas (shops with overlapping coverage and not pooling resources to send the most efficient service representative).

Advice to any customer who's vendor of choice was acquired by Bearcom, make sure you hold Bearcom to the same quality standards as the company that acquired them. They may say "Always On" but in my experience, they can't yet deliver that motto and until they actually figure out how to appropriately manage their service regions and properly employ pre-sales practices, the company is not going to be doing much in terms of moving forward, especially at this time since they can't tell if they want to be in the IoT industry, the two-way industry, the security camera industry, or what.
 

mtindor

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Because I'm clueless, but interested, I'll ask:

Part of this is due to a complete and utter lack of pre-sales engineering (Bearcom didn't acquire their first PE until they acquired Staley the other year).

What is PE ?

Another special something that is often seen at Amazon DCs…6 to 10 non-pens in a circle for a Capacity Plus setup on the roof…you guessed it, using mobile duplexers, Laird FG4500s and LMR400.

What are non-pens ?

Mike
 

Project25_MASTR

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Because I'm clueless, but interested, I'll ask:



What is PE ?


What are non-pens ?

Mike

A PE is a Professional Engineer, someone licensed by the state they are operating in as an engineer.

Non-pens are non-penetrating masts. Essentially held down by cinder blocks. While acceptable, it's a bit of a joke to see it done that way when you have multiples on the same roof for the same radio system.
 

prcguy

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Fortunately I worked with Bearcom before and a little during the time they were growing and expanding. Bearcom started as a radio rental outfit and a few big contracts like the Long Beach Grand Prix got them over the hump and recognized.

Then Jerry Denham came along with some marketing smarts and pointed the company in new directions and eventually bought out the founder, Mr. Bear. Not sure if the other current partner was part of that acquisition but Jerry and company have made Bearcom huge and a profit making machine.

When Bearcom was expanding and had a number of locations I knew a few of the techs and they were fully capable of most anything, but I have no knowledge of the current pool of techs or their abilities. I'm actually visiting Dallas, TX this week and have been meaning to give Jerry a call and see how business is doing, but that will have to wait till my next trip to Dallas. Its been quite a few years since I've chatted with Jerry.



As a current Bearcom employee who came to work for them through an acquirement, I can say it is not a place for the technically skilled. Their structure is entirely numbers driven. If something doesn't make at least 35% margins, they don't do it. What this equates to, a lot of quick sales, half-assed installations and high repair bills. Part of this is due to a complete and utter lack of pre-sales engineering (Bearcom didn't acquire their first PE until they acquired Staley the other year).

Many of the setups Bearcom likes to sell are multi-channel systems on co-located masts using the absolute bear minimums for equipment. For example, a lot of SLR57000s get installed in conventional and/or Capacity Plus arrangements with nothing more than a mobile duplexer and antenna with 3 ft of vertical separation. Another special something that is often seen at Amazon DCs…6 to 10 non-pens in a circle for a Capacity Plus setup on the roof…you guessed it, using mobile duplexers, Laird FG4500s and LMR400.

Field service is a next to non-existent term. Many Bearcom technicians don't have the proper training or equipment to be working the stuff they work on. Their acquisitions have more digital capable test equipment than corporate does and there is next to no diagnostics. If a unit doesn't make power in the field, it is pulled to be sent to repair's (which is a flat rate structure and actually costs the customer more than just shipping a unit to depot). It's just a general lack of detail in their commercial LMR sales/deployments that worry me now that corporate is trying to get heavy into the MR game. This has been problematic for me because of the lines that were drawn in central Texas (shops with overlapping coverage and not pooling resources to send the most efficient service representative).

Advice to any customer who's vendor of choice was acquired by Bearcom, make sure you hold Bearcom to the same quality standards as the company that acquired them. They may say "Always On" but in my experience, they can't yet deliver that motto and until they actually figure out how to appropriately manage their service regions and properly employ pre-sales practices, the company is not going to be doing much in terms of moving forward, especially at this time since they can't tell if they want to be in the IoT industry, the two-way industry, the security camera industry, or what.
 

mtindor

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A PE is a Professional Engineer, someone licensed by the state they are operating in as an engineer.

Non-pens are non-penetrating masts. Essentially held down by cinder blocks. While acceptable, it's a bit of a joke to see it done that way when you have multiples on the same roof for the same radio system.

Thank you.

Mike
 

12dbsinad

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Bearcom is the Walmart of radio systems and buildouts. Cheap prices, crap end product.

Stick to the brick and mortar (local) radio shop.
 

Project25_MASTR

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I would like to apologize to those people on this message board for my earlier comments on BearCom. I was not in a right state of mind on Saturday when I posted. It was a bit of a rough time at the outset when my former company was first acquired, but in retrospect, the company really is a solid company and has been good to me. They care about their employees and their customers and are the leader in their space. We all have differing opinions on designs and the technology we deploy, and I am no different, but I have to say that BearCom does consistently deliver for its customers. I really like what I am doing and really think BearCom’s management is taking the company in the right direction. It’s a great place to work at this time in this industry. Again, apologies to those I may have offended.
 

62Truck

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I would like to apologize to those people on this message board for my earlier comments on BearCom. I was not in a right state of mind on Saturday when I posted. It was a bit of a rough time at the outset when my former company was first acquired, but in retrospect, the company really is a solid company and has been good to me. They care about their employees and their customers and are the leader in their space. We all have differing opinions on designs and the technology we deploy, and I am no different, but I have to say that BearCom does consistently deliver for its customers. I really like what I am doing and really think BearCom’s management is taking the company in the right direction. It’s a great place to work at this time in this industry. Again, apologies to those I may have offended.

Nice attempt at damage control...get jammed up at work, huh?
 
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I had a great time working there and only left when a PE in Dallas promised me a 6 figure income and more challenges. If I had know the 6 figures included the decimal point I would have declined his offer.
 
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