Ethics and quality ensure success

By: María Cecilia Hernández

Of any issue that has to do with the electronic security market, Edgar Mora knows exactly, knows the networks that are woven in this industry and there is no solution that has not already passed through his hands. And it is that the entrepreneur has been linked to this business all his life; for more than 45 years, of the 62 it has of life, electronic security has been its raw material.

The Costa Rican Edgar Mora, founder of the company Intrade ABC, is the Professional of the month in this edition of SECURITY SALES. In this section the entrepreneur talks about the growth of his company, from its beginnings to the present, and the evolution of the electronic security industry in his country, which he himself has witnessed very closely.

Currently the businessman resides with his wife in the province of Heredia in Costa Rica. There he lives peacefully his days, satisfied with everything he has achieved, everything he has lived and with enough energy to continue cultivating successes, but without the cares of youth, without the haste of novelty. He no longer plays football until he is tired as in another era, now he dedicates himself to learning a third language; you feel peaceful to contemplate a piece of music and immerse yourself in the enriching world of other unknown cultures through reading and travel.

Both professionally and personally, he has been able to turn almost all his dreams into reality; one of them was to have the possibility of seeing their children as brilliant professionals, and so it was. But all that, good and bad, didn't happen just by closing and opening your eyes. A story of a young man who worked hard with perseverance, of a man who was a pioneer, created and consolidated a company with his own hands, can be seen behind the veil of edgar Mora's memories.

40 years in the industry
From the age of 16 in 1964 until he was 28, Mora worked in a small alarm installation company, initially as an apprentice installer. It was a profitable 12 years for the idea of continuing with this business but independently to be implanted in his desire.

He undertook on his own providing the same installation service, but later he realized that this was not the company he wanted. "It was an experience that contributed a lot to my life, so much so that from there was born what is currently Intrade ABC, because the panorama was opened to show a real need of the security market in Costa Rica, it was the distribution line that in those days, at the end of the 80s, it didn't exist in the country," Mora explains.

In 1988 the company that concerns us today was born, specialized in marketing and distribution of electronic equipment, with the firm philosophy of not competing with its customers. Intrade ABC arrived in the Costa Rican market to cover an imperative need at that time, since the supplier of this type of equipment in this Central American country was the United States, from cities such as Miami and Los Angeles, bringing with it the consequent import costs.

To this day, he has spent more than 40 years immersed in this industry, 20 of them as an independent entrepreneur. The Costa Rican has managed to be a pioneer in his country in the niche of the distribution of security equipment.

And it is precisely the training and acquisition of new knowledge that has allowed Mora's company to fulfill one of its fundamental objectives: to help its clients develop their projects based on intercooperation, through the interpretation of their needs. To this end, the entrepreneur has proposed to generate a responsible attitude, both in his employees and in his customers, towards the use of products where quality prevails over other elements.

This philosophy has borne fruit, as the wide and positive acceptance that the Central American company has among its customers is a reflection of the loyalty and gratitude that they confer on it. This is arguably one of Intrade ABC's best-met goals.

"Everyone sets their objectives according to a personal assessment and in the light of their cultural or business training, these can be financial, marketing or social. For us, as a security company, the most important thing is to do the job well entrusted, to attend to an impeccable professional ethic and in this way to create and maintain a solid portfolio of clients, to whom we can offer a good service, using products in which we can balance quality and price. Then, almost automatically, will come the economic reward and the achievement of social goals. The conception of a corporate social responsibility is very important for society, for the individual and for us as a security company," explains the entrepreneur.

Beware of growth
Since the birth of Intrade ABC, as a pioneer in the security equipment distribution sector, until today, the Costa Rican market has grown substantially, bringing with it positive and negative effects. For Edgar Mora, the openness that the industry has had in terms of access to low-level markets can complicate the offer of options and generate price competition.

Despite this, says the entrepreneur, it is important to maintain acceptable quality standards to gain loyalty and recognition and, likewise, it is vital to generate training and education processes for the installer and the end user.
"Distributors must cooperate with the training of their customers. Training and technical training programs should be established. We must raise awareness in aspects of training and education, especially aimed at small customers, very common in Latin America, "says Edgar Mora.
For the founder of Intrade ABC, this growth of the market has a lot to do with his country's education system, which is open and democratic. One more boost for this technological heyday is related to the entry of the multinational technology company Intel and government support for the computer services industry. "Finally the next opening in telecommunications and Internet will give an additional push, which I see very promising for the technological future of the security industry," said Mora.

"You have to be attentive and open to listening to others, because nobody has a monopoly on reason and 'brilliant sparks'. I consider that Intrade ABC is the product of the good ideas of many people, some of whom are no longer with our company but left their contribution, here was reflected a footprint that translates into our consolidation and recognition; which is reflected in the good image we enjoy today and in our growth day by day. Today I am proud of the team around me and we look forward to continuing to grow and continue to contribute to the well-being of our society."