50 Year Celebration
In 2018, Custom Alarm celebrated 50 years in business in Rochester and surrounding communities.
It all started in 1968 out of the basement of a house, founder Leigh J. Johnson started a small company, Custom Communications, Inc. The business sold 3M background music and alarm systems. “It wasn’t easy at first and at times it was a struggle but in 1972 it turned around and we moved out of the basement and into a small office downtown, with two full time installers and a secretary,” says Johnson.
Over the years the company grew moving from downtown in 1985 to building a new office in southwest Rochester. In 1999 the company outgrew that location and bought and built the current home of Custom Alarm at 1661 Greenview Dr. SW and the lot adjacent, for any future growth.
Melissa Brinkman, the eldest daughter of Johnson, joined the team in 1998. Holding various positions within the company committed to learning as much as possible about the security industry while focusing on taking care of the customer. When founder Leigh J. Johnson announced his retirement in February 2014, Melissa took the helm as CEO.
“It’s a huge milestone, as a business in todays’ day in age to be able to celebrate 50 years is a great accomplishment,” states Brinkman. “To be able to adapt to the different changes in technology, the way we deliver service, the way we take care of our customers, and how we provide good employment for our employees; we need to stay relevant, stay on the cutting edge and stay adaptable, otherwise we wouldn’t be here celebrating 50 years.”
Custom Alarm celebrated the milestone throughout 2018 with a social party in May to thank business partners and commercial customers for their support and business throughout the years. In September a Customer Appreciation party was held with over 500 people in attendance including a live band, K9 demo, provided by the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, and Fire Truck by the Rochester Fire Department.
“As we reflect on our 50 years in business, we’d like to thank our customers over the years, the employees and the communities we serve; without them we would not be celebrating such a milestone,” says Johnson.
A family owned company that started small and now proudly has more than 65 caring employees committed to taking care of the growing customer base. Custom Alarm is a security-minded company with its own local monitoring response center, specializing in fire alarm systems, intrusion, video surveillance, home automation and access control for both residential and commercial owners.
Watch the video below and take a look back at how it all began, memories along the way and what makes us Custom Alarm. There are some good laughs, great friends, and memories shared by employees!
Happy Hour Social Highlights
On May 30, we held a Happy Hour Social with a Ribbon Cutting celebrating our 50th Anniversary. We are thankful for all that attended. If you missed out, here's a recap of the fun event and some Custom Alarm history!
