After attending Pennsylvania-based Shippensburg University, Burnett moved on to his first position in the industrial business, where he represented a company that distributed industrial abrasives, equipment, and products. Since then, Burnett has spent his time in a number of different industries, tracking a multifaceted career path from the industrial business to the alternative energy business and to, ultimately, the security electronic business. While working in the alternative energy business (now, largely due to global warming concerns, a booming industry) Burnett discovered the security integration industry. That was in the mid ’80s. Since then, Burnett has only moved forward, orienting his career around sales and management positions at major electronic security integration companies.
Currently, he works with SafetyCare Technologies, LLC as national manager of distribution/facility sales. SafetyCare offers its members a comprehensive array of technology-based security services, including immediate, 24-hour two-way communication; fire and smoke monitoring; carbon monoxide monitoring; burglary monitoring; video monitoring capability; fast assistance for children in distress; and immediate help for the elderly. SafetyCare is revolutionizing the concept of security and safety through its high-tech central-station system that monitors and responds to members’ safety.
Among the most memorable moments in his career, Burnett singles out his achievements in helping make solar-powered lights a major part of the energy industry. He said, “While representing Chronar Corp in Princeton, NJ, I sold amorphous silicon solar panels and first introduced them to Intermatic Corp. who, at the time, sold only hardwired lighting products. Intermatic, through their Malibu light series, is now the leading seller of solar-powered lights in America.”
He also stressed the importance of the professional and personal relationships he has cultivated and maintained throughout this career: “From customers, to engineers, to consultants, to sales and management people, to people I have met while traveling and on the phone, you realize—especially as you grow older—that nothing is more valuable than people. They have made every accomplishment in my life possible and still do, to this day.”
These special relationships also include mentors Burnett has had over the years. The most recent influential figure has been Motorola executive Dominic Piperno. He professed, “Dominic played a major role in my life. His in-depth knowledge of business and people is something I still admire to this day. I consider Dominic a grand master of sales and business.” In terms of what made Piperno stand out among the influential figures in his career, he said, “The thing I admire most about Dominic is his ability to communicate his points across to diverse people in various capacities and also his charming personality, which immediately [makes him] a personal friend of most prospective customers.”
| Q. What do you do for fun? A. I enjoy sports: golf, tennis, and R&R. Q. What CD is in your CD player right now? A. Jack Johnson. Q. What is the last magazine you read? A. Golf Digest. Q. What is your favorite TV show? A. Discovery HD. Q. Who is your role model? A. My father. Q. What makes you laugh? A. Anyone who enjoys laughing with me! |
Burnett also extrapolated on the business techniques Piperno demonstrated through his forging of close ties with clients: “Doing business with friends is the best way to do business. One of Dominic’s many slogans is to remember to treat all your controversial issues as a spring rain shower. Take it slow and calm, for this will soon pass, as all other things do in life. Dominic has taught me the most valuable thing about sales and business: you must have fun at what you do, and success will come your way.”
For now, the focus of Burnett’s career is on campus safety, targeting four key areas to revamp what is largely viewed as an insufficient security system: security protection, security management, security verification, and security response.
Burnett said, "Security levels within schools are not what they should be. SafetyCare is looking in the right direction for proper communications. You can never totally prevent something from occurring, but you can prevent escalation of a problem with an early warning system. At Virginia Tech, it was difficult to understand where the problem was originating. We will actually be able to understand and locate the source of a problem and where it originates. This can prevent escalation.”
For those eager to emulate Burnett’s decades-long success, he offers a pragmatic approach to transforming ambition into reality: “Be sure to always set short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals for yourself. When first starting out, it is not always easy to know for sure what you would like to do for the rest of your life. However, having immediate goals will take you not only to the place you dream of, but it will also lead you to many new horizons that will change your viewpoints and, sometimes, your long-term goals in your life and career.” On a more personal note, he advised, “Always make friends for life, because friends are the ones that keep you going through your journey, and they introduce you to new goals. Your mind and heart know only what you tell them; set goals and your mind and heart will take you where you want to go. We plan our vacations sometimes better than our career paths; always plan ahead and you will get there.”
