Syncomm Management Group

What Syncomm Management Group does

Syncomm Management Group (SMG), founded in 1991 and headquartered in Custer, South Dakota, is a privately held association management and trade publishing firm serving the electronic security, fire/life safety, and alarm industries in the United States. The company operates as an outsourced service provider for non-profit industry associations, supplying publishing, event hosting, training, and administrative support functions. Its core customer segments are security industry professionals (alarm company owners, operators, and C-level executives) and the trade associations that represent them.

SMG's product portfolio spans four integrated lines. In publishing, it produces the monthly Global Electronic Security Forum (GESF) Magazine and three regional titles (The Watchman, The Sentry, The Sentinel), plus the weekly First Thing Monday email newsletter distributed to 21,000 opt-in subscribers, with an additional 4,000 print copies mailed monthly and approximately 500,000 page views. The training line is delivered through the National Training Program, developed in partnership with the National Training Center, offering online, self-study certification courses (FST1 launched in June 2021; Level 1 Training for Low Voltage Technicians launched in 2024, covering intrusion, video security, access control, networking, and fire alarm systems, and awarding the C3 credential). The events line is anchored by ISC's Got Talent at ROCKHOUSE, an annual welcome reception during ISC West at the Venetian in Las Vegas that draws hundreds of security professionals and benefits the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC) and Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Consulting and administrative services round out the offering, drawing on 30+ years of industry expertise.

SMG monetizes through a multi-stream model: advertising sales across its publications (rate cards distributed as downloadable PDFs), event sponsorships and attendee registration, training course fees (routed via the National Training Center), and association management fees. The underlying technology is a digital publishing platform (website at snnonline.com, WordPress-based) with email newsletter delivery and external online training infrastructure via National Training Center; no proprietary software, API, or AI capabilities are documented. The company has four named team members — Founder/CEO Jerry Lenander, Managing Partner Ryan Makovsky, Ad Sales Consultant Kent Beaver, and Marketing Coordinator Camryn Butzine — operates with no external funding, no parent company, no M&A activity, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

Syncomm Management Group

Legal name

Syncomm Management Group

Website

https://snnonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Syncomm Management Group provides outsourced trade publishing, event hosting, training, and association management services for the U.S. electronic security and fire/life safety industries, operating since 1991 via the Global Electronic Security Forum network of magazines, newsletters, and industry events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Custer

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Publishing & Advertising: SMG publishes monthly trade magazines (The Watchman, The Sentry, The Sentinel) and the Global Electronic Security Forum magazine, generating revenue through advertising space sales. Also distributes a weekly newsletter (First Thing Monday).
2. Training Programs: Provides online training programs for the electronic security industry through partnership with National Training Center. Offers Level 1 training for low voltage technicians covering intrusion, video security, access control, networking, and fire alarm systems.
3. Event Hosting: Hosts events including ISC's Got Talent at Rockhouse during ISC West, ISC East, and affiliate association events. Revenue generated through sponsorships and attendee registration.
4. Consulting & Administrative Services: Provides expert opinions, analysis, and recommendations based on over 30 years of expertise. Acts as partner for association management and administrative support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Syncomm Management Group provides outsourced publishing, event hosting, training, and association management services for the electronic security and fire/life safety industries. It produces the monthly Global Electronic Security Forum (GESF) Magazine, the First Thing Monday weekly newsletter, and regional trade publications, hosts industry events such as ISC's Got Talent at ROCKHOUSE, and delivers online training through the National Training Program developed in partnership with the National Training Center.

Product overview

Syncomm Management Group operates as a publishing and events management company for the electronic and physical security industries, not a software product company. Their portfolio consists of: (1) Publications including the monthly Global Electronic Security Forum (GESF) Magazine, regional magazines (The Watchman, The Sentry, The Sentinel), and weekly First Thing Monday newsletter; (2) Training services through the National Training Program developed with the National Training Center for Low Voltage Technicians; (3) Events hosting including ISC'S Got Talent at ROCKHOUSE during ISC West, ISC East, and LLSSA conventions; and (4) Consulting and Administrative services for industry associations. These offerings work together to serve the security industry network developed since 1991.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Electronic Security Forum (GESF): A network of contacts and the brand name for the monthly publication magazine and weekly newsletter distributed to security professionals.
• The Global Electronic Security Forum Magazine
• First Thing Monday
• The WATCHMAN
• The SENTRY
• The SENTINEL
• National Training Program (NTP)
• ISC's Got Talent at ROCKHOUSE

Products and services

• Global Electronic Security Forum (GESF) Magazine Monthly trade magazine published in print and digital formats for the electronic/physical security and life safety industries, reaching 4,000 print subscribers and 21,000 opt-in subscribers with 500,000 page views. Contains curated industry news, technology updates, and regional content.
• The Watchman, The Sentry & The Sentinel (Regional Magazines)

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000 print copies mailed monthly; 21,000 opt-in subscribers; 500,000 page views

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Security.WorldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMG has partnered with Security.World, an industry-leading digital news source, to co-operatively distribute news content to the Global Electronic Security Forum network. This partnership provides access to an expansive portfolio of tech news, product reviews, and relevant industry resources. Security.World also collaborates on GESF Magazine distribution.
• National Training CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMG, in conjunction with the National Training Center, developed an online-based training program to provide onboarding and continued education courses specific to the Electronic Security Industry. The Level 1 Training Course for Low Voltage Technicians was developed and is delivered in conjunction with National Training Center, a nationally recognized provider for fire alarm and security industry companies.
• ISC WestmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMG hosts ISC's Got Talent at Rockhouse, a welcome reception during ISC West at The ROCKHOUSE, located inside the Grand Shoppes at the Venetian Hotel. This event benefits the Affiliate Associations of the Global Electronic Security Forum and is made possible by generous sponsors.
• Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerPart of proceeds from ISC's Got Talent at Rockhouse event will be donated to SIAC. SMG supports SIAC as a communications channel and event partner.
• Tunnel to Towers FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerISC's Got Talent event benefits both SIAC and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Informa: Global B2B media and events conglomerate with extensive trade media and conference operations; broad incumbent whose vertical media and event divisions overlap with SMG's publishing and events business.
• RX Global (Reed Exhibitions): Large global trade exhibition organizer operating hundreds of B2B events; comparable in event-hosting business model though at vastly greater scale and across many industries including security adjacent verticals.
• Emerald (Emerald X): Owns and operates the ISC Security Events portfolio (ISC West, ISC East) — the very events SMG partners with — and runs adjacent B2B trade shows; large incumbent that SMG both partners with and competes against for security industry event revenue.

Direct peers

• Endeavor Business Media: B2B media company publishing security and integration trade titles including Security Dealer; comparable in business model (multi-title trade publishing for vertical industries) and overlapping readership in electronic security.
• BNP Media: B2B trade publisher owning Security Sales & Integration magazine and other security/contractor titles; directly competes with SMG's GESF Magazine for security industry ad dollars and reader attention.
• Association Management Center (AMC): Professional association management firm serving trade and professional associations; comparable in providing outsourced association operations, events, and communications services to non-profits in vertical industries.
• Virtual, Inc. Association management company providing outsourced publishing, events, and management services to technology and security-related trade associations; comparable in the association-management services component of SMG's business.
• Cygnus Business Media: B2B trade media company with security, public safety and life-safety publication brands; closest direct competitor by audience overlap and print-plus-event media model.
• 1105 Media: B2B media company publishing Security Today and Campus Security & Life Safety magazines; comparable trade-publishing model targeting the same electronic and physical security professional audience.

Others

• Security Industry Association (SIA): Trade association for security solutions providers; not a peer in business model but is both a potential SMG customer (association management client) and an ecosystem participant shaping the same electronic security industry SMG serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Snnonline
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/syncomm-management-group-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Syncomm Management Group