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Employee Spotlight: Mark Kennedy
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At Post Alarm, we’ve provided protection for local communities for more than 60 years. And with that experience comes the knowledge that a security system is only as good as the people our customers trust to monitor it. We take that trust very seriously.
We believe our people make Post Alarm special, and it’s our pleasure to shine a light on the motivated, intelligent, compassionate team members that make up the Post Alarm Family and provide the best protection possible to our clients.
Our September Employee Spotlight is Mark Kennedy, Senior System Engineer. Mark has been with Post Alarm since 1985, proudly serving the community for over 40 years. What began as a simple job search turned into a lifelong career built on dedication, family values, and protecting others. Deeply rooted in his local community, Mark treats every client like family—helping multiple generations feel safe, secure, and cared for. Learn more about Mark’s story below!
How long have you worked for Post Alarm?
January 15th, 1985. 40 years plus.
What first brought you to the company?
I needed a job. I was desperate for work, and at the time, my roommate was dating Nancy Levy, who was the Post office manager. She said, “Come on down.”
But Bill Post, well, he wasn’t always there. I’d come down, and he wouldn’t show up. Finally, one night, I was literally standing outside in the dark on the sidewalk in front of the office when he pulled up in his truck.
I said, “You Bill Post?” He goes, “Yeah.” I said, “I’m Mark Kennedy. I need a job. I hear you might be hiring.”
He put together a little schematic on a piece of paper; it was like a closed circuit, open circuit schematic. I guessed right, or he liked me bugging the crap out of him, trying to get a job. So it worked. 40 years later, I’m still here. I tell people I don’t know if I love what I do or if I’m out of my mind. I haven’t figured it out yet.
What inspired you to stay in this industry and with Post for so many years?
I love what I do. I love the family I work for. And I like taking care of people. We’re a life safety company, and we believe in that wholeheartedly. And we’re a big family here at Post, and we keep growing.
How have you seen the company and the industry evolve over the years?
Oh, it’s gone crazy. From where I started to where we are today, I’m surprised I’m still surviving with my limited knowledge. I went to college for six months — that’s my college experience. I’m not a computer guy or a techie person.
But I’ve always learned by doing. I’ve surprised myself with how much I can do with computers, even without formal training. That’s only possible because Post is a team. We all help each other out, regardless of the problem, and that works really well. I’ve got years and years of knowledge around me from coworkers and industry experience, and that helps me every day.
How about dealing with threats like Wi-Fi jammers or organized crime?
We’re always trying to stay a step ahead of the bad guy. We’re putting together hybrid systems, where we’re including hard-wired protection as a backup to the wireless in case there is circumvention.
And just doing what we can to at least try to get a signal to us, regardless of what’s happened at the site. We’re doing all we can to protect our clients and provide them with the service that they’re paying for.
What is one thing you think people don’t realize when they’re choosing a security company?
One, who we are and what we do under one roof here in our office. Most people don’t have any conception of a central station and its operations. When we bring people in here and show them our central station, it blows them away. The facility we’re in, all the requirements we have to conform to and meet for UL requirements and licensing, that can be taken away in a heartbeat if we’re not doing what we’re required to do as a security company.
The other thing that we do here that is very unique and not typical is that you can come in and meet the family. You want to talk to Gina and Rob [Post] directly, or Anthony or Angie. Not many companies can offer you that, which definitely separates us from other companies.
How else do you build trust with customers and help them feel confident in their decision?
Well, I’m a rare breed in that case. Just like the Post family, I live in the community we’re trying to protect. I work five minutes away from my house. I grew up here. I went to kindergarten at Sierra Madre School. I’ve lived here 85% of my life. I’m in a company car. I’m in the community every day. I don’t go home at night and disappear.
My mentality with Post Alarm is I treat the company like it’s mine. If you treat the business as if it were your own, people appreciate that and know they’re going to be taken care of.
What has been the most rewarding moment in your career?
I might get emotional here, but there’s been a lot. I saved a woman’s life once. She was in the shower. She was hearing impaired. The house was on fire. The fire department got there and got her out of the house before she was taken over by the fire.
That’s pretty powerful. I’ve never forgotten that. And that just lets you know you’re doing the right thing for people. That makes it all worth it. There’s a reason we’re doing this.
I take my clients very seriously and personally. I care — we care for their family. You can get new things — if your TV gets stolen, you can replace it. But something happens to your family — if it’s a tragedy, a fire, or something, and you lose that — that’s something you can’t replace.
How do you maintain your long-term client relationships? Any stories that stand out?
I’ve been here so long, people are shocked. I’ve had people come in and say, “Mark Kennedy’s still there?” And I say, “Yeah, I sold your alarm in 1988.” It blows people away that I’m still here and still taking care of them.
I just did a job for a client of mine whose grandma and grandpa were my clients. I then did the son’s and his wife’s house. Now I just did his kid’s house. Three generations. They were kids when I put the alarm in their parents’ house. And the parents were kids when I put the alarm in the grandparents’.
That’s the advantage of being local. I’m not going anywhere. I’m in the community that we serve. My whole job now is referral-based. My clients refer family members and friends because they know I’m still here and I’ve always taken care of them. And they know they’re going to be taken care of even if I retire tomorrow, because they know the company is a customer service company.
What was the changeover like from one Post generation to the next?
It’s very interesting because I think historically, in business in general, a third-generation family business tends to fail. I think the reason is that often, the kids just don’t want to pick up the company and run with it.
I think Rob and Gina felt a commitment to their grandma and grandpa, as well as their mom and dad, to continue the tradition and the legacy of this company. And they’re doing a hell of a job.
They work very hard, and they love what they’re doing. They’re continuing the Post name and who we are. And I take a lot of pride in saying I’ve been here 40 years. I feel I’m a big part of what this company is, too. It might sound selfish to think that way, but when you start with such a small team and see how it’s grown, you feel like you’re a piece of that.
The Post family has done a lot for me — things we don’t even need to talk about. I consider myself part of the family, and they consider me part of it, too. I’ve had personal things in my life where they were there for me, and I’ve never forgotten it. The way I carry myself at work is a way of thanking them for that.
What about your ties to the community — how have they shaped your career?
For years, I coached baseball. Both my kids played Little League. I played Little League. I coached for 15 years. That was a big part of helping me in my sales career. I’ve got people I met through Little League who are still clients, along with their families and kids.
How have major events, like fires or other crises, impacted your work and community?
We’ve been impacted. COVID hit us really hard, and the fires we’ve had recently here in Altadena. I had a lot of clients who lost their homes. Kids I coached in Little League, their families lost everything.
I’ve driven by their homes. They were my clients, and everything was completely gone. The night of the fires, I was in the area watching from afar. There was nothing that could have been done that night — with the winds and the fires, it was unbelievable.
And you know, it hits home when you’ve got people you work with and friends and family who have been impacted.
Looking ahead, what do you see as the future for Post or the security industry as a whole?
In general, we’re dealing with a younger generation. They’re very educated. They’re very successful. And they’re very knowledgeable about technology. You now walk into someone’s house, and they’ve already researched every type of motion sensor and camera.
Service will always be the differentiator. I always tell people: anytime you make a big investment — a car, a new house, insurance — you’re going to ask your friends who they used. If you have a good experience, you might tell one or two people. If you have a bad experience, you’re going to tell everybody. And that’s the truth in this business, too.
How do you reflect on your career after all these years?
I get emotional sometimes. I take a lot of pride in saying I’ve been here 40 years. I feel I’ve played a part in the legacy of this company. I don’t look at graphs and charts or worry about being “number one.” What I do is simple: take care of the customer. If I weren’t doing that, I wouldn’t still be here.
And you know what? I don’t know when I’m going to retire. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not. But every day, I appreciate what I have here — the people, the clients, the family.
Any final thoughts you want people to know?
I think the biggest thing is this: Post Alarm is about people. The people we protect, the people who work here, and the family that built it.
I’ve lost people close to me. That shapes you. Life is short. You’ve got to laugh, you’ve got to appreciate people, and you’ve got to do the right thing.
That’s what Post has always stood for. That’s why I’m still here.
Protecting the Neighborhoods We Call Home Since 1956
At Post Alarm, we’ve always been a local, family-owned company, and we plan on staying that way. As a privately held, third-generation family business, Post has provided alarm and patrol services to Southern California communities, neighborhoods, and homeowners since 1956.
Our family founded Post Alarm with a passion for protecting people and the neighborhoods we call home. Now, we’re one of the only local, full-service security organizations in the Southern California area, providing professionally installed, fully integrated, and customized security solutions that result in earlier threat detection and a synchronized response, getting you help faster when it matters most.
Ready to start building your custom video monitoring and security package? Reach out and get a free security quote today!
