Tel-Tron’s roots lie in coined-operated chairside radios for hotel rooms.
Herman L. Dawson, Founder of Tel-Tron Technologies, in 1945
Tel-Tron: A History of Growth and Innovation
In 1930, at the age of 19 and armed with an aptitude for math, science, and an innate curiosity about how to make things work better, Herman Dawson began tinkering with electronics. He began building and repairing small appliances, motors, radios and the like. His dream was to learn enough about electricity, and the promise it held, to change the ways we lived and worked. Ultimately, Herman used that knowledge to start a business that would positively impact people’s lives.
In 1945, at age 34, guided by an abiding faith in the future and nurtured by a strong family work ethic, Herman Dawson founded the Tel-Tron Technologies Corporation. At the time, Tel-Tron manufactured coin operated chairside radios for hotel chains across the nation. The Tel-Tron Technologies Corporation was immediately successful because of the new radio technology Herman developed which allowed high quality reception in high-rise hotel buildings, where none was possible before. It is this kind of creativity in applied R&D which would become the hallmark of Tel-Tron in the future.
In 1978, Herman’s son, Rick Dawson, continued the tradition of developing quality products by leading the company through an era of all-new hotel electronics applications, including message waiting notifications, electronic room status, automated HVAC control, and more. This eventually led Rick and Tel-Tron to innovate in more residential-style product designs, such as smoke detector monitoring and eventually emergency call systems for senior living, for which Rick holds a number of U.S. patents.
Rick Dawson (left), son of founder Herman L. Dawson and current CTO stands with son and current CEO of Tel-Tron, Brian Dawson (right).
History in the Making
Today, over 65 years later and under the leadership of Tel-Tron CEO Brian Dawson (the grandson of Herman L. Dawson), over 1000 senior living communities across the nation use Tel-Tron’s advanced emergency call systems and technology to help them better run their business and ensure their residents’ safety.
As we move forward into the future, Tel-Tron will continue to innovate, push boundaries, and raise the bar for safety in retirement housing and senior care environments.