ADS buys SAFECO's accounts

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—ADS Security completed its first acquisition of 2016, bringing in 1,300 accounts from Security and Fire Equipment Co. (SAFECO) of Northport, Ala.

John Cerasuolo, ADS president and CEO, told Security Systems News that SAFECO does a lot of fire-related work in Alabama. “[The deal] deepens our capabilities and strength in the central Alabama area for supporting, in particular, fire systems,” he said.” ADS has six offices in Alabama, Cerasuolo said, and has been in Tuscaloosa for “many years.”

The deal added about $28,000 in RMR for ADS, Paul Dyson, company VP of acquisitions told SSN. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The purchased accounts will be monitored from the ADS UL-listed, CSAA Five Diamond central based here, and serviced by ADS Tuscaloosa, Ala., office.

“There are some really capable, talented employees that were a very important part of this deal,” he said. Four employees are joining ADS from SAFECO, three of whom focus on fire services, “They're going to be taking the lead role in our fire services organization across Alabama.”

“We had a great year in 2015, both organically and through acquisitions. We did four deals last year and five deals the year before” Cerasuolo said. “We expect to have a second deal, probably in the first quarter. So, we'll be on track for that same pace of deals in 2016.”

This acquisition brings the company's total number of accounts in Alabama to 21,300. ADS acquired about 6,500 accounts in Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia last year, including accounts from Integrated Systems and Bridgecom. In 2014, ADS acquired five security companies across the Southeast totaling approximately 6,400 accounts.

“Companies across the Southeast that take care of their customers, and their employees, are definitely candidates for us for future [acquisition] opportunities,” he said.