Scott Alarm is back in business

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The founder of a well-known security company has returned to the market and his new company, Scott Alarm, is assuming the name once used by his former business. Bruce Scott announced his return and the formation of Scott Alarm in late June. He sold the original Scott Alarm business to Republic Industries in 1996, but remained president of the company. After SecurityLink from Ameritech bought Republic Industries in 1998, Scott signed a non-compete agreement, which kept him from owning his own alarm business until now. “I’ve been doing some consulting work outside of my non-compete, for First Alert, etc. and it’s something that you get in your blood” said Scott, about his return. “You never, ever get it out. You stay attached to the industry.” To start Scott Alarm, Scott partnered with Certified Security, a River Grove, Ill., residential and commercial installation firm owned by Jay Rutili. Certified Security will handle back office operations, such as accounting, billing and monitoring through its UL-certified central station. Scott will focus on sales, installation and marketing. While Certified Security will look to grow in the Midwest (see related story), Scott Alarm acts as an extension of that company in the Southeastern United States. “We intend to expand throughout Florida, Georgia and the Carolina markets over the next few years, like Bruce did before,” said Rutili, chief executive officer of Certified Security. “He owned that whole market.” Scott said the company will offer residential and commercial security systems, with a focus on CCTV. He did not have numbers on how many installations he hopes to complete on a monthly basis, but the company already has a small foundation of accounts thanks to its acquisition of Budd Security. According to Scott, the Jacksonville, Fla., company served “a few hundred customers,” and focused on the small commercial and residential market. Jeff Budd owned the one-man installation firm and has now joined Scott Alarm as vice president of installation and service.