Tri-Ed-Northern Video acquires VSS, opens branch in Atlanta

WOODBURY, N.Y.—Marking its third acquisition in 18 months, Tri-Ed-Northern Video announced this morning that it has acquired Video Security Specialists, a three-branch West Coast distribution company.

The three branches were located in Las Vegas, Corona, Calif., and Burbank, Calif. The Las Vegas office will be folded into Tri-Ed's existing Las Vegas branch. “We'll continue to run the Burbank and Corona offices,” Pat Comunale, president and COO of Tri-Ed-Northern Video told Security Systems News. “We have enough traffic in that area and being readily accessible to our customer base is important to us,” he added.

In a separate announcement, Comunale told SSN that Tri-Ed has also opened a new branch in Atlanta.

“This brings the total number of branches to 47,” Comunale said.

Comunale said Tri-Ed wants to have a stronger presence in the Southeast, so it decided to open an Atlanta branch.  “We just opened the doors on October 1. It's a brand new facility and we hired industry veteran Rob Morrison, who is a 20-plus-year guy in the industry.”

The VSS acquisition brings along with it roughly 15 sales and technical staffers.

Comunale said Tri-Ed “will continue to grow either organically, or where it makes sense and there's an opportunity, we'll make a strategic acquisitions.”

The VSS acquisition, which Comunale said is “90-plus percent video and IP video,” ties in well with Tri-Ed's existing technical capabilities in that area. “We think we have the best technical people in the industry. We continue to train thousands of dealers. We have our own CEUs and accredited courses,” he said.

Tri-Ed acquired Security Data & Cable HQ in November 2010, and Martin's Security Depot in June 2010.