ADS acquires, adding branch in Ky.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—ADS Security on Sept. 12 bought Mid America Security Systems, based in Louisville, Ky., and will be maintaining that location as its second in the state and 25^th overall.

“Our other office in Kentucky is in Paducah, and we're also in Clarksville, which is in Tennessee, right on the Kentucky border. So, our Kentucky business to date has been in the southwest part of Kentucky,” John Cerasuolo, ADS' president and CEO, told Security Systems News. “This opens up a whole new, big geography for us.”

The Mid America deal is ADS' biggest acquisition by RMR to date and brings in 4,000 accounts evenly split between commercial and residential. Following the Mid America acquisition, ADS is “Just shy of $4 million” in RMR, and nearing 110,000 accounts total, according to Cerasuolo.

Cerasuolo noted that he and Mid America owner Eddie Pile have been friends and known each other for about eight years. “It's a perfect fit culturally and from a business approach. [Pile] is very laser focused on taking care of his customers and employees and doing business with integrity. All of that is just an ideal fit for us,” he said.

“Beyond that, it opens up a really exceptional market for us,” Cerasuolo added. “Louisville is a market that we've never had the opportunity to participate in, and we're just thrilled at the chance to invest in Eddie and his team to help him grow the business.”

ADS had been monitoring Mid America Security's accounts, “which simplified the transition significantly,” Cerasuolo said. The deal was also aided by the fact that both companies are strong Honeywell partners, he noted.

ADS will be adding all of Mid America's 16 employees, including Pile who will stay on as the GM of the new Louisville branch. This brings ADS' total employee count to about 475, Cerasuolo noted.

The company currently has locations in the eight southeastern states—Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky and Alabama, Cerasuolo pointed out, and is focused on filling out those geographies with fold-in acquisitions and entering new markets. “We are certainly looking at states that are on the border of core markets,” Cerasuolo said.