ADS expands reach in Carolinas

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—ADS Security is extending its reach throughout the Southeast with the recent acquisition of Seaboard Security in North Carolina.

Seaboard Security is the fifth acquisition for ADS this year and its first in North Carolina. It now will operate a branch in Washington, N.C., its 16^th location in the Southeast.

Six Seaboard employees will staff the North Carolina office. Seaboard's former owner Bill Boone will stay on as VP of the branch, according to ADS president and CEO, John Cerasuolo, who said that ADS seeks to keep teams together.

Cerasuolo met with the Seaboard team the day before speaking with Security Systems News. “I'm always inspired when we get to meet the front-line folks of the companies we acquire, hearing about how they take care of their customers. That's what it's all about,” he said.

“Our approach is to find exceptional companies, to help us be a stronger local player,” he said.

In the deal, ADS took on 2,000 accounts, split evenly between residential and commercial, Cerasuolo said.

Those accounts will add about $50,000 to the company's RMR of $2.5 million, he said.

ADS has revenue of $40 million. It's closing in on 300 employees and has 75,000 customers, he said.

“We're a Southeast-focused company. We have an extensive network in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia,” he said.

In April of this year, ADS acquired American Burglar and Fire Alarms in Columbia, S.C., adding 2,700 accounts to its customer base.

Until then and the most recent acquisition in North Carolina, ADS didn't have a presence in the Carolinas, Cerasuolo said. Now, however, it has the opportunity to “create a network of branches across the Carolinas as we have in much of the Southeast,” he said.

The next year should bring the same acquisition pace, he said.

“But we're very patient about finding the right companies that are a good fit for us. There are plenty of exceptional companies we're talking to,” he said.

ADS, established in 1990, serves more than 75,000 businesses, industrial facilities and residences, providing a full range of burglar and fire alarms, as well as video surveillance, access control and automation systems.