Connection paves way for Washington Alarm’s recent acquisition

YARMOUTH, Maine—Washington Alarm has served commercial and residential customers in the Pacific Northwest for more than eight decades. Its latest acquisition not only fortifies its service capabilities in Washington State, but also reconnects the company with a familiar face.   

On July 3, Washington Alarm, a third-generation provider of fire alarm and security system installations, service, and monitoring, announced it had acquired Klepps, a provider of fire alarm, access control and CCTV video solutions.  

Shannon Woodman, CEO of Washington Alarm, noted that the acquisition is projected to increase yearly revenues by 30%, compared to the previous year. 

“It's a great fire alarm company, which is a lot of what we do,” she said. “We're primarily commercial fire, so it’s a good complement to our company. I know that they had at least seven other companies bidding on this acquisition. Natalia and Daniel (Clep) chose Washington Alarm because of the history with Washington Alarm, and they knew that their employees were going to be taken care of. That was the biggest concern.” 

Romanian-born Clep established Klepps in 2004 in Bellevue, Wash., with his wife, Natalia. 

The history between the two companies goes back to the late 1990s, when Clep worked as a technician for Washington Alarm founder Jack Woodman. While there, Clep was accepted into a prestigious programming school and the company encouraged him to take advantage of the opportunity to attend the school.  

“It was a big opportunity for him, and both my dad and the installation manager said we love you, but you need to take this opportunity because it's a huge opportunity for you and you need to try it,” Woodman said. “As much as we didn't want to see him go, we just knew that it was the right thing for him.”  

Woodman called herself “incredibly lucky” to have Klepps as part of the Washington Alarm family, as well as bringing the journey full circle for the Cleps.       

“They want to make sure that everything's successful,” Woodman said. “It’s a nice partnership to work with, even though they're not really working for us, but they’re available and eager to make everything go well for both sides and all the customers. They're just very invested in making sure everything is done the right way.”