Dynamark acquires Ohio central station

HAGERSTOWN, Md.—More than two years after re-entering the monitoring space, Dynamark's resurgence continues with the acquisition of Security Services Center, a central station based in Dayton, Ohio.

The acquisition adds about 40 alarm companies in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky to Dynamark's dealer base, according to Tom Piston, vice president of sales & marketing at Dynamark.

“It's a good acquisition because we've got a nice, significant number of accounts,” Piston told Security Systems News. “Ohio is definitely a deep market; there's a lot of business in the Midwest, and by doing this we get a better foothold there and a lot more dealers, as well as those paying for wholesale monitoring.”

The acquisition is part of a broader strategy of expansion beyond the company's mid-Atlantic base. “We're spreading our wings a little bit,” Piston said. “We're looking to expand and grow more dealers, and we're not just looking at our home base.”

While Piston declined to specify the exact number of added accounts, he said they comprised roughly a 60-40 split between residential and commercial. The new accounts will be monitored from Dynamark's Hagerstown, Md.-based central station, Piston said.

“Their central station itself doesn't compare to what we have,” Piston said. “It didn't have UL approval or the accreditations, so it wasn't worth taking the steps to bring it up and operate there.”

Tony Shanks, previous owner of Security Services Center, will continue to own and operate Wilmington Security, also based in Dayton, Ohio, which will use Dynamark Monitoring as its central station. In a news release, Shanks said Dynamark's credentials were instrumental in clinching the sale.

“When I decided to sell, I knew I needed the right buyer,” he said in a statement. “We are now served by a UL Listed, CSAA Five Diamond central station, and we're part of a dealer program that can help all of us grow our businesses.”