Intertech expands into Texas

PITTSBURGH—Systems integrator Intertech announced Sept. 2 that it has moved west of the Mississippi for the first time, opening an office in Houston.

“A number of our clients (including energy companies involved with natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania) have operations in Texas. Previously, we've used contractors to help us complete projects down there,” said Matt Petnuch, Intertech VP sales and marketing.

Noting that Houston is the fourth largest city in the country, he called it “a growing and attractive market” for Intertech.

The office will be run by general manager Mike Saxon, who recently joined the company. Petnuch said that initially, Saxon will be a “one-man show [but] we anticipate we'll be staffing up quickly and by year's end will have six to eight people employed in Texas.”

Intertech was founded in 2000 by Chris Wetzel. In 2005, the company merged with two other companies owned by Petnuch Partners, and a new management team that includes Wetzel, Petnuch and his brother, CEO Ron Petnuch, was formed.

In 2005, Intertech had about $8 million in revenue and had 45-50 employees. Today it has 135 employees, and seven locations. Petnuch expects 2011 sales to be around $20 million.

Its main verticals are: specialty manufacturing (including pharmaceutical companies, chemical companies, energy companies, and specialty steel manufacturers); higher education (where it “builds command centers that do everything from mass notification to basic intrusion”); health care (in addition to basic security, Intertech offers nurse call, and patient wandering systems); and government contracts (Intertech's Jacksonville, Fla. office is located at a naval air station where it does tests and inspection on fire and security systems).

“Since 2005, it's been our objective to grow faster organically than the marketplace and make acquisitions that make sense for us. We purchased a company in Maryland, rebuilt our monitoring station in Johnstown, Pa., bought a company based in Jacksonville, Fla., and purchased a small company in southwest Florida,” Petnuch said. Intertech also has offices in Morgantown, W.V