Largest U.S. guard company pursues Barton Protective
By Chelsie Woods
Updated Thu May 27, 2004
May 27, 2004
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. - Continuing on its path to build the largest guard service company in the United States, Allied Security announced plans to buy Barton Protective Services, a company with $300 million in annual revenue.
Plans call for both Allied Security and Barton Protective to retain their respective names. Together, the businesses serve 2,150 customers located in Class-A office buildings, corporate complexes and regional shopping malls.
If Allied succeeds in its acquisition of Barton Protective, the combined company would employ 37,000 people and produce $1 billion in annual revenue. The deal is scheduled to close within the next several months.
According to Jack Mallon, managing director of Mallon Capital, the merger helps fill the void left when well-known guard companies Pinkerton, Burns and Wackenhut were bought by European security companies.
“The opportunity is there to build a strong U.S.-based guarding operation,†said Mallon. “That appears to be the objective.â€Â
Even without Barton Protective Services, Allied Security is considered the largest U.S. guard company. Today it employs 25,000 people, a significant increase since 1990 when it employed 6,500. A series of acquisitions over the years, including the purchases of SpectaGuard and Effective Security Systems, helped to increase the company’s reach.
Allied Security’s most recent acquisition was of Professional Security Inc.
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