SAFE and SAFE Financial move to new headquarters

SAN RAMON, Calif.-SAFE and SAFE Financial have moved into a new 35,000 square-foot building here which is more than three times larger than the company's previous facility located here. Paul Sargenti, chief executive officer of both SAFE and SAFE Financial, said that the new facility will allow the company to serve its current customers more efficiently with updated data processing and telecommunications technologies. The decision to expand was also driven by an aggressive growth forecast and strategy to position the companies as an attractive liquidity choice for businesses that create recurring revenue assets, Sargenti said. The new space accommodates SAFE and SAFE Financial under one roof and enables each department to expand two to three times its current size, he added. SAFE Financial is a joint venture with GE Capital. Massachusetts rejoins NBFAA under new membership category WILMINGTON, Mass.-The Massachusetts Burglar & Fire Alarm Association Board of Directors has voted to re-affiliate with the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association, making it the first group to rejoin the NBFAA under its new Affiliated Alarm Association category. The MBFAA's decision comes eight months after officials from the national association decided to create the new member category. The new category allows state associations to become involved at the national level without requiring all of its members to join both the state and national association. "The MBFAA Board feels very strongly that joining NBFAA as an Affiliated Alarm Association is a good fit for our association. We are very pleased to be taking this positive step forward," said David Duval, president of MBFAA and Protective Services, Inc. in Lunenburg, Mass. Bart Didden, president of the NBFAA, anticipates other states will follow suit. He said preliminary discussions have taken place with Oregon, which has never been involved at the national level, and Arizona. The MBFAA dropped its association with the national organization in 1997 since some new companies in Massachusetts were not willing to join and pay dues for both associations. Still, many MBFAA members retained their individual membership with the NBFAA after the state level association dropped affiliation, said Duval. While the Affiliate Alarm Association status allows a state level organization to become active in the NBFAA again, benefits are not the same as becoming a full-fledged Chartered State Association member. NBFAA officials plan to vote on MBFAA's affiliate application during the ISC Show in New York. Lowitt Alarms buys 500 monitoring accounts HICKSVILLE, N.Y.-As part of its strategy to grow through acquisitions, Lowitt Alarms and Security Systems Inc. recently bought 500 monitoring accounts from Sunrise Security of West Islip, N.Y. The deal involves former Sunrise Security owner Ron Lanza joining Lowitt Alarms' installation arm as a field representative, according to Andy Lowitt, vice president of Lowitt Alarms, based here. "He was getting close to retirement, and he decided it would be easier for him to sell the company," he said. A purchase price was not released. Lowitt, whose central station monitors both company-owned and contract accounts, said it's not uncommon for dealers who monitor with Lowitt Alarms to sell them accounts. "We know many of these dealers, and as they get closer to retirement, many of them are comfortable with us and talk to us about selling," said Lowitt. Lowitt Alarms monitors 50,000 contract and company-owned accounts combined. The company's installation arm serves approximately 5,000 customers on Long Island and in New York City.