Select announces several more purchases

LANCASTER, Pa.—Select Security in early June announced a variety of acquisitions, one in New Jersey, one in New Mexico, and two in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.

In New Jersey, the company acquired Garden State Fire & Security, based in Matawan, N.J. With this transaction Select bought more than 2,500 accounts, with an even 50/50 mix between residential and commercial accounts, and the company gains an office in New Jersey.

“The addition of Garden State Fire & Security to our organization brings lots of opportunity for Select Security as we continue to grow in the region,” Patrick Egan, Select Security's founder and CEO, said in the acquisition's announcement. “Michael Ash, Sr. spent years building an excellent company and we are excited to expand on what he and his team have built in this growing market.”

In the Southwest, Select purchased Armed Response Team in Albuquerque, N.M., Universal Electronics in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and a bulk purchase of select accounts from DFW Security, also in Dallas-Fort Worth. Collectively, these purchases added about 10,000 accounts to Select's total base and also included full-service branches in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Albuquerque markets.

“Our purchases in New Mexico and Texas mark our official entry into the region with full-service branch operations in those areas,” Steve Firestone, president of Select Security, told Security Systems News in an email interview. “As with any deal, there are several variables that help us decide whether or not to pursue the opportunity, including the health of the business and its customer base, our potential for growth in the market, and how well it fits within our current trade areas.”

Firestone continued, “In cases like this, where we have well-run organizations with an established and loyal customer base, and what we see as a growth market, we felt comfortable including it into our expansion plans. We've proven that with our focus and disciplined approach we can successfully acquire, integrate, and quickly achieve consistency of operations across our entire enterprise.”

Following these transactions, Select has more than 80,000 accounts.

“Our entry into the Texas and New Mexico markets marks the next exciting phase of our growth plans,” Egan said in the announcement of Select's southwestern deals. “It has been a pleasure working with the teams who have helped to build Armed Response Team and Universal Electronics into the well-known and respected brands in their areas, and an honor to carry on the work that Les Freeman (Universal Electronics) and David Muerer (Armed Response Team) have begun.”