Security Systems of America (SSA) announces it has acquired four Pennsylvania alarm companies during the past three months. Details of the acquisitions were not released.
The companies are Master-Tek Security of Oakdale; Universal Wiring & Maintenance of Pittsburgh; Armor Security of New Alexandria; and Protective Security of Johnstown.
SSA Administrator Andrew Nesky tells Security Sales & Integration the deals will add 1,000 to 1,500 residential and commercial accounts to the company, which amounts to a 10-percent increase in annual business.
The newly acquired companies will continue to operate under their respective branding in the near term, while SSA makes plans to consolidate each one of them.
“We are very sensitive to the needs of customers that we are servicing,” Nesky says. “It will take a little time to make the transition.”
With the Protective Security deal, SSA also acquired a central station. The company operates its own UL Listed monitoring station in Pittsburgh and will continue to run Protective’s monitoring business for the immediate future.
Nesky says SSA has set its sites on future growth beyond the recent acquisitions, however, years of industry consolidation and fierce competition from companies with a national footprint have dwindled the pool of independent companies to acquire.
“In general, the industry is a lot more hostile than it has ever been before for small companies,” Nesky says. “The market is taken up by the people who have the capital to grow. There is a lot of pressure given the price points today. It is really tough for the little dealer to compete and grow.”
