Life Safety Engineered Systems, a PSA Security Network owner company, was selected over 60 other partners for OfficeMax’s annual Vendor of the Year award. The family-owned commercial fire and security services vendor was presented with the award at the retailer’s Naperville, Ill., headquarters in December 2012.

With offices in Buffalo, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis and Philadelphia, Life Safety has provided scheduled maintenance and emergency repair of fire and life safety equipment for OfficeMax’s 870 stores nationwide since 2010. Last year Life Safety commit to saving OfficeMax 6 percent on its annual preventative maintenance program, and in the end actually saved the company 9.1 percent, a factor in being chosen for the award.

“After running their preventative maintenance program the previous two years, we were confident that we had cleaned up their stores and were familiar enough with the layout that we could hold our pricing and only charge for work required,” said Michael Vezina, vice president of National Accounts for Life Safety.

Life Safety is the third company to receive the Vendor of the Year honor from OfficeMax, joining Waste Management in 2010 and NEST International in 2011. 

Life Safety’s commitment to providing results was only part of the equation, however. When OfficeMax had a problem at one of its locations, a Life Safety employee booked a flight from Arizona that same day and was at the site the next morning before the store opened to help resolve the issue.

That employee was Director of Business Development Carlos Figueroa, who along with Vezina was invited to OfficeMax headquarters for the ceremony and unveiling of a plaque, followed by lunch. 

“OfficeMax placed a lot of trust in us,” Vezina added. “They can be sure that we are working on their behalf and have their best interests in mind when working at their facilities. This award means a lot to Life Safety and is an indication that all of our efforts and our client-centric business model are appreciated and form a successful strategy towards continued growth. We are really proud of our whole team.”

For more information about Life Safety Engineered Systems, visit http://www.lifesafetysecurity.com/